The Greatest Bass Player In The World

Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 12:32 AM
After reading the biography part of the book Standing In The Shadows of Motown, I've grown to respect James Jamerson even more. Not only was he a person with extraordinary talent on the bass, but he was also quite a character. He is a character that I can totally identify with, a little weird, generous, a family man, a behind-the-scenes man, a forgive-and-forget bass player. And then there are other attributes that I'm not, short fused, severe alcoholic (maybe just a little bit for me on this one) and few more. In short he is a well rounded character.

But one person that I think should deserve more credit than what is stated on paper is actually his wife. Most people generally credited her (and their children) as the anchor to the sometimes turbulent soul that resides in James. Given the history that James have had over the course of his career, her support really deserves a lot more mention. And unlike lots of celebrity stories, James never divorced and still loved his wife until he passed away. Often they would have disagreements or sometimes worse but they still somehow manage to hold the fort together.

You don't hear that very often these days. People get very cynical about marriage considering the how common it is to hear people getting divorced due to "irreconcilable differences". More stories like this needs to be out there and not just the genius that comes with people like James.

Oh, and the reason why James deserve that title are for bass lines like these back in a time where it is inconceivable to think of something like these:


Darling Dear - Jackson 5

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