GFM fam we had to take a little time out today to pay homage to one of the greatest and most melodic bass players to ever record, none other than James Jamerson who died on this day in 1983. As one of the core members of Motown’s storied session musicians “The Funk Brothers” James Jamerson played on countless hit records and developed a personal style that is unmistakable from the first note.
Check out this great article from the early 1990’s that served as a catalyst for the outstanding documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown”.
James Jamerson left an incredible recorded musical legacy that should be treasured and honored for the artistry therein and its influence on countless musicians.
Ivan Orr is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, performer, and writer. A native of Charlottesville, Virginia Ivan was involved with the forming and nascent days of The Music Resource Center as its first Program Director. A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music, Ivan currently resides in Richmond, VA where he maintains an active performance and production schedule while serving as the Music Editor for Grown Folks Music, a position he has held since 2010.
No doubt! Thank you sir for the shout! I’m still amazed by the hook and I agree I like the before/after because you really can draw that line in the sand.
Props and Pounds on this Ivan! James Jamerson will forever be the “World’s Greatest Bass Player”. Period. Funny I remember growing seeing his name and I told some dudes in music class (other bass players) about the “guy who played for Motown”. They replied “aw man once you learn My Girl..you’ve learned half the catalog..it’s that simple”! They went on to list bass players they felt were waaay better…the Geddy Lee’s, Paul McCartney’s, John Etwhistle’s,etc. Man I almost lost it! I told them “1st off those guys came up playing Motown covers,2nd Jamerson could probably play their stuff. But they will never be able to play like this- then I let ’em hear “Darlin Dear”! The music teacher backed me up listing a few other Jamerson classic’s. We need to start referring to music like b.j.(Before Jamerson) and a.j.(After Jamerson) the dude was flat out bad and his influence stretched beyond r&b music! Years later I’m still motivated by the guy! But enough already. Good job. Time to go learn “Darlin’ Dear”