
Show Notes
In this episode of Prisoners of Rock and Roll, we’re diving into the shadows of the stage—the bass players, the four-string rebels who hold down the low end.. These aren’t just rhythm keepers; they’re the heartbeat of rock, the growl in the groove.
We’ve put together a list of some of the most iconic bass players in music history. James Jamerson, the legendary Motown musician who played the slinky groove for What’s Going On while laying drunk on the studio floor.
Bootsy Collins and his cosmic funk. Lemmy eating lightning and crapping thunder as the bassist for Motorhead. The psychedelic jams of Phil Lesh, the jazz fire of Charles Mingus, and Les Claypool’s…whatever it is that he does. Paul McCartney, The Ox, John Paul Jones, Donald Duck Dunn, and Carol Kaye.
They’re musicians who broke out of the background, proving the bass isn’t just support—it’s the pulse of the music. So turn it up, feel the rumble, and let’s give these low-end legends the stage they deserve.
Episode Playlist
Check out our episode playlist here.
Get In Touch
Check us out online, on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. or drops us an email at [email protected].
Or if you're in Philadelphia, come visit our home base at McCusker's Tavern.
Prisoners of Rock and Roll is part of Pantheon Media. We're sponsored by Boldfoot Socks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Prisoners of Rock and Roll
Prisoners of Rock and Roll is a podcast about music, the people who make it, and the almighty power it has over so many parts of our lives. We love music, and we love talking about the records that changed us, the songs that remind us of a particular time in our lives, and the tunes that have helped us get through some pretty rough times. Music is therapeutic in a lot of ways.
Before Elvis shook his hips, before Chuck Berry duck-walked across a stage, and before anyone had smashed a guitar or pissed off their parents with a Beatles haircut, there was a DJ in Cleveland spinning records that weren’t supposed to be for white kids.
Alice in Chains is one of the biggest bands from the 90s. But by 1996, they were ghosts.
KISS was well known for their image, the characters, and the merch. But behind the makeup and pyrotechnics, Ace Frehley brought the fire.
You guys ready for this one?