MB Civic

I did one for guitarists, so why not one for my favorite instrument? The most underrated instrument in rock music, what gives rock and pop music it’s groove and it’s soul. I tried to be as objective as possible and shine a light on all genres. Influence, impact, popularity, originality and skill make up the criteria.

1. James Jamerson (Funk Brothers, session work) – Essential record: What’s Going On? (Marvin Gaye) (1971)
James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of Motown Records’ hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases until 1971), and he is now regarded as one of the most influential bass players in modern music history. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
2. John Entwistle (The Who) – Essential record: Live at Leeds, Deluxe Edition (The Who) (1970, 2001) John Alec Entwistle (9 October 1944 – 27 June 2002) was an English bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who. His aggressive lead sound influenced many rock bass players. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Who in 1990. There are those who see John Entwistle’s emotionless scowl, all fingers flying, and award him the crown of rock’s best bassist on that alone. Others find his work overly busy and self-indulgent, calling him one of the worst in rock. I’m here to tell those who may fall into the latter category that they are out of their panty-sniffing minds. For anyone who takes the time to listen to just about any Who song after 1967, the first thing they’ll notice is just how much space the bass is filling. This allows Pete Townshend’s power chords to sound all the more ominous, and his more esoteric work to not bring the momentum of the songs to a complete standstill. To me, the album title Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy is the best description of Ox’s bass playing style. It may not necessarily be melodic, as McCartney’s parts tend to be, but for all the notes being played, there is not a single one that does not serve the song perfectly.
3. Larry Graham (Sly & The Family Stone) – Essential record: There’s a Riot Going On (Sly & The Family Stone) (1971) Larry Graham, Jr. (born August 14, 1946, in Beaumont, Texas) is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. He is credited with the invention of the slapping technique, which radically expanded the tonal palette of the bass, although he himself refers to the technique as “Thumpin’ and Pluckin’
4. Tony Levin (King Crimson, Liquid Tension Experiment, Peter Gabriel, solo, other projects, session work) – Essential record: So (Peter Gabriel) (1986) Tony Levin (born June 6, 1946, Boston, Massachusetts) is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass (although he also sings and plays synthesizer).
Levin is best known for his work with progressive rock pioneers King Crimson and Peter Gabriel. He has also been a member of Liquid Tension Experiment; the King Crimson-related bands Bruford Levin Upper Extremities, ProjeKct One and ProjeKct Four; and currently leads his own Tony Levin Band.
Look-I just can not agree with this-McCartney, in my estimation, is the finest bassist and overall rock musician alive (or dead). Just sit back and listen to what he does with the bass in songs like Eleanor Rigby or many of the Rubber Soul, Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road cuts-This is amazing stuff-interesting and informed choices by a top musician-Can you imagine any one else being able to execute that kind of musicianship without totally screwing up the tune?! NO-He is NUMBER ONE-NUMERO UNO no discussion.
Let’s face it, Sir McCartney is the single-most influential bass player in rock & roll. Anytime you see someone playing a Hofner bass, dollars to doughnuts Paul is their favorite Beatle and their main inspiration in picking up the instrument. Such things aside, McCartney’s main contribution to the art of rock & roll bass playing was to prove just how melodic the bass could be within the confines of a four-piece rock band. In McCartney’s hands, the bass literally became another singer in the band. I posted an mp3 months ago featuring the isolated drum and bass parts on “A Day In The Life”…one need only listen to his work on that song to fully recognize McCartney’s always tasteful, understated genius.
5. Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings, solo) – Essential record: Abbey Road (The Beatles) (1969) Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM (born 18 June 1942) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles (1960–1970) and Wings (1971–1981), McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the “most successful musician and composer in popular music history”, with 60 gold discs and sales of 100 million singles in the United Kingdom alone
6. Chris Squire (Yes, solo) – Essential record: Fragile (Yes) (1972) Christopher Russell Edward “Chris” Squire (born 4 March 1948), is an English musician, known as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock group Yes. He is the only member of the group to appear on every album. He is widely regarded as the dominant bass guitarist among the early seventies British progressive rock bands, influencing peers and later generations of bassists with his incisive sound and elaborately contoured, melodic bass lines.
7. Bootsy Collins (Parliament, Funkadelic, Bootsy’s Rubber Band, James Brown, solo, other projects) – Essential record: Mothership Connection (Parliament) (1976) William Earl “Bootsy” Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the ’70s, Collins’s driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk. Collins is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.
8. Jack Bruce (Cream, solo, other projects) – Essential record: Wheels of Fire (Cream) (1968) John Symon Asher “Jack” Bruce (born 1943) is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles. Best recognized as a memorable vocalist and bass guitarist, Bruce has been referred to as a “World-class pioneer in his main instrument; a composer of some of the most endurable and recognizable rock songs of our time; an accomplished classical, jazz and Latin musician and one of popular music’s most distinctive and evocative voices.” He is also trained as a classical cellist. The Sunday Times stated “… many consider him to be one of the greatest bass players of all time.”
9. Geddy Lee (Rush) – Essential record: Moving Pictures (Rush) (1981) Geddy Lee, OC, born Gary Lee Weinrib (July 29, 1953), is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Lee joined what would become Rush in September 1968, at the request of his childhood friend Alex Lifeson, replacing original bassist and front man Jeff Jones. As mentioned earlier, you either love Flea’s playing or hate it. Sometimes the line between love and hate is mighty thin and you find yourself loving something one day and hating it the next. Geddy Lee’s bass playing falls into this category. While I will admit that he has had moments where his work was pretty listenable (most notably on Moving Pictures and the underrated Grace Under Pressure), most of the time, his approach to the art of playing bass is indulgent, anti-melodic, and complex for the sake of being complex. Plus, the guy’s voice grates on me like cat claws on a chalkboard.
