James Jamerson

James Jamerson

James Jamerson (born January 29, 1936 on Edisto Island , South Carolina , USA , † August 2, 1983 in Los Angeles ) was an American bassist. In particular, he was one of the main studio musicians of the Detroit Soul - record label Motown Records .

biography

James Jamerson combines two apparent opposites: on the one hand, he is one of the little-known, but on the other hand certainly one of the most influential bassists in the history of pop music .

Jamerson began playing bass during high school in Detroit, initially as a double bass player , and played on the Detroit jazz scene. Due to his talent and drive, he was soon one of the most sought-after bass players in town. This led his way to Berry Gordy's label Motown Records , where he was hired as a permanent studio bassist in 1964 . The studio band called themselves The Funk Brothers , but they only became known as such decades later - after Jamerson's death - through the book and the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown .

Jamerson's work at Motown Records explains the aforementioned contrast: His position as the most sought-after studio bassist at Motown meant that Jamerson played on countless hits - including Marvin Gaye , Smokey Robinson , the Supremes ( Baby Love ) and Stevie Wonder - and with his innovative, unique bass playing decisively shaped the songs of the stars. His bass lines, now mainly played on a 62 Fender Precision Bass , became world famous and had a great influence on the worldwide development of bass playing. A peculiarity of his playing technique was that he struck the strings with only one finger, the index finger, which earned him the nickname "The Hook".

Perhaps the best testimony to the influence that Jamerson has had on the international bassist world are the two CDs of the Bass School Standing in the Shadows of Motown : masters of the instrument such as John Entwistle , Rocco Prestia , Pino Palladino , John Patitucci , Paul McCartney , Marcus Miller and many more felt it was an honor to be able to participate in this bass school and therefore made their services available free of charge in the form of recordings of Jamerson's bass lines.

Despite all this posthumous honor, Jamerson was a little-known bass player during his lifetime. John Entwistle, bassist for The Who group , describes this aptly when he says that he loved all this music but never heard the name Jamerson. For him he was "the guy who played bass for Motown" . Since Jamerson had become almost irreplaceable for Motown because of his musical skills and his contracts tied him to Motown, Jamerson's life, with the exception of a few club appearances in Detroit and the surrounding area, consisted almost entirely of recording sessions in the shadow of the stars. At the time it was not even customary to name the musicians who were playing on a record. As a result, Jamerson was almost a stranger to his career.

In 1972 Motown moved to Los Angeles and didn’t take the Funk Brothers with them, not least because they were looking for a new style. Although James Jamerson was still in demand as an exceptional artist like no other, and he also worked as a freelance musician in LA for a while, his career was nearing its end. Jamerson's severe alcohol problem had already started in Detroit , which he never got under control. His alcoholism led to limitations in his musical abilities, which resulted in fewer and fewer studio appointments. These problems - the loss of long-time companions, the Funk Brothers, the insecure and unfamiliar job situation as a freelance musician, the never-ending lack of fame and the move to a new city - made Jamerson sink even more into his addiction. James Jamerson died in 1983 at the age of 47 after being admitted to hospital for physical and psychological problems. In 2000 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .

Equipment

• 1957 Fender Precision Bass , "The Black Beauty," was stolen from Jamerson
• 1962's Fender Precision Bass, "The Funk Machine" , in three-tone sunburst paintwork , was stolen from him shortly before his death
• Le Fay Bass - ca.1978, African Rosewood, Headless
• Double bass of German brand, bought in 1957 after graduating from school - the only double bass he ever owned
• Eight-string electric bass from the Swedish brand Hagstrom
• Ampeg "B-15" bass combo amplifier
• Kustom brand amplifier with a 2x15 "bass speaker cabinet for big performances

Web links

• James Jamerson Transcriptions and Educational Resources

literature

• Dr. Licks i. Allan Slutsky]: Standing in the shadows of Motown. The life and music of legendary bassist James Jamerson . Hal Leonard et al., Milwaukee WI et al. 1989, ISBN 0-88188-882-6 , (biography and bass school including many transcriptions and 2 CDs with playalongs , which were recorded by many of the most important pop and rock bassists in the late 1980s. instructive and recommendable work).