Brian Wright Chronicles the Bass in Upcoming Book, “The Bastard Instrument”
Music history professor and bassist Brian F. Wright has written a new book exploring the importance of the electric bass throughout the years. The Bastard Instrument: A Cultural History of the Electric Bass begins with the instrument’s fledgling years and the musicians who played it.
The tongue-in-cheek title refers to the electric bass’s humble beginnings as the music industry didn’t know what to do with it.
“The story of the electric bass is the story of jazz musicians who were mocked for playing an amplified instrument, of touring musicians who made their living on the road, of hometown heroes who never had a hit, of virtuosic session players who redefined rhythm & blues, of rock stars who brought the sound of the instrument to millions of fans, of funk musicians who used it to invent a new approach to rhythm,” the book’s introduction states. “Like the electric bass itself, these people stand as the foundation of modern popular music, yet their contributions remain undervalued.”
The most significant artists discussed in the book include Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, The Beach Boys, James Brown, The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Sly & The Family Stone, and more. To get the full picture, Wright interviewed bassists Stan Lark (The Fireballs), Tony Newton (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Four Tops), Norbert Putnam (Arthur Alexander, The Tams, Bobby Goldsboro, Elvis Presley), Jerry Jemmott (Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Wilson Pickett), Chuck Rainey (Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Steely Dan), and Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane).
Session legend Leland Sklar read the book and shared, “I have been a bassist for the past 65 years, and this book gave me new insight into the joy of my life. Informative and thought provoking, it is a must for those wishing to broaden their knowledge of bass history.”
The Bastard Instrument will be available on July 23rd through the University of Michigan Press. It is available for pre-order in both paperback and hardcover editions through Amazon.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