10. Donald “Duck” Dunn (Booker T & The M.G.’s, session work) – Essential record: Otis Blue, Otis Redding Sings Soul (Otis Redding) (1965) Donald “Duck” Dunn (born November 24, 1941) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and songwriter. Dunn is notable for his 1960s recordings with Booker T. & the M.G.’s and as a session bassist for Stax Records, which specialized in blues and gospel-infused southern soul and Memphis soul music styles. Dunn also performed on recordings with The Blues Brothers, Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Albert King, Neil Young, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Guy Sebastian, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Roy Buchanan and Arthur Conley.
11. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers, session work) – Essential record: Mother’s Milk (Red Hot Chili Peppers) (1989) Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16, 1962), better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-born American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea is also the co-founder of Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit music education organization founded in 2001. You may love the Chili Peppers, or you may loathe them to the point of listening to talk radio so that you won’t have to toss your car radio out the window should one of their songs be played. I personally fall into the latter category, but that doesn’t stop me from admitting to the world that Flea is a mutha of a bass player. Oh, how I wish he’d been old enough to be in Rick James’ band, or Funkadelic because this guy is, without a doubt, one of the funkiest white guys on the planet.
12. Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath, solo) – Essential record: Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath) (1970) Geezer Butler (born Terence Michael Joseph Butler on 17 July 1949 in Birmingham, England) is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was also involved in Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010.
13. Les Claypool (Primus, Oysterhead, solo, other projects) – Essential record: Sailing the Seas of Cheese (Primus) (1991) Leslie Edward “Les” Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead vocalist and bassist in the band Primus. Claypool’s playing style on the electric bass mixes tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bends and slapping. Claypool has also self produced and engineered his solo releases from his own studio “Rancho Relaxo”. 2006 saw the release of a full-length feature film Electric Apricot written and directed by Claypool as well as a debut novel South of the Pumphouse.
14. Louis Johnson (Brothers Johnson, session work) – Essential record: Off the Wall (Michael Jackson) (1979) Louis Johnson (born April 13, 1955, in Los Angeles, California, United States) is an American bass guitarist. Johnson is best known for his group The Brothers Johnson and his session playing on several hit albums of the 1970s and ’80s including the “best selling album of all time” Thriller. His signature sound is from the Music Man StingRay bass which Leo Fender especially made for him to first use and promote, and from his slapping technique.
15. Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead) – Essential record: Live/Dead (Grateful Dead) (1969) Phillip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940 in Berkeley, California) is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career.After the band’s disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of Grateful Dead family music with side project Phil Lesh and Friends, which paid homage to the Dead’s music by playing their originals, common covers, and the songs of the members of his band. Phil & Friends helped keep a legitimate entity for the band’s music to continue but have been on hiatus since 2008. Recently, Lesh has been performing with Furthur alongside former Dead bandmate Bob Weir.
16. Willie Dixon (Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Howlin Wolf, Bo Diddley, solo – Essential record: The Great Twenty-Eight (Chuck Berry) (1982) William James “Willie” Dixon (July 1, 1915 – January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producerA Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the upright bass and the guitar and as a vocalist, Dixon is perhaps best known as one of the most prolific songwriters of his time. He is recognized as one of the founders of the Chicago blues sound.
17. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin, solo) – Essential record: Led Zeppelin II (Led Zeppelin) (1970) John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on 3 January 1946) is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career. A versatile musician, Jones also plays guitar, koto, lap steel guitars, autoharp, violin, ukulele, sitar, cello, continuum and the three over-dubbed recorder parts heard on Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” Many place JPJ and Ox in the same category…bass players in two of England’s biggest rock bands of the late 60?s/early 70?s. For most Zep fans, Page, Plant and Bonzo get all the love, but JPJ’s contribution to the band remains highly underappreciated. For starters, any bass player who can not only come up with deceptively complex and counter-melodic bass lines, but also match Bonzo accent-for-accent is a genius. Add to that Jones’ strength as arranger within the band and you have a guy who deserves to be on this list.
18. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) – Essential record: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (Iron Maiden) (1988) Stephen Percy “Steve” Harris (born 12 March 1956) is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He is the only member of Iron Maiden to have remained in the band since their inception and, along with guitarist Dave Murray, to have appeared on all of their albums.
19. Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE, The Stooges, solo) – Essential record: Contemplating the Engine Room (solo) (1997) Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.
He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; as of 2003[update], he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen projects.
CMJ New Music called Watt a “seminal post-punk bass player.” In November 2008, Watt received the Bass Player Magazine lifetime achievement award, presented by Flea.
20. John Wetton (King Crimson, Uriah Heep, Asia, U.K., solo, other projects) – Essential record: Starless and Bible Black (King Crimson) (1974) John Kenneth Wetton (born 12 June 1949) is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s. He initially rose to fame in progressive rock with bands such as Mogul Thrash, Family, King Crimson, Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry, Uriah Heep, UK, Jack-Knife, and Wishbone Ash. His biggest commercial success was as the frontman and principal songwriter of the supergroup Asia. Their self-titled debut album sold 8 million copies worldwide and was Billboard magazine’s #1 album of 1982.
