<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar World in Bassists ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000 en <![CDATA[ “Van Morrison didn’t speak to us, and we didn’t speak to him. We just started playing through the charts”: How jazz bassist Richard Davis helped shape Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-richard-davis-helped-shape-van-morrisons-astral-weeks QfzDpb6rohShoVUSY4rftA Sun, 14 Jun 2026 15:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ Keanu Reeves reveals the most important bass lesson he learned from Flea ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/keanu-reeves-reveals-the-most-important-bass-lesson-he-learned-from-flea 45whdiVxpfbJHMfMqVnucF Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:44:57 +0000 <![CDATA[ “One of the customs guys in Canada decided he hated Black Sabbath, so he smashed the neck with a hammer”: How Geezer Butler’s P-Bass survived a Sabbath hater’s attack – and ended up on the band's most iconic tracks ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-geezer-butler-p-bass-survived-a-black-sabbath-haters-attack 9uPEZuet9LxXBQKBTeiVQV Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:38:50 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I looked at him like he had two heads and said, ‘Let me get this straight – you’re going to fire Jake E. Lee from his own band?’” Greg Chaisson waited years to reunite with Jake E. Lee. But then he had to quit, and couldn’t say why ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/greg-chaisson-badlands-jake-e-lee caKTSw7rYNLrJNuPqnMFNb Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:52:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I wanted to leave, but I didn't have the guts to quit. Just as I reached for the phone, it rang. ‘Hi, Flea, you’re fired’”: The call that ended Flea’s days as a pick-playing punk and set him on the path to worldwide fame with the Red Hot Chili Peppers ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-flea-got-fired-from-hardcore-punk-band-fear WnkZPrfvn9q8XVH34srLLD Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:01:38 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It’s fine to become a technical monster, but if you can’t come up with a good bassline it’s useless”: Lee Sklar shares his secrets for finding the perfect groove in the studio ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/lee-sklar-shares-his-studio-secrets ZgyvAb6EcBzP7z7hETZmCj Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I borrowed that lick from Willie Weeks. By the time we hit my hometown, I had the entire solo under my fingers”: How Gerald Johnson’s twisting bassline culminated in a full-on solo – a rarity for a 1973 rock track ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/gerald-johnson-steve-miller-band-shu-ba-da-du-ma-ma-ma TgKVzsmajFKWDwTa4Q9NXX Sat, 06 Jun 2026 06:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was broke, so I said yes to everything. I just knew I could never have a normal job”: How Henrik Linder went from struggling music student to overnight success with Dirty Loops ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/henrik-linder-dirty-loops gGegcR37fsVsKp7TjU4LJC Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:12:04 +0000 Fri, 05 Jun 2026 18:23:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I got wrecked, paranoid, the whole thing... and then they hit this riff that I still remember. I just wept”: Paul McCartney on the life-changing moment he saw Fela Kuti live while smoking with Ginger Baker ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/paul-mccartney-on-seeing-fela-kuti-live-while-smoking-with-ginger-baker JPaz5iaxNggagohBrMkhh5 Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:46:03 +0000 Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:25:59 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Jaco made a great contribution, but what came after was all these idiots trying to sound like him. That's why bass players today are so lame”: Bill Laswell gives his unfiltered verdict on modern bassists ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/bill-laswell-reflects-on-his-encounter-with-jaco-pastorius rVBUZgBdWjuCaftDfP4PFo Sat, 30 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It's hard to overstate how influential this album was. It’s the connecting glue between me, Misha and Periphery”: How Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood went from Sikth super-fan to playing in the band ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-adam-nolly-getgood-went-from-sikth-fan-to-filling-in-for-james-leach wsJ8ShWLD36w7rmAeUd45D Wed, 27 May 2026 10:38:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I’d be there with bass pedals, a triple-neck guitar and keyboards, and Robert Plant would ask, ‘Can you sing, as well?’” How John Paul Jones became Led Zeppelin’s ultimate wingman ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-john-paul-jones-became-led-zeppelins-ultimate-wingman-clone qMjGM7WJ39bfqcCKuQH5F4 Sun, 24 May 2026 06:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Jon offered me the gig and I turned