Most Influential Bassists...

[Coda]

...so you do you think are the most influential bassists...I would go with John Entwistle, James Jamerson, and Carol Kaye...

...your turn...

 

[Mark Wein]

For me it would be Jamerson, Kaye, McCartney as the big three.

 

[mongooz]

For me it would be Jamerson, Kaye, McCartney as the big three.

yea....i'd agree with this......and maybe add Bootsy for his early work in the Funk world.

 

[Help!I'maRock!]

Charlie Haden
Ron Carter
Charles Mingus

 

[Tig]

For rock, John Entwistle and Paul McCartney.
For funk, Bootsy Collins and Louis "Thunder-Thumbs" Johnson.
For jazz, Paul Chambers, Charles Mingus, Stanley Clarke, and Jaco Pastorius. I should also mention Charlie Haden.

 

[Coralkong]

Purely subjective question, but here goes:


John Entwistle
Sting (don't laugh, I had this conversation with a bass player one time. He started playing a riff, he said "Who's that by?". I said "I'm not sure, but it sounds like The Police". He smiled said "Exactly my point." Instantly recognizable.)
Jaco Pastorius
Stanley Clarke
Geddy Lee

 

[Tralfaz]

Entwistle, Jamerson, McCartney... all great choices.

Carole Kaye, well... She's been on a zillion recordings, anonymous and workmanlike, but how is she influential?

 

[CBHScott]

Agreed with many of the above, but gotta throw Chris Squire in there, too.

 

[Coralkong]

Agreed with many of the above, but gotta throw Chris Squire in there, too.

+1.

 

[Coda]

Entwistle, Jamerson, McCartney... all great choices.

Carole Kaye, well... She's been on a zillion recordings, anonymous and workmanlike, but how is she influential?

...the biggest part, for me, is that she influenced Paul McCartney taking a more melodic approach to the bass post 1966...

 

[Modern Saint]

Ron Carter
Jaco
Jeff Berlin
Stanley Clarke
Marcus Miller
Tal Wilkenford

 

[T-BoneBarnet]

Influential I guess would be something like Jaco Pastorius, Larry Graham, James Jamerson.
I love John Entwistle, but I've never heard anyone else try to sound like him.

 

[BlackCat]

...
Carole Kaye, well... She's been on a zillion recordings, anonymous and workmanlike, but how is she influential?

She wrote some bass methods that a lot of people started with.

 

[Coda]

I love John Entwistle, but I've never heard anyone else try to sound like him.

...I would say 99% of bass players sound like John Entwistle...if they play roundwounds strings...

 

[Coda]

...double post...

 

[Chad]

most influential to the general musical world or to me?

 

[Athiest_Peace]

When I hear "bass player" my mind almost immediately goes to these 3 guys...
Cliff Burton


Steve Harris


Geddy Lee

 

[T-BoneBarnet]

...

I agree with this part of your post.

 

[Knox in Box]

I also give another nod to Sting. No crap, people love to hate him but as a bassist he was amazing.

No one has said Flea yet either that I have noticed.

 

[T-BoneBarnet]

I also give another nod to Sting. No crap, people love to hate him but as a bassist he was amazing.

No one has said Flea yet either that I have noticed.

I was actually going to add Flea, but considered the amount of shit I would get, and decided against it.
But yeah, after Mother's Milk, everyone and their auntie was doing slap-bass.