Basses
Bob Magnusson played bass for Buddy Rich, which is when he learned firsthand about the role the bass has within a band and how to work with the drummer to create the best section possible. These lessons and many others he picked up during his long career in music were discussed in Bob’s 2014 NAMM...
Andy Fraser took part in the second wave of the British Invasion in the late 1960s as a member of Free. He joined the group as a teenager and in fact was instrumental in the writing of their big hit, “All Right Now,” which has since become a rock anthem. Andy was involved with several other bands...
Lee Rocker formed a punk rock style group that just happened to play rockabilly. The Stray Cats had a host of hit records, first in England and beginning in the early 1980s in the United States. Uniting their sound and the three members was their friendship since they were in grade school and...
Larry Graham fondly recalls stepping out onto stage to perform at Woodstock! He remembers the sea of people and the energy in the air as he performed as a member of Sly & the Family Stone. Larry recorded many of the band’s big hits in the 1960s and early 70s before he formed his own funk band...
Mike Anderson remembers hanging out with his best friend in the 8th grade and hearing him play an original song. Mike was hooked and wanted to focus on music and worked on it every day. Over the years he began writing music and picked up the bass, his first from Sears. A contracted artist at age...
Ray Edenton played guitar on hundreds of recordings as part of the famed Nashville studio band known as the A Team. He grew up in a musical family with his grandfather playing fiddle and being encouraged to play music at a young age. In fact, he was performing in front of audiences by the time...
Chuck Rainey picked up a violin as a boy and knew very early on that he wanted to make music! His legendary career as a studio musician and band leader included some iconic projects such as Aja with Steely Dan and a tour with King Curtis, when he toured with the Beatles. Chuck is best known as a...
Gary Chen is the owner of Stein On Vine, the historic horn and string shop in Hollywood, California whose customer list reads like a who's who of jazz and film music. Gary was hired by the founder, Maury Stein, the brother of famed songwriter Julie Stein. Maury had developed a wonderful...
Eugene Wright can be heard playing bass on the classic jazz song “Take Five” as a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, but what most people may not know is that Eugene fronted his own band for years before joining Dave. Eugene was the leader of the Dukes of Swing and enjoyed a remarkable career in...
Larry Fishman had an idea to create an electronic pick up for the upright string bass. The task was not an easy one. In fact, others had tried and failed to produce the correct balance of electronic tones within the range of the strings. However, Fishman was able to do just that. The success of the...