Bass players are usually given less credit than they deserve. The reason behind this is the fact that primary for most people focus is usually on the lead singer and not the guitarists. However, any seasoned musician appreciates the role played by a bass guitarist in any live performance. Some bass guitarists are just too good in what they do. There are a couple of names, which have been dominated the list of the most famous bass guitarists in 2016. Here are some household names you can not afford to ignore when it comes to playing the bass guitar.
Notable Mentions
Flea
Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of the bass players who can be recognized at an instant. Over the years, he has developed slap bass sound that many fans enjoy, which is unique to him. You can tell of his presence even when he is guest starring on a song, not from his band. His background is in jazz, and he draws some inspiration from that genre to his rock performances.
Thundercat
Stephen Brunner, also known as Thundercat is an amazing bassist, composer, and space man. He has hit the music world in the past couple of years in a big way. He is working alongside Brainfeeder founder and West Coast beat-maker, Flying Lotus, to introduce a new bass playing generation to jazz, almost similar to what Les Claypool and Flea did in the 90s.
Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee of Rush is a recent Hall of Fame inductee. He is one of the originals, who many bassists try hard to imitate. Lee is quite extraordinary, given the fact that he not only plays some of the most intricate bass lines ever heard but sings as well.
Carol Kaye
Carol started out as a guitarist, but later on switched to bass where her skills and talent showcased the best. Her jazz training helps her move across genres quite easily, having played pop, rock, soul, and other TV music recordings.
John Entwistle
John came up with piston-like fingering techniques that made him quite famous and downright flashy. He could modulate the bass guitar into a booming machine that is fueled by shiny treble and thunderous crashes. His speed laid the groundwork for heavy metal. He was nicknamed ‘Thunderfingers’ and is responsible for giving the Darwinian the push that it needed to evolve into the greatest secret weapon of rock.…
Carol Kaye