YOUR CHOICES
If your choice is not in the above lists
please
email me
and I will give them a well deserved mention here.
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Gerald
Veasley

Born
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, jazz bass guitarist, Gerald Veasley was introduced
to gospel and R&B as a child and then as a teenager,
in the late '60s and 1970s,
he played in various R&B bands in West Philly. He was a huge fan, Weather
Report and Smokey Robinson and soon became inspired by Jaco Pastorius, Anthony
Jackson, and Stanley Clarke, and it wasn't long until he switched to playing his
new love .. jazz. At this time he found plenty of work as a studio musician, supporting
many prominent musicians. Then in 1988 Weather Report's Joe Zawinul hired him
as a sideman. During this period he released his debut solo album "Look Ahead"
in 1992 and in 1995 he left Joe to concerntrate on his solo career. He has gone
on to release 7 more albums (to date) - ''Signs'', ''Soul Control'', ''Love Letters'',
''On the Fast Track'', ''Velvet'', ''At the Jazz Base!'' and his latest album
released in 2008 ''Your Move'', reached No.12 on the U.S. Billboard Top Contemporary
Jazz Albums chart.
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Tim
Bogert

Well
known for his electric bass solos, New
Yorker Tim Bogert started as a child on piano, changing to claranet and playing
saxophone in his high school marching band. Still playing sax, he formed the band
called The Belltones. It wasn't till the band elvolved into The Chessmen opening
for the like of The Shirelles, The Crest and The Earl, Tim picked up the electric
bass. In 1965 he went on tour with Rick Martin and the Showmen, where he met Mark
Stein. He and Mark formed a band The Pigeons which elvolved into Vanilla Fudge.
Tim's unique combination of melodic ingenuity, and gutsy roaring speed, brought
new dimensions to the role of the electric bass player back in 1967. Following
the breakup of Vanilla Fudge in 1970, Tim went on with Carmine to form Cactus
followed by the super group and
Beck, Bogert & Appice, featuring guitarist Jeff Beck and drummer Carmine Appice.
Over the years
Tim has performed with
many world class players and bands including
Jake E. Lee, Rod Stewart, Billy Cobham, Steve Perry, Bobby and the Midnights,
Rick Derringer,
Vince Martell,
Ronnie Laws, Boxer and Ginger Baker. He played bass guitar on Bo Diddley's The
20th Anniversary Of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album and was inducted into the Hollywood
Rock Walk of Fame in 1999.
He still plays and tours with the reunited Vanilla Fudge and Cactus reunions.
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Mel
Schacher

Bassist/lead bassist Mel Schacher was born in Flint, Michigan. At the age of 7
he was learning to play his Dad's banjo, by 12 he was learning guitar and playing
in local groups by his early teens. At 16 he started out on his professional career
with Question Mark and the Mysterians, touring America
supporting their hit "96 Tears".
In 1968, Mel, with friends Don Brewer and Mark Farner founded the
rock band Grand Funk Railroad aka Grand Funk, where his "lead bass"
style helped create the Grand Funk unique sound and his strong approach to music
has inspired countless musicians to blend rock-solid support punctuated with fluid
riffs. In 1970 they sold more albums
than any other American band. The 70's also saw them continually in the charts
with hits including "We're An American Band", "The Loco-Motion",
"Shinin' On", "Some Kind of Wonderful", and "Bad Time".
When the band split he co-founded the band "Flint" producing a self
titled album with Frank Zappa guesting on 2 tracks, "Better You Than Me"
and "You'll Never Be The Same". Mel rejoined Grand Funk Railroad during
their reunion tour in 1996. He still plays and tours with the band today.
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Leland
"Lee" Bruce Sklar

Born
in Wisconsin, but raised in Southern California, Leland
Sklar's long career started when his college friend, James Taylor asked him to
play bass for him. As James' fame grew, this led to other bands and artists wanting
Lee's bass lines. Over the years, as a session musician, he has contributed to
thousands of albums recording with The Section, Air Supply, Glen Campbell, Eric
Carmen, Donovan, America, Hoyt Axton, Kim Carnes, Clint Black, Suzy Bogguss, David
Cassidy, Ray Charles, Roberta Flack, Carole Bayer Sager, Roger McGuinn, Joe Cocker,
Rita Coolidge, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Robbie Williams, Neil Diamond,
Phil Collins, The Doors, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Engelbert Humperdinck, Arlo Guthrie,
Merle Haggard, Carole King, Richard Marx, The Manhattan Transfer, Yumi Matsutoya,
Amy Grant, Ricky Martin, Lisa Loeb, Steve Lukather, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson,
Reba McEntire, Enrique Iglesias, Julio Iglesias, Bernadette Peters, Bonnie Raitt,
Linda Ronstadt, LeAnn Rimes, Shawn Phillips, Johnny Rivers, Miyuki Nakajima, Randy
Newman, Aaron Neville, Dolly Parton, Bette Midler, Jimmy Webb, The Spencer Davis
Group, Rick Springfield, Rod Stewart, Warren Zevon, The Weather Girls, Tanya Tucker,
Terence Trent d'Arby, Barbra Streisand, George Strait, Donna Summer, Michael W.
Smith, Neil Sedaka, Ricky Skaggs and this is mentioning only a few. He has also
recorded sound tracks to films and television shows, to date Annabelle's Wish,
Black Dog, Catwalk, Conspiracy Theory, Coyote Ugly, Doctor Detroit, Dr. T &
the Women, For Love of the Game, Legally Blonde, Message in a Bottle, Metropolis,
Phantom of the Paradise, The Postman, The Prince of Egypt, Sleepwalkers, Love
Maximum. Lee, nicknamed "Father Time" has also toured with Toto beginning
in 2007 until the band broke up in 2008. He was filling in for Mike Porcaro, who
was recovering from a hand injury.
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Lee
Rocker