him down. It still amazes me how close I came to not following this path”: Roger Glover’s path to bass greatness with Deep Purple ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/roger-glover-deep-purple-machine-head rAEu2dRZxF3rAwqkzKdKsA Sat, 23 May 2026 15:10:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He began drinking and smoking pot and wanting to change parts. I told him he should have come to rehearsals. The next day I got the phone call – I was out”: Bob Daisley recalls his rollercoaster years with Ozzy Osbourne ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/bob-daisley-ozzy-osbourne-band xPHv3dQCDAWqbdAYbaztXD Thu, 21 May 2026 09:21:25 +0000 Thu, 21 May 2026 15:23:50 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I'm not a failed guitar player turning to bass. I am a real bassist. I do a six-minute bass solo on stage – and, I might add, not an easy one!” Suzi Quatro on the spirit that’s driven her, and the moment of fate that made her a bassist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/suzi-quatro-freedom ce7YY6cWHkckCbWGRtKM3P Mon, 18 May 2026 17:50:51 +0000 Fri, 22 May 2026 11:57:12 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Paul played a lot of terrific bass with Wings that’s still under-appreciated. I don't think he even recognizes it himself”: Paul McCartney’s greatest post-Beatles bassline ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/paul-mccartney-wings-silly-love-songs BnGGQeNWwPFbdW8b4x967f Sat, 16 May 2026 14:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He actually signed it for me on the back of the headstock. That’s the most magical bass”: How Victor Wooten got his hands on his biggest hero’s bass guitar ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/the-bass-victor-wooten-got-from-his-hero T39rUSruX2zEb6L2kmhGej Fri, 15 May 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Fri, 15 May 2026 12:00:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Chaka Khan decided to fire the whole band – I don’t know why. But the week after she fired us, Prince called”: How Andrew Gouche rose from playing church halls to become the guru of gospel bass with Prince ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/andrew-gouche-chaka-khan-prince GYnUJdouD8hE4jKqin7ZGT Thu, 14 May 2026 12:31:31 +0000 Fri, 15 May 2026 09:20:57 +0000 <![CDATA[ “They’ve been stuck in London customs for a month”: Paul McCartney's guitars allegedly held up in England ahead of major Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibition ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/paul-mccartney-guitars-held-up-in-customs-ahead-of-rock-hall-wings-exhibit zmEGDQcZp6j8ckyJeBtGjD Wed, 13 May 2026 18:31:37 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Jaco said, ‘If you ever need a sub please call me! I’d kill to play for you guys”: When Chicago’s Peter Cetera met Jaco Pastorius ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/when-peter-cetera-met-jaco-pastorius D9hs7QU37B6bPhhDNCgAMV Sun, 10 May 2026 06:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I see bass players trying to play our stuff using all downstrokes, and I think, ‘You're going to ruin your arm’”: How Mike Dirnt honed his signature bass tone for Green Day’s Revolution Radio – and why it all starts with the wrist ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/mike-dirnt-green-day-revolution-radio RGH5QmKxUWx25ooRgDi25R Sat, 09 May 2026 05:25:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “If I didn’t get some kind of help, I was going to die. So I said, ‘You guys, can I have a minute? Please give me a minute.’ And they said, ‘No’”: Jason Newsted explains how addiction struggles led to his Metallica departure ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/jason-newsted-on-his-addiciton-struggles-and-metallica-exit cxe8cmSqAtLn8adMW9zbUW Fri, 08 May 2026 15:01:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The songs are different every night because he never sings them the same way. I don’t know anyone who knows as many songs as Bob Dylan”: 38 bassists appeared on Bob Dylan albums before Tony Garnier came onboard. In the 37 years since, no others have ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/tony-garnier-bob-dylan eGgWrwveExFRKYQzTDQ8mD Mon, 04 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Yngwie was replaced for becoming difficult. We auditioned Steve Vai in secret”: Gary Shea’s never-say-never approach to Alcatrazz, New England… and maybe even Vinnie Vincent ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/gary-shea-alcatrazz-interview epQAiBGH8rArc4n5RceGTE Mon, 04 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “My boss said, ‘Paul Simon’s in town, and they’re looking for you in the studio. Here’s the money. Take the bus’”: When Bakithi Kumalo got the call to audition for Paul Simon’s 1986 multi-platinum album ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/when-bakithi-kumalo-got-the-call-to-audition-for-paul-simon buYNBaij7zBEfPt3QgLA3F Sun, 03 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He’s like, ‘Where did you find that? Our storage unit’s been broken