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From gigging in strip clubs to recording with John Martyn and Kate Bush, Danny Thompson walked a singular path in bass playing
Beginning with his early days amid London’s jazz and blues boom in the ’50s, to his famed partnership with singer-songwriter John Martyn, the late Danny Thompson excelled at everything he touched
Danny Thompson, innovative bassist who played with Kate Bush, Nick Drake, Pentangle, and countless others, dies at 86
Though he grew up with a love of jazz, it wasn't long before Thompson branched out stylistically, and embarked on a career of extraordinary musical breadth
Matt Bissonette’s “dumb-guy” approach to bass has taken him round the world with pop and rock royalty
Still buzzed about his excessive ’80s rigs and five-string instruments, the session bass hero explains how to work with David Lee Roth, Joe Satriani, Jason Becker and others, his big-fun, big-paying Friends TV gig, and the discovery that’s making him a better player
As Musical Director for Kendrick Lamar, Tony Russell could be the greatest bass player you've never heard of
He’s played with Usher, Jamie Foxx, P. Diddy, and Jay-Z – is Tony ‘Chicago’ Russell the best-kept secret in bass?
The life (and tragically early death) of Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy’s legendary bass-playing frontman
Phil Lynott was a troubled genius who rose from a tough background to take his place in the pantheon of rock gods
The Raincoats’ Gina Birch on star fans Kurt Cobain and Kim Gordon, and why John Cale led her band into pop when they didn’t want to go there
With nearly five decades of experience, the post-punk icon explains her resistance to being a pocket player, the merits of classic chords, and the drive behind her second solo album
How bassist Tony Butler helped relaunch The Pretenders with this 1982 rock classic
Having fired bassist Pete Farndon for his erratic drug-fuelled behaviour, The Pretenders tapped Rockpile guitarist Billy Bremner and bassist Tony Butler
Bill Laswell survived Buckethead, John Lydon, Ginger Baker and Eddie Hazel – and made it sound easy
The bass journeyman, soundscape creator and producer recalls having his P-Bass stolen the night before his first Brian Eno session, making PiL classic Rise, and hoping illness hasn’t ended his surprisingly fight-free career
11 real-life Spinal Tap moments from bass playing royalty
Bass legends Victor Wooten, Thundercat, Duff McKagan and more share their own moments of outrage, downright stupidity and absolute genius
How Hugh McDonald became Bon Jovi’s uncredited recording bassist
Hugh McDonald was at New York’s Power Station when he was asked to lay down a bass part for the band’s 1986 working-class anthem
“I have long harbored a slight obsession with this hugely underrated guitar. The new finish doesn’t help with that one bit”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including... an urn that fits inside an acoustic?
A whole load of new Jacksons, Charvels, Yamahas and Gibsons headline the last seven days of guitar gear drops
How Yungblud bassist Silke Blansjaar got the gig of a lifetime – despite not playing bass
The Gibson Grabber-wielder was actually a drummer when she went from playing to a room of 100 to an arena of 6,000 overnight. She explains the golden rule of session work and why she likes to keep her rig old-fashioned
How Eddie Van Halen led to Les Claypool picking up the bass – and how he nearly joined Kirk Hammett’s band
The Primus bassist and Metallica lead guitarist attended the same high school – and very nearly ended up in the same band
Spinal Tap play Big Bottom on Jimmy Kimmel with Tal Wilkenfeld and Thundercat
David St. Hubbins led a legion of bassists out onto the Jimmy Kimmel stage for a rendition of Spinal Tap’s 1984 track
Adrian Younge reveals the inspiration behind his half-fretless Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass
Having collaborated with the likes of Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan and Kendrick Lamar, Younge joined forces with Master Builder Vincent Van Trigt to recreate his favourite bass sound
The Boss PX-1 Plugout FX backlash has gone viral – but is it justified? We put the biggest criticisms to Boss
We leveled 5 of the internet’s most common issues with the divisive PX-1 to its maker. Now Boss has set the record straight
Sting's legal representatives claim Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland may have been “substantially overpaid” following lost royalties lawsuit
Summers and Copeland claim that Sting owes them “in excess of $2 million” for income made from the “digital exploitation” of the Police’s back catalog
Vulfpeck’s Joe Dart on the priceless bass advice he got from Flea as a teenager
Dart’s ultimate fan dream came true when he received a letter from Flea in the mail