21. Aston “Family Man” Barrett (Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Wailers Band, solo) – Essential record: Catch a Fire (Bob Marley & The Wailers) (1973) Aston Barrett (born Aston Francis Barrett, 22 November 1946 in Kingston, Jamaica), often called “Family Man” or “Fams” for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafarian. He was one of the Barrett brothers (the other being Carlton “Carly” Barrett) who played with Bob Marley and The Wailers, and Lee Perry’s The Upsetters. It has been stated that Aston was the ‘leader’ of the backing band and responsible for many, if not all bass lines on Bob Marley’s greatest hits
22. Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) – Essential record: Bless It’s Pointed Little Head (Jefferson Airplane) (1969) Jack Casady (born John William Casady, April 13, 1944 in Washington D.C), is an American musician considered one of the foremost bass guitarists of the rock music era and best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane. First playing as a lead guitarist with the Washington D.C. area rhythm and blues band “The Triumphs”, he switched to bass during his high school years and while still underage (and with a forged I.D.), played the Washington D.C club scene, backing artists such as Little Anthony and the Imperials and Ray Charles.
23. Cliff Burton (Metallica) – Essential record: Master of Puppets (Metallica) (1986) Clifford Lee “Cliff” Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica.
Burton joined the band in 1982 and performed on its debut studio album, Kill ‘Em All. He performed on two more Metallica albums, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, both of which met with major commercial and critical success. Burton was known for his “lead bass” approach, in which the bass played a melodic and soloist role, in addition to holding down the harmonic and rhythmic foundation of the band.
24. Bob Babbitt (Funk Brothers, session work) – Essential record: Sky’s the Limit (The Temptations) (1971) Bob Babbitt (born Robert Kreinar in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American bassist, most famous for his work as a member of Motown Records’ studio band, the Funk Brothers, from 1966–1972, as well as his tenure as part of MFSB for Philadelphia International Records afterwards. Also in 1968-1970, with Mike Campbell, Ray Monette and Andrew Smith he formed the band Scorpion.[1] Babbitt traded off sessions with original Motown bassist James Jamerson. Over the course of his career, Babbit has played on over 200 Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits, for Motown and other labels as well
25. Carol Kaye (session work) – Essential record: Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys) (1966) Carol Kaye (born March 24, 1935) is an American musician, best known as one of the most prolific and widely heard bass guitarists in history, playing on an estimated 10,000 recording sessions in a 55 year career. As a session musician, Kaye was the bassist on many Phil Spector and Brian Wilson productions in the 1960s and 1970s. She played guitar on Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” and is credited with the bass tracks on several Simon & Garfunkel hits and many film scores by Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin. Among her most often cited work Kaye anchored the Beach Boys’ album Pet Sounds.
26. John Deacon (Queen) – Essential record: The Game (Queen) (1980) Let’s face it, whoever came up with the bass line for “Another One Bites The Dust” should be on the list for that and that alone. So should the guy who came up with the bass lick from “Under Pressure”. Thankfully, they’re the work of the same guy. Deacon also wrote a fair share of the band’s better material, including “You’re My Best Friend”, “I Want To Break Free”, and the aformentioned “Another One Bites The Dust”. A little known fact is that he also played a ton of rhythm guitar on albums such as “Hot Space”, one of the group’s more underrated efforts, truth be told. For a guy who never bought into the star trip, wanting only to slip into the background and allow the spotlight to shine upon Freddie Mercury, he sure did make his presence known in musical ways and that, my friends, is why he’s on this list. As bassists go, this is the one any band would’ve been lucky to have.
27. Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, King Crimson) – Essential record: Brain Salad Surgery (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) (1973) Gregory Stuart “Greg” Lake (born 10 November 1947) is an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known as a vocalist and bassist of King Crimson, and the bassist, guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Greg Lake first came to prominence as a founding member of King Crimson. He was a school friend of guitarist Robert Fripp, who invited Lake to join the new band and take on the tasks of lead singer and bass player. Lake was primarily a guitarist, but agreed to switch to bass at Fripp’s request. Lake had some involvement in writing the lyrics for King Crimson’s debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, although Peter Sinfield was the primary lyricist. Aside from being the lead singer and bass player, Lake also ended up producing the album after their contracted producer (Tony Clark) walked away from the project.
28. Billy Cox (Band of Gypsys, Jimi Hendrix) – Essential record: Band of Gypsys (Band of Gypsys) (1970) William “Billy” Cox (born October 18, 1941) is an American bassist, best known for performing with Jimi Hendrix. As of November 2008, Billy is the only surviving member of both The Jimi Hendrix Experience and the Band Of Gypsys. He recently was inducted into the Musician’s Hall of Fame and continues to honor his friend, performing dates with the Experience Hendrix Tour.
29. Rocco Prestia (Tower of Power) – Essential record: Tower of Power (Tower of Power) (1973) Francis «Rocco» Prestia (born March 7, 1951) is an American musician, the bassist of the legendary funk band Tower of Power and one of the most important figures in electric bass’ history. Born in Sonora, California, Prestia started playing electric guitar as an adolescent. When he auditioned for Emilio Castillo’s band Tower of Power, Castillo persuaded him to switch to electric bass.

30. Chuck Rainey (session work) – Essential record: Aja (Steely Dan) (1977) Chuck Rainey, (born Charles Walter Rainey III, June 17, 1940, Cleveland, Ohio, United States) is an American bass guitar session musician, known for playing with many well-known American musicians and acts, including Donald Byrd, Steely Dan, Quincy Jones, and Aretha Franklin Rainey’s youthful pursuits included violin, piano and trumpet. Later, while attending Lane College in Tennessee, Rainey switched to baritone horn to join the school’s travelling brass ensemble. While on active military duty, Rainey learned rhythm guitar and began playing professionally with local bands. His lack of improvisational skills on guitar led him to pick up the bass, and soon Rainey found himself working steadily as a studio bassist in New York, recording or touring with many of the greatest acts of that time.