into. Everything’s been cleared out’” Korn bassist Ra Díaz recovers 15 bass guitars that were stolen from him – thanks to community effort ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/korn-bassist-ra-diaz-recovers-stolen-bass-guitars 7VZrUwSE5C6t7L9LTxA8xn Fri, 01 May 2026 12:56:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He would put a lot of treble on his amp to get the sound he wanted out of Lucille. Working and being in his presence was magical”: Jerry Jemmott on playing bass with B.B. King ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/jerry-jemmott-on-playing-with-bb-king yCEd7fNCYn7bf2ZQjHRujT Fri, 01 May 2026 09:29:50 +0000 Fri, 01 May 2026 09:31:49 +0000 <![CDATA[ “What’s that headless bass that looks like a toothpick? I really liked the sound, but I hated the bass”: How bassist Cliff Williams landed the gig (and found his sound) with AC/DC ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-cliff-williams-found-his-sound-with-acdc DrWfMbPFaeKr83TSZjs7Rh Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:57:27 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We’ve always been big fans of Nickelback – their guitarist came to see one of our shows and asked if we’d support them”: How UK riff-slingers Don Broco ended up recording with Muse’s bass rig – and collaborating with Nickelback ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/tom-doyle-don-broco-nightmare-tripping JZio6Su4pCwHMJAGgoQdzf Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:56:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I do have a pedalboard now. But I wasn’t allowed one for a very long time”: Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood on why he was barred from having a ’board – and the advice Johnny Marr gave him to cover up mistakes ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/colin-greenwood-on-why-he-was-banned-from-having-a-pedalboard-in-radiohead zV6V2FXcXVtFnK9XoaWaZX Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:35:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The bass strings broke – I had to tie them together. I would slide down the strings, cutting my fingers and getting blood all over the bass”: Bakithi Kumalo looks back at his formative years touring South Africa ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/bakithi-kumalo-touring-zululand-with-the-vips a4bTpRjCY4dchoRvxLK7h5 Mon, 27 Apr 2026 09:20:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Weather Report belonged to the three of us. When it ended, they didn’t pay me – they just took it”: Miroslav Vitous on his departure from Weather Report (and his thoughts on the bassists who replaced him) ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/miroslav-vitous-on-his-departure-from-weather-report GhDNSgL6e53umwUmrNyQMW Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:20:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “COVID happened. I’m like, ‘I’m not going out there’”: Former Korn bassist Fieldy finally opens up on why he left the band ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/why-fieldy-left-korn ycr93j2975EtbVjzMyG9LL Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:06:13 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Absolutely essential listening for any would-be rock bass player”: How Rainbow bassist Craig Gruber galloped his way through a hard-rock classic alongside Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/craig-gruber-ritchie-blackmore-rainbow-snake-charmer Fq2KUMtEnWKaB84q3KpVgM Thu, 23 Apr 2026 15:53:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ “When the session was over, Mickie said, ‘Nope, Peter can’t be in your band. There’s only going to be one star, and that’s you’”: Suzi Quatro reveals Peter Frampton nearly joined her band – but was rejected by her producer ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/suzi-quatro-peter-frampton-nearly-joined-her-band 4RCpwtMjcMcbUGnUxppzAD Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:08:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was on a summer break from music college. Suddenly, I had a DM asking if I would be interested in a gig with Little Mix”: From Raye to Zara Larsson, how session pro Liv Thompson learned to nail pop’s biggest gigs ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/olivia-thompson-lends-an-insight-into-every-bass-players-dream-gig jqWR6gZsRnCYfgub5pjTuF Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Chuck Schuldiner called me. The next thing I knew we’d rented a rehearsal room in Miami. I would just burn a joint and play”: Steve DiGiorgio’s life with Death – and why he wouldn’t trade Testament for Megadeth ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/steve-di-giorgio-testament-megadeth EuNabmqY7PVDBo3PenHvHZ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:12:49 +0000 <![CDATA[ “George Clinton said, ‘You just can’t play guitar like that until your heart has been shattered to smithereens and you have lost all hope’”: Flea looks back on his life-changing jam with Parliament-Funkadelic guitar hero Eddie Hazel ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/flea-jam-with-eddie-hazel