Bassist Lee Rocker began taking classical cello lessons
at eight years old, but influenced by rock n roll he took up electric bass, before
hearing the blues of Carl Perkins and Muddy Water when he took to the acoustic
bass. He jammed with his school friends Jimmy McDonnell aka Slim Jim Phantom and
Brian Setzer, who in 1979 became The Stray Cats, who went on to revive rockabilly
music around the world. Lee's powerful, original songs, virtuoso musicianship,
and vibrant vocals, brought depth and substance to a neglected style of music
to a new generation who loved it. From 1984 has worked with Earl Slick, Carl Perkins,
Dave Edmunds, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Jeff Beck, Willie Nelson
and others. In more recent years Lee has founded his band Black Cat Bone; 2002,
he toured the U.S. with ex-Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore; 2003 The Stray
Cats reunited for an 18-city tour of Europe, and 2007 saw another successful rocking
Stray Cat world tour. Orange County Weekly quote: there has never been a
rock n roll bass player more fun
to watch in concert than Lee Rocker.
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Jance Garfat

US
bassist Jance Garfat started his career with different bands around Union City,
New Jersey before joining the pop-country rock band Dr. Hook and the Medicine
Show in 1972 as their full-time bassist. Jance added a fuller depth and a solid
bottom line to their sound. At the height of their success Dr Hook were top of
the charts in 42 countries. They were known more for there singles rather than
an album band and Jance can be heard on all the bands tracks from 1972 to 1985,
such as 'A Little Bit More', 'Only Sixteen', 'If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body',
'Sexy Eyes', 'Cover Of The Rolling Stone', 'More Like The Movies', 'Ballad Of
Lucy Jordan', 'When Your In Love with a Beautiful Woman' and dozens more. This
great band amassed 60 gold and platinum singles and albums.
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Mike
Dirnt

Born
Michael Ryan Pritchard, Mike Dirnt at the age of 14 formed the band Sweet Children,
with friend Billie Joe Armstrong. Two years later in 1989 with the addition of
John Kiffmeyer aka Al Sobrante they formed Green Day, gathering
a big fanbase on the punk rock scene in Berkeley, California. In 1994 thier break-through
and third album "Dookie" sold over 10 million copies, Mike's basslines
on "Longview" showed the world what
an awesome bassist
he is. The band has sold over 60 million records worldwide, won three Grammy Awards;
Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, and Record
of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams.". Mike has also played
with bands Squirtgun, the Screeching Weasel, the Network, and Crummy Musicians,
and currently plays with The Frustrators as well as Green Day. Mike is working
on a new Green Day studio album set to be released sometime in 2008.
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Bill
Dickinson
SORRY
NO
PHOTO
Studio musician and session player, Bill Dickinson
is a well known and very respected electic bass guitarist in Los Angeles, where
back in the late 60's and 70's he used to play every Tuesday night with his friend
and then fellow session guitarist Lee Mack "Captain Fingers" Ritenour
at The Baked Potato. As well as playing the Californian scene Bill has a busy
life playing sessions in the shadows of the L.A. studios recording with the
likes of Seals & Croft, Willie
Bobo,
Righteous Brothers,
John Pisano, Michael Franks, Dave Grusin to mention a few.
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Tommy
Shannon
Tommy
Shannon joined his first band The Avengers at the age of 13, but got his big break
some years later when he met Johnny Winter in The Fog at Dallas and they formed
a project known as The Progressive Blues Experiment, Edgar Winter joined them
onstage wat Woodstock. In 1970 Tommy moved to
San Francisco forming the band Krakerjack. 1977 sees him in Houston with Allen
Hayes opening for bands Bachman-Turner Overdrive and KISS. Next he met up with
Stevie Ray Vaughan in The Fog at Dallas and joined Stevies band Double Trouble.
Since SRV's sad, untimely death Tommy has played, recorded and-or toured with
The Mighty Zor, the Arc Angels, Storyville, Susan Tedeschi, Kenny Wayne Shepherd,
Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Little Richard, Hubert Sumlin, Mike McCready,
Johnny Lang, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, Eric Johnson, David Grissom, Mato Nanji
and Jeff Beck.
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Clifford
Burton
Clifford Burton was born in Castro Valley, California,
to hippy parents. He studied classical piano at six, bass guitar at 14, spending
four to six hours a day perfecting his bass guitar skills, and took a music course
at Napa Valley Junior College. He formed Trauma, it was while with this band
Ron McGovney heard Clifford perform his solo, "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth",
asking him to join Metallica. Clifford joined Metallica only after they relocated
to the San Francisco, California Bay Area. Clifford
had a major say in Metallica's music, look, and direction, his early influence
and driving bassline, was the essential ingredient in creating the unique musical
style for which Metallica would later become famous. he exposed early Metallica
to a variety of music styles from The Misfits, Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground,
and Thin Lizzy, to classical pianist Glenn Gould. Clifford's first appeared with
Metallica at The Stone, in San Francisco, CA on March 5th, 1983. His final performance
was in Stockholm, Sweden on September 26, 1986, only hours before the tragic road
accident. R.I.P.
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Dave Bronze