31 & 32. Bernard Odum and “Sweet” Charles Sherrell (James Brown, session work) – Essential record: 20 All-Time Greatest Hits! (James Brown) (1991) Bernard Odum (1932 – August 17, 2004) was an US bass guitar player best known for performing in James Brown’s band in the 1960s.
Odum started playing with Brown in 1956 and became a full-time member of Brown’s band in 1958. He worked in the James Brown band until the end of the 1960s, and played on such hits as “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” (1965), “I Got You (I Feel Good)” (1965), “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” (1966), and “Cold Sweat” (1967).
In 1969, Odum and most of the other musicians in Brown’s band walked out on him over a pay dispute and other issues, prompting Brown to create a new backing band, The J.B.’s. In 1970, Odum briefly joined Maceo Parker’s group, Maceo & All the King’s Men, appearing on the album Doin’ Their Own Thing.
Sweet” Charles Sherrell (born March 8, 1943) is an American bassist known for recording and performing with James Brown Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Sherrell began his career playing drums with fellow Nashville residents Jimi Hendrix and Billy Cox, practicing at a club a block from Hendrix’s residence. Sherrell learned to play the guitar by washing the car (a Jaguar) of Curtis Mayfield in exchange for guitar lessons. Sherrell soon began teaching himself to play the bass after buying one from a local pawn shop for $69, which led him to join Johnny Jones & The King Kasuals Band, Aretha Franklin’s backing group.
33. Roger Glover (Deep Purple, Rainbow, solo) – Essential record: Made in Japan (Deep Purple) (1972) Roger David Glover (born 30 November 1945 in Brecon) is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. Glover is best known as the bassist and lyricist for the hard rock band, Deep PurpleBorn near Brecon, Wales, Glover moved with his family to St Helens before settling in the South Kensington area of London, at the age of ten. Around that time, Glover’s interests started to shift towards rock music, and by the time he was thirteen, Glover began playing guitar. He later moved to the North London district of Pinner and while at Harrow County School for Boys Glover formed his first band, Madisons, with a group of friends, which later merged together with a rival band to become Episode Six, a band which later featured Glover’s future Deep Purple bandmate, vocalist Ian Gillan. The two left Episode Six in 1969 to join Deep Purple.
34. Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics, solo) – Essential record: Foxtrot (Genesis) (1972) Michael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950 in Guildford, Surrey) is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist.[1] In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis (the other is keyboardist Tony Banks). He also fronts Mike + The Mechanics. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010
35. Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order, session work) – Essential record: Closer (Joy Division) (1980) Peter Hook (born 13 February 1956) is an English bass player, musician and author.
He was a co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until his departure in 2007. He has also recorded an album with Revenge (One True Passion), two albums with Monaco (Music for Pleasure and Monaco) and one album with Freebass (It’s A Beautiful Life) as bassist, keyboardist and lead vocalist.
36. George Porter, Jr. (The Meters, Runnin’ Pardners, session work) – Essential record: Rejuvenation (The Meters) (1974) George Porter, Jr. (born December 26, 1947 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a musician best known as the bassist and singer of The Meters. Along with Art Neville, Porter formed the group in the mid 60’s and came to be recognized as one of the progenitors of funk. The Meters disbanded in 1977, but reformed in 1989. Today the group is called the Funky Meters, and Porter is still a member.
37. Mick Karn (Japan) – Essential record: Tin Drum (Japan) (1981) Andonis Michaelides (24 July 1958 – 4 January 2011), better known as Mick Karn, was an English multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, who came to fame as the bassist for the art rock band Japan, from 1974 to 1982.
In June 2010, he was diagnosed with advanced stage cancer, and died in January 2011.
38. Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers Band) – Essential record: At Fillmore East (Allman Brothers Band) (1971) Raymond Berry Oakley III (April 4, 1948 – November 11, 1972), was an American bassist and one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band. Oakley was born in Chicago, Illinois, raised in the suburb of Park Forest, Illinois. Then moved to Florida where he met and joined Dickey Betts’s band, The Second Coming. He was a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1969, along with guitarist Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, who was the band’s vocalist and keyboardist, Dickey Betts on second guitar, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson, both on drums, congas, and the band’s percussionist.
39. Sting (The Police, solo) – Essential record: Zenyatta Mondatta (The Police) (1980) Sting (The Police)
The guy may be an insufferable ass, a pompous, self-absorbed egomaniac, and the owner of more castles than any other musician on the planet, but the dude can play a mean bass. What I’ve always been most amazed by is his ability to craft highly melodic bass lines in very odd, very non-rock & roll time signatures, and then effortlessly sing over the top of them. It’s like rubbing your stomach and tapping your head at the same time, only a whole lot fucking harder.What’s also impressive is the fact that a guy who was essentially a jazz snob could be bothered to join the punk movement (at Stewart Copeland’s urging) and then start turning out all sorts of nnovative, angular reggae-tinged bass lines that weren’t merely a cop of what had come before. In other words, for a guy who could have very well said “I am above such nonsense”, he got down and dirty and became the chief architect of a sound that is as one-of-a-kind now as it was then.
40. Paul Simonon (The Clash, other projects) – Essential record: London Calling (The Clash) (1979) Paul Gustave Simonon (born 15 December 1955) is an English musician and artist best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. More recent work includes his involvement in the project The Good, the Bad & the Queen in 2007 with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen and the Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach in 2010, which along with Albarn saw him reunite with Mick Jones.