e5eKWGTA4JyrLDW8VQmHNU Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:07:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ “50 years since you last played that”: Watch the moment Paul McCartney was first reunited with his long-lost Höfner bass – half a century after it was stolen ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/the-moment-paul-mccartney-was-reunited-with-his-hofner-bass idtBZ64rV2CvsrcMjhMqm8 Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:11:05 +0000 Wed, 15 Apr 2026 10:12:27 +0000 <![CDATA[ “After hearing the finished track, I thought, ‘Wow, I never knew how busy playing one note could sound’”: The story behind the deceptive bassline on a politically charged ’70s anthem that was later covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/george-porter-jr-favorite-meters-bassline za75wPfDFX7LSS4pKvjx3g Fri, 10 Apr 2026 08:59:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “It was heartbreaking. I remember the day I saw that album and those erroneous credits for the first time. It was like a punch in the solar plexus”: Bob Daisley on not receiving credit for playing on Ozzy Osbourne’s Diary of a Madman ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/bob-daisley-on-not-receiving-credit-for-ozzy-osbourne-diary-of-a-madman gXydGcDsb78qbRanEFH4hP Thu, 09 Apr 2026 14:24:24 +0000 Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:06:16 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I don’t think that bassline is playable by anyone else”: How Stevie Wonder recorded one of the funkiest basslines in existence ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/stevie-wonder-nate-watts-boogie-on-reggae-woman fd9Cwpnyf6Le2LcBbspq7g Thu, 09 Apr 2026 11:24:37 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I got acrylic nails, because my mom told me that’s what Dolly Parton did. It allows me to play in a flamenco style”: Ashley Reeve leads the low-end for everyone from Cher to Filter – and her right-hand tone is her most important asset ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/ashley-reeve-shares-her-right-hand-tone-tips spTq8qkrfv3zTUw38PNXBL Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:34:21 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The phone rang. It was Paul McCartney. That’s when I knew we’d found it”: We meet the man who reunited Paul McCartney with his long-lost Beatles bass ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-nick-wass-helped-reunite-paul-mccartney-with-his-missing-beatle-bass Fa3ecAnVrGPcQX5JHu2gvS Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:59:17 +0000 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:13:17 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I still think Johnny Christ is one of the most underrated bass players ever”: The story behind Intervals virtuoso Jacob Umansky’s signature bass – and why Avenged Sevenfold changed his life ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/jacob-umansky-intervals-dingwall-signature-model YbjP6qLemBWdicm38rVNsR Sun, 29 Mar 2026 16:20:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “James asked if I wrote the bassline – he was mad at me for not getting a cowriting credit”: How Allen McGrier brought his Jamerson-approved Detroit swagger to a classic R&B ballad ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-allen-mcgrier-brought-his-detroit-swagger-to-young-love-by-teena-marie csbasJG5mpdpKvDPcudp7W Sat, 28 Mar 2026 16:15:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I auditioned for The Ultimate Sin record. I was there for 21 days and recorded almost every day or night”: Greg Chaisson on his gruelling Ozzy Osbourne audition ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/greg-chaissons-gruelling-ozzy-audition MJ5n74Z8VfA9S9eF979SEA Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:31:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Those Fender Jazz basses sounded fantastic, but they scared the hell out of me”: Why bassist Paul Samwell-Smith chose a short-scale Epiphone for his “rave-ups” with the Yardbirds ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/paul-samwell-smith-the-yardbirds-lost-woman WEuVJAUMbkgiV9fFAMFGvE Sat, 21 Mar 2026 13:15:00 +0000 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:51:43 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I look down, I see the empty pit, and I see a bass guitar against the wall. I said, ‘Right, I’m gonna show you guys what I’ve got’”: When a teenage Suzi Quatro laid down a marker by jamming with Jeff Beck and Cozy Powell ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/suzi-quatros-jam-with-jeff-beck-and-cozy-powell etAdSWV7DP7hwaAqz4wGsZ Fri, 20 Mar 2026 21:03:48 +0000 Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:00:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was told to pack for three months, learn four albums' worth of material and be ready to leave in three days!” How bassist Eva Gardner landed the gig with Pink ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-eva-gardner-landed-the-gig-with-pink Y8x66JDqtwoe7BnbPnEVvk Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:15:00 +0000