Dave Bronze was born in Billericay,
Essex, England. He joined the Robin Trower band in 1983, making 4 albums over
the next 4 years. Also
in
the 80's, he played and recorded in No Stiletto Shoes band with Gary Brooker and
Art of Noise. In 1990 he formed "Be Sharpe" with Jerry Stevenson on
keyboards and guitar &
drummer, Bob Jenkins. Between 1990 and 1994 Dave
was a member of the Dr Feelgood Band and the Procol Harum band, touring and recording
with both bands. Dave joined the Eric Clapton Band in 1994 which he toured with
throughout the '90's and into the 2000's; as well as recording, touring and playing
with Jeff
Beck, Robin
Trower, Eric Clapton, Dr. Feelgood, Sting, Duane Eddy, Tina
Turner, George Harrison, Leo
Sayer, Procol
Harum, The Hamsters, Chris Farlowe, Gary Brooker, Be Sharp, Phil Collins, Stuart
Copeland, Bo Diddly, Roger Daltry, David Gilmore, Mike Rutherford, Steve Windwood,
Paul Carrack, Belinda Carlisle, Brian Ferry, Mickey
Jupp,
Ray Davis ..... to name but a few! Dave was also voted British Blues Connections
2000 Bass Player Of The Year.
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Lemmy
Kilmister

Ian
"Lemmy" Kilmister, bass playing frontman of the seminal punk-metal crossover
band, Motörhead, hails from Stoke-on-Trent, UK, but raised in Anglesey, Wales.
In the 60's he roadied for Jimi Hendrix & The Nice and played in several bands
including Sam Gopal, The Rockin' Vickers and Opal Butterfly. 1971 sees him in
the space rock UK Underground band Hawkwind, 1973's"Silver
Machine", reached No.3. In 1975 he went on to form a new band The Bastard,
soon renamed Motörhead, which he still fronts today. Lemmy has appearance
in number of films and television productions, and as well as his career with
Motorhead he has recorded with The Damned, The Young & Moody Band, Robert
Calvert, Albert Jarvinen Band, Nina Hagen, Fast Eddie Clarke, Shonen Knife, Myth
Dreams of World, The Ramones, Jetboy, Probot, The Head Cat, Ugly Kid Joe, Skew
Siskin and still makes guest appearances with Hawkwind.
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Jay Bentley
Jay Bentley was born in Kansas in 1964. He was
a founder member of the legendary punk rock group 'Bad Religion' in 1980 while
still at El Camino High School. He
left BR for a few of years and played in number of bands, including Epitaph and
TSOL, but returned to 'Bad Religion' in the late 80's, which is his most proud
and well-known collaboration, with the punk masters.This has established him as
one of Punk Rock's finest bass players, Jay Bentley has never failed to impress
with his slick skills for over 26 years.
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Michael
Henderson
Michael
Henderson played bass with the Fantastic Four, Detroit Emeralds, Billy Preston,
and other Motown acts from the age of 13. He later toured extensively with Stevie
Wonder & Aretha Franklin before joining Miles Davis for 7 years. Sessioned
with all the jazz greats, his latest projects being Children on the Corner and
Bass Player's Ball.
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Jerome
Rimson
Bass virtuoso originally from Detroit
City, playing soul, jazz and rock with full solid
enthusiasm and empathy.
His amazing career stretchs over 4 decades from the
Detroit Emeralds to Freddie
Mercury to Mark Knofner to Van Morrison,
with dozens more in between. World
respected bass sessionist.
FULLER
BIOGRAPHY
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Norman
Watt-Roy

Norman
Watt-Roy one of the most accomplished bass players in the UK, who
helped
Ian Dury
& the Blockheads come to fame . Norman has also
contributed his talents
to recording artists as diverse as
the Clash and Frankie goes to Holly-wood.
FULLER
BIOGRAPHY
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