41. Andy Rourke (The Smiths, session work) – Essential record: Meat is Murder (The Smiths) (1985) Andy Rourke (born Andrew Michael Rourke, 17 January 1964, Manchester, England) is a bass guitarist best known as a former member of The Smiths. Andy Rourke received an acoustic guitar from his parents when he was 7 years old. At age 11 he befriended a young John Maher (the future Johnny Marr) with whom he shared a mutual interest in music. The pair spent lunch breaks in school jamming and playing on their guitars. When Marr and Rourke formed a band, he invited Rourke (still then a guitarist) to try on bass, which he fell in love with and he stuck with ever since.
42. Bill Black (Elvis Presley, Bill Black’s Combo) – Essential record: Elvis Presley (Elvis Presley) (1956) William Patton “Bill” Black, Jr. (September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965) was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley’s early trio and the leader of Bill Black’s Combo.
43. Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club) – Essential record: Fear of Music (Talking Heads) (1979) Martina Michèle “Tina” Weymouth (born November 22, 1950, Coronado, California) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist of the New Wave group Talking Heads and its side project Tom Tom Club (co-founded with husband and Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz). Weymouth is of French heritage on her mother’s side.[1] Weymouth was a cheerleader in high school. As a bass guitarist, she combined the minimalist art-punk basslines of groups such as Wire and Pere Ubu with danceable, funk-inflected riffs to provide the bedrock of Talking Heads signature sound. Her sound is often very syncopated (i.e. reggae/funk) in feel, combining low fundamental notes with higher flourishes in clipped, staccato rhythms. Weymouth joined Talking Heads as bass guitarist at the request of then-boyfriend, Chris Frantz.
44. Bernard Edwards (Chic) – Essential record: Risque (Chic) (1979) Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan. Edwards, who grew up in Brooklyn, New York City, met Nile Rodgers in the early 1970s. The two formed the Big Apple Band (active 1972-1976) and then united with drummer Tony Thompson to eventually form Chic together with singer Norma Jean Wright.
45. Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings) – Essential record: Let it Bleed (Rolling Stone) (1969) Bill Wyman (born William George Perks; 24 October 1936) is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for the English rock and roll band the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1992. Since 1997, he has recorded and toured with his own band, Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings. He has worked producing both records and film, and has scored music for film in movies and television. Wyman has kept a journal since he was a child after World War II. It has been useful to him as an author who has written seven books, selling two million copies. Wyman’s love of art has additionally led to his proficiency in photography and his photographs have hung in galleries around the world. Wyman’s lack of funds in his early years led him to create and build his own fretless bass guitar. He became an amateur archaeologist and enjoys relic hunting; The Times published a letter about his hobby (Friday 2 March 2007). He designed and markets a patented Bill Wyman signature metal detector, which he has used to find relics in the English countryside dating back to the era of the Roman Empire. As a businessman, he owns several establishments including the famous Sticky Fingers Café, a rock & roll-themed bistro serving American cuisine first opened in 1989 in the Kensington area of London and later, two additional locations in Cambridge and Manchester, England.
46. Verdine White (Earth Wind & Fire, solo) – Essential record: That’s the Way of the World (Earth Wind & Fire) (1975) Verdine White (born July 25, 1951) is the bassist for Earth, Wind & Fire and the younger brother of fellow band member Maurice White. White is known for his high energy and dancing while playing his bass guitar during Earth, Wind & Fire concerts. Verdine was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 25, 1951. His father, Verdine Sr., was a doctor who also played the saxophone. He grew up listening to recordings of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and other jazz musicians. He was also influenced by his two drummer brothers, Fred and Maurice White and by the “Motown sound and the Beatles. When he was 15, he saw a Double bass in his high school orchestra class and then decided that he wanted to play bass.
47. Rick James (solo) – Essential record: Street Songs (solo) (1981)
48. Billy Sheehan (Mr Big, David Lee Roth, Steve Vai, Niacin, solo, session work) – Essential record: Eat ‘Em and Smile (David Lee Roth) (1986) William “Billy” Sheehan (born on March 19, 1953, in Buffalo, New York) is an American bassist known for his work with Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, and Niacin. Sheehan has won the “Best Rock Bass Player” readers’ poll from Guitar Player Magazine five times for his “lead bass” playing style Sheehan’s repertoire includes the use of chording, two-handed tapping, right-hand “three-finger picking” technique and controlled feedback.
49. Bruce Thomas (Elvis Costello & The Attractions) – Essential record: This Year’s Model (Elvis Costello & The Attractions) (1978) Bruce Thomas (born 14 August 1948, Stockton-on-Tees, England) is best known as bassist for The Attractions;[ the band formed in 1977 to back Elvis Costello in concert and on record.Thomas is also the author of 1994’s Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit, a biography of the renowned martial artist and movie star, and 1991’s The Body of Time (and the Energies of Being), a short book about metaphysics.Thomas attended Grangefield Grammar School in Stockton on Tees, and after leaving, worked as a trainee commercial-artist at the local Evening Gazette newspaper. He was playing bass in local bands at night, around his home town, and eventually joined The Roadrunners (with Paul Rodgers & Micky Moody). After Rodgers switched from playing bass to being their up-front singer, the band changed their name to The Wildflowers, and in late 1966 decided to quit their respective day-jobs and move to London. After achieving little success, the band eventually split.
50. Jah Wobble (Public Image Ltd., solo, other projects) – Essential record: Metal Box, Second Edition (Public Image Ltd.) (1980)
Jah Wobble (born John Joseph Wardle 11 August 1958 in Stepney, London) is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums. Following his departure from PiL, he went on to a successful solo career, continuing to the present.

If you want more info on the last 50 just let me know!!!

51. Colin Moulding (XTC) – Essential record: Drums and Wires (XTC) (1979)
52. Holger Czukay (Can, solo, other projects) – Essential record: Ege Bamyasi (Can) (1972)
53. Bruce Foxton (The Jam, Stiff Little Fingers) – Essential record: All Mod Cons (The Jam) (1978)
54. Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine, session work) – Essential record: Third (Soft Machine) (1970)
55. George Murray (David Bowie, Iggy Pop, session work) – Essential record: Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (David Bowie) (1980)
56. Richard Sinclair (Caravan, Hatfield & The North, Camel) – Essential record: In the Land of Grey and Pink (Caravan) (1971)
57. Dave Allen (Gang of Four, Shriekback, other projects) – Essential record: Entertainment! (Gang of Four) (1979)
58. Simon Gallup (The Cure, other projects) – Essential record: Disintegration (The Cure) (1989)
59. Joe Osborn (session work) – Essential record: The Age of Aquarius (The 5th Dimension) (1969)
60. Stu Hamm (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, solo, session work) – Essential record: Passion and Warfare (Steve Vai) (1990)
61. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy, solo) – Essential record: Bad Reputation (Thin Lizzy) (1977)
62. Martin “Youth” Glover (Killing Joke, other projects) – Essential record: Killing Joke (Killing Joke) (1980)
63. Ray Shulman (Gentle Giant) – Essential record: In a Glass House (Gentle Giant) (1973)
64. Nick Lowe (Rockpile, Brinsley Schwarz, solo) – Essential record: Jesus of Cool (solo) (1978)
65. Billy Gould (Faith No More, other projects) – Essential record: Angel Dust (Faith No More) (1992)
66. John Myung (Dream Theater, Platypus, The Jelly Jam, other projects) – Essential record: Image and Words (Dream Theater) (1992)
67. Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Testament, Sadus, Control Denied, session work) – Essential record: Human (Death) (1991)
68. Norwood Fisher (Fishbone) – Essential record: Truth and Soul (Fishbone) (1988)
69. Klaus Flouride (Dead Kennedys) – Essential record: Fresh Fruit for Rotten Vegetables (Dead Kennedys) (1980)
70. Kim Deal (Pixies) – Essential record: Doolittle (Pixies) (1989)
71. BB Dickerson (War, Eric Burdon & War, Lowrider Band) – Essential record: The World is a Ghetto (War) (1972)
72. David Steel (The English Beat) – Essential record: What is Beat? (The English Beat) (1983)
73. Trevor Bolder (David Bowie, Uriah Heep, session work) – Essential record: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (David Bowie) (1972)
74. Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival, Southern Pacific, session work) – Essential record: Willy and the Poor Boys (Creedence Clearwater Revival) (1969)
75. Mike Howlett (Gong, other projects) – Essential record: You (Gong) (1973)
76. Dirk Lance (Incubus) – Essential record: S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (Incubus) (1997)
77. Marshall Lytle (Bill Haley & His Comets, The Jodimars) – Essential record: Rock Around the Clock (Bill Haley & His Comets) (1955)
78. Eric Avery (Jane’s Addiction, Polar Bear, other projects) – Essential record: Ritual De Lo Habitual (Jane’s Addiction) (1990)
79. Mike Gordon (Phish, other projects) – Essential record: A Live One (Phish) (1995)
80. Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, other projects) – Essential record: Mr. Bungle (Mr. Bungle) (1991)
81. Martin Turner (Wishbone Ash) – Essential record: Argus (Wishbone Ash) (1972)
82. Horace Panter (The Specials, General Public) – Essential record: The Specials (The Specials) (1979)
83. Carl Radle (Derek & The Dominos, session work) – Essential record: Layla and Other Assored Love Songs (Derek & The Dominos) (1970)
84. Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead, Hawkwind, other projects) – Essential record: Space Ritual (Hawkwind) (1973)
85. Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth, Free Kitten, other projects) – Essential record: Goo (Sonic Youth) (1990)
86. David Ellefson (Megadeth, other projects) – Essential record: Rust in Peace (Megadeth) (1990)
87. P-Nut (311) – Essential record: Music (311) (1993)
88. Rick Danko (The Band, Bob Dylan, solo) – Essential record: The Band (The Band) (1969)
89. Roy Estrada (Mothers of Invention, Little Feat, other projects) – Essential record: Freak Out! (Mothers of Invention) (1966)
90. John McVie (Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers) – Essential record: Rumours (Fleetwood Mac) (1977)
91. Fred Smith (Television) – Essential record: Marquee Moon (Television) (1977)
92. Justin Chancellor (Tool, Peach) – Essential record: Lateralus (Tool) (2001)
93. Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave) – Essential record: Rage Against the Machine (Rage Against the Machine) (1992)
94. Joe Lally (Fugazi, Ataxia, other projects) – Essential record: 13 Songs (Fugazi) (1989)
95. Gary “Mani” Mounfield (The Stone Roses, Primal Scream) – Essential record: The Stone Roses (The Stone Roses) (1989)
96. Bruce Palmer (Buffalo Springfield) – Essential record: Retrospective: The Best of Buffalo Springfield (Buffalo Springfield) (1969)
97. Matt Freeman (Rancid, Operation Ivy) – Essential record: …And Out Come the Wolves (Rancid) (1995)
98. Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam, Green River, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, other projects) – Essential record: Ten (Pearl Jam) (1991)
99. Robert Trujillo (Suicidal Tendencies, Metallica, Infectious Grooves, other projects) – Essential record: The Plague That Makes Your Body Move… It’s Infectious Grooves (Infectious Grooves) (1991)
100. Stefan Lessard (Dave Matthews Band) – Essential record: Under the Table and Dreaming (Dave Matthews Band) (1994)

Honorable mentions
Roger Waters (Pink Floyd, solo) – Essential record: Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) (1973)
Jerry Scheff (Elvis Presley, session work) – Essential record: LA Woman (The Doors) (1971)
Ian Hill (Judas Priest) – Essential record: Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather (Judas Priest) (1978)
Juan Alderete (The Mars Volta, Racer X) – Essential record: Frances the Mute (The Mars Volta) (2005)
Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree, other projects) – Essential record: Lightbulb Sun (Porcupine Tree) (2000)
Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, solo, other projects) – Essential record: Appetite for Destruction (Guns N’ Roses) (1987)
Billy Bass Nelson (Funkadelic, Parliament, session work) – Essential record: Maggot Brain (Funkadelic) (1971)
Doug Ferguson (Camel) – Essential record: Mirage (Camel) (1974)
Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne) – Essential record: L.D. 50 (Mudvayne) (2000)
Tom Bogert (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus) – Essential record: Vanilla Fudge (Vanilla Fudge) (1967)
Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh) – Essential record: Bug (Dinosaur Jr) (1988)
Peter Quaife (The Kinks) – Essential record: The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (The Kinks) (1968)
Dave Alexander (The Stooges) – Essential record: Fun House (The Stooges) (1970)
Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd, session work) – Essential record: The Division Bell (Pink Floyd) (1994)
Garry Tallent (Bruce Springsteen) – Essential record: Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen) (1975)
Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith) – Essential record: Toys in the Attic (Aerosmith) (1975)
Andrew Bodnar (The Rumour) – Essential record: Squeezing out Sparks (Graham Parker & The Rumour) (1979)
Mike Starr (Alice in Chains) – Essential record: Dirt (Alice in Chains) (1992)
Chris Wolstenholme (Muse) – Essential record: Origin of Symmetry (Muse) (2001)
Peter Cetera (Chicago) – Essential record: Chicago (Chicago) (1970)
Nick Oliveri (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, other projects) – Essential record: Blues for the Red Sun (Kyuss) (1992)
Richard Hell (The Voidoids, Heartbreakers, solo, other projects) – Essential record: Blank Generation (The Voidoids) (1977)
Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) – Essential record: Nevermind (Nirvana) (1991)
Michael Anthony (Van Halen) – Essential record: Van Halen (Van Halen) (1978)
John Taylor (Duran Duran)
I’ve heard one of the guys mentioned above refer to John Taylor as one of his favorite bass players, so you know right there that a guy who most certainly knows what he’s talking about as far as bassists go must know a great bassist when he hears one. Additionally, I’ve listened to A&R guys and producers go on and on about how great Taylor’s bass parts were. Why they felt the need to convince me, I don’t know, as I was a huge fan of his work before any of the teenage girls at my high school even knew he existed. Taylor’s work is tight, funky, and melodic, but what sets it apart is its elegance. He has the heart of a 60?s R&B bassist, but also a knack for detail, which makes his bass playing very exact and to the point. It was this precision that made a band of admittedly so-so musicians sound much tighter and funkier than they actually were. The rest, as they say, is history
Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order)
Sometimes not knowing the unwritten rules of an instrument can lead to wonderful mistakes. In the case of Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook, teaching himself the instrument and then playing it like a lead instrument to be heard above the rest of the racket being made by his fellow band mates led him to come up with the distinctive sound for which he is best known. I can hear a Peter Hook bass line a mile away and have always found them to be the most interesting musical parts of most New Order songs. They stick out like beautiful sore thumbs, driving the beat, laying the groove, and, many times, providing the key melody in the song. In that sense, he’s the closest to a latter-day Paul McCartney, if you will.
Mike Mills (R.E.M.)
Mills has always been R.E.M.’s secret weapon, the component that shaped them from a foursome of rock & roll hobbyists into one of the most popular bands in the world. While his bass playing would never be described as flashy, or innovative, it has always perfectly served the song and the drummer. Lesser bassists would have simply locked in with the kick drum and plodded along, but Mills did the exact opposite and, in doing so, helped the band create a sound that is distinctly their own.
Cliff Burton (Metallica)
There is a reason that longtime Metallica fans still mourn the death of Cliff Burton: the guy was a monster heavy metal bass player. He and he alone turned a run-of-the-mill metal band into a fierce, snarling juggernaut that would take Europe and then America by storm one home-taped bootleg cassette at a time. That he never got to partake in the band’s conquering of the States is one of the sadder stories in rock & roll. Still, one listen to any of the band’s early work – Kill ‘Em All, for example – reveals Burton’s thundering yet melodic bass parts, even despite the truly pedestrian production. In his bass playing was a sense of commitment that was audible from the first note. While the rest of the band was putting on an angry face, scowling with a look of forced fury, Burton smiled as he played one nasty steam shovel of a groove after another. Not only did he achieve his dream of playing bass in Metallica, he died in the fucking line of duty. All of the above gets him on the list.
And now, THE TEN WORST (In no particular order, although Sid Vicious is #1):
Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols)Seriously, man, the damn thing wasn’t even plugged in.
Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots)
I’ve never heard a bass part by this guy that wasn’t absolutely rudimentary and lazy. Everything about the guy’s approach to the bass seems to say, “Hmm, let’s see…what’s the fewest notes I can possibly play and still get paid.” Having said this, Robert is actually one of rock’s cool guys. Plus, anyone whose paycheck is reliant upon Scott Weiland actually showing up and not being a total junked-out, track-marked mess has my deepest sympathies.
Maya Ford (the Donnas)
“Who the fuck is Maya Ford”, you ask? My point exactly. If she was any good at what she did, you’d know her by name…like Tiger Woods (you know, the guy who’s one of the best in the world at fucking strippers, porn stars and Hooters waitresses, then getting clubbed by his wife). Okay, maybe that’s a bad example. Anyhoo, Maya is bassist in the band The Donnas. Still doesn’t ring a bell? Okay, she’s the chunky one that they always try to hide in the back of promo shots. Truth be told, the only thing entertaining about the band’s last few albums have been the lengths to which they’ve gone to hide her in their album cover and promotional photos…add to that the fact that, after eight albums and a decade of constant touring, her playing remains as clunky and uninspired as ever. But hey, she’s a rock star and I’m not so guess what, she still wins. Either way, she’s on the list.
Robert Trujillo (Metallica)
Everything about this guy screams suck. To go from Cliff Burton to Jason Newsted to…this guy…is a slap in the face to Metallica fans who remember how fucking great Burton was. Trujillo’s continued presence in the band is proof that Metallica no longer has a clue, or gives a fuck.
Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy)
Pete Wetzhispants is one of rock’s biggest pussies and plays the bass like a total chick on her period. Seriously, I’ve yet to see a picture of him actually playing the bass…I dare you to wade through the umpteen pages of photos of him on Google doing everything EXCEPT play a fucking bass. Holy fuck, man, the first time I heard him play on an album, I though I was listening to Flight Of The Conchords trying to be intentionally bad and funny. Oh, it was bad alright but, like the latest Conchords record, it wasn’t funny at all. Here’s the thing…any great bass player would bang Ashlee Simpson in a pinch…say, if they were stranded at a Motel 6 in Des Moines and she was the only game in town, but they wouldn’t fucking marry the chick. Only a really shitty bass player would ever say “Yeah, I wanna spend the rest of my life with that.” I’d sooner try carrying on a conversation with a Korean-made Squier bass myself, but, hey, whadduh I know?
Adam Clayton (U2)
First off, let me just say that I love U2 and Adam Clayton. The guy has always been the only real rock & roll thing about U2, but, as far as bass players go, he’s Meg White minus the sweet rack. I mean, I’ve only rarely seen the guy use more than a single string on the bass and, while some of his bass lines are key to the songs…such as on “With Or Without You”, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”…they could be played by a five-year-old. Or could they? Maybe the guy is actually a motherfucking genius.
Mike Dirnt (Green Day)
Without mincing words, Dirnt’s bass playing is predictable, ham-fisted, and lame. Additionally, the guy is fucking goofy looking that it’s hard to take him, or that dumb-ass looking drummer, seriously. Here’s the REAL reason why he gets on this list though…
Back before the band made “American Idiot”, Dirnt almost succeeded in breaking up the band because he felt that Billie Joe Armstrong’s songwriting was becoming “too mainstream”. This was no doubt right after “Good Riddance” became the year’s prom song of choice, no doubt. Yep, ol’ Dirnt was so deeply troubled by the band losing touch with their punk roots that he finally just put his foot down and laid into Armstrong. To this I say, “WHAT FUCKING PUNK ROOTS?!” Seriously, “Dookie” was to punk what Uggs are to fashion footwear. The truth of the matter is that from the moment they inked with fucking WARNER BROTHERS, they were a POP BAND the same way Nirvana became one the minute they signed to Geffen. Hell, these days, Billie Joe and the boys wear more fucking eye-liner than the Go-Go’s and The Bangles ever did. Punk roots, my ass…that Dirnt would try to deep-six Armstrong’s band while, at the same time, cashing the checks and living in a nice fucking house he never could have afforded otherwise just smacks of total douchebaggery and that puts him on the list.
Colin Greenwood (Radiohead) – Essential record: OK Computer (Radiohead) (1997) Let’s face it, if I’d have asked you to name the bass player in Radiohead, you wouldn’t have been able to do so, so don’t get your panties all in a twist when you find him on this list. For a band that gets tons of praise for their musical genius, this guy brings ZERO to the fucking party. He makes Robert DeLeo from Stone Temple Pilots look like Sting by comparison. Unimaginative, soulless, and uninspired…just three words that describe this guy’s bass skills. What Radiohead needs, besides a swift kick in the butt, is a guy like John Deacon, man…someone who doesn’t just find the same note the guitarist is playing and who knows how to come up with a meaty lick that can make a song into something special. This guy does none of the above, so he’s on the list

Back in the cowboy days, the westbound wagon train was lost and low on food. No other humans had been seen for days. And then they saw an old Jew sitting beneath a tree.
The Wagon Master rushed to him and said, “We’re lost and running out of food. Is there someplace ahead where we can get food?”
“Vell,” the old Jew said, “I vouldn’t go up dat hill und down de other side. Somevun told me you’ll run into a big bacon tree.”
“A bacon tree?” asked the wagon train master.
“Yah, ah bacon tree. Trust me. vud I lie?”
The Wagon Master goes back and tells his people that if nothing else, they might be able to find food
on the other side of the next ridge.
“So why did he say not to go there?” someone asked.
“Oh, you know those Jews-they don’t eat bacon.”
So the wagon train goes up the hill and down the other side. Suddenly, Indians attack and massacre everyone except the Wagon Master who manages to escape back to the old Jew, who’s enjoying a “glass tea.”
. “You old fool! You sent us to our deaths!
There was no bacon tree. Just hundreds of Indians!”
The old Jew holds up his hand. “Oy, vait a minute.”
He then gets out an English-Yiddish dictionary
“I made myself ah big mistake.”
“It ‘s not a bacon tree. It vuz a ham bush!”
Sorry-that was painful!