Can You Name Actual Influences on Your Playing?

People often notice the McCartney influence in my playing, and I'd say Leon Wilkerson, Dee Murray, and John W. of Klaatu were among the top influences on how I approach the bass.

Today, I was playing along with some solo Lennon and Harrison, and it hit me how important Beatles Hamburg-days friend Klaus Voormann is on Lennon's and Harrison's best albums. I played along with those records as much as I did actual Beatles records growing up and it hit me today how much I had learned from his sense of grounding the bass and still exploring melody in a way that contributes to the song. Voormann doesn't get an nth of the recognition he deserves, neither from me nor anyone I've ever talked about bass players with. He is as important to my playing as McCartney or any of them.

It's hard to get up on stage, literally and metaphorically after McCartney, but Klaus Voormann holds his own pretty well on those solo records.

Not that anyone is going to mistake me for anyone on this list, but here are the influences I can pull up on a moment's notice (there are more, if I stop to think about it):

• The Beatles (natch!)
• John Mayall and his never-ending array of guitar players
• Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)
• America (particularly members Dan Peek and Dewey Bunnell)
• Eric Clapton (included in John Mayall, above. But since he's the only 3-time inductee into the RnR HOF, why not give him a second entry?)
• Robin Trower (I'd pick him above Jimi; heresy, I know!)
• Paul Barrere
• Dickey Betts
• The slammin'-est bunch of Tele players: Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Tom Principato (all local guys)
• Glen Campbell, Roy Clark, Chet Atkins -- Hee Haw!
• John Cippolina (Quicksilver Messenger Service)

How am I doing so far? :salud:

The biggest influence on my playing was the Braille Blues Daddy, Bryan Lee. When we put songs together many years ago, he would give me the “feel” of what he wanted in a song and left it to me to create that feel.

Adding to that would be tricks learned from people like Carol Kaye, Duck Dunn, Rocko Prestia, James Jamerson and several more. I always have said that I steal a little from every good bass player I listen to.

Laker, I don't doubt that they've had a big influence on you: they helped to invent popular music electric bass. They've influenced me as well. It just never hit me how a "minor" player like Klaus Voormann has had as much effect on my playing as McCartney.

I don't think I sound anything like them, but guys who seem to influence my playing the most are Jeff Beck, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Pete Townsend, with nods to Page, Blackmore, Perry, Hendrix, SRV and a few local regional guys J Giels, Peter Parcek, Matt Woodburn, and I would be most remiss to not include Eric Clapton. I probably have more songs by him on iTunes than anybody but Hendrix.

In those lightning in a bottle moments, I channel Muddy Waters but I can't seem to call it up at will.

If I were a guitar player I think those who I would really listen to would be Robin Trower, for phrasing; Stevie Rae Vaughn for tone; and a lot of jazz cats (Carlton, Dimeola, Pass, Kessel, etc) for taste.

One local guy that I’ve always enjoyed because on his totally unique sound is Rockin’ Jimmy Crimmins who I have had the privilege of sharing the stage with. A couple of the players in this video are old bandmates or friends, and I think you’ll enjoy Jimmy’s take on things. I think you’ll hear Trower influence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjBh-DxXdhI

When you say "Trower" twice in one post, I just have to watch the video! :smile:

It's good stuff. And the harp player can play in my band any time!

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Originally Posted by OldStrummer

When you say "Trower" twice in one post, I just have to watch the video! :smile:

It's good stuff. And the harp player can play in my band any time!

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Every guy on that stage is a “top shelf” player!

1964 shortly after moving from the violin to the Concert Bass we moved to Wiesbaden Germany. I wanted a bass so bad I attempted to make an acoustic bass guitar, with very few tools and wood scavenged from the trash pile at a construction sight. It imploded before I got all the strings installed. Dad got me the Framus for Christmas, by New Year’s Eve I was in a band with the base commanders son.

My early influences are from those 3 years. I listened to and covered a lot of Motown J.Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, were huge, Tommy Cogbill, I liked the Zobies, the Doors, Hendrix, and covered other’s that we heard on the ArmForces radio.

More recently it has been the blues standards. I’ve been complimented by song writers that my base lines are perfect for their compositions. Even a couple of studio guys have mentioned it me. I’m pretty laid back and usually play with a certain amount of economy.

Without a doubt, Keith Richards

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Originally Posted by hushnel

1964 shortly after moving from the violin to the Concert Bass we moved to Wiesbaden Germany...

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We were in Wiesbaden from '65 to '68. Even though I was just a kid, my older sister's taste in music made an impression on me. Stones, Kinks, & some others I can't even remember. Quite a shock when my dad was transferred to Vandenberg AFB in California. Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, & other "west coast psychedelic" bands took over.
I can't say I try hard at it, but on a good day I've been able to get into Jerry Garcia/Dickey Betts territory, or so I'm told

Are you talking about bass specifically, or guitar also?
For bass, I'm really limited, so it's stuff I've learned over he years. The Who, (I wish I could play as smoothly as The Ox and write that kind of stuff...) Tom| Hamilton of Aerosmith, maybe a bit of |Tom Petersson from |Cheap Trick - 12-string notwithstanding, his tome and lines are great. Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones, Roger Waters.
The bass player for Mighty Mighty Bosstones has some great lines. PLus whoever wrote the walking bass book I have.

|For guitar it's a lot easier. I;m more of a rhythm guy - not a great lead player, though |I can do a few I've learned - I'm terrible at scales and improv, so I'm not going to take a solo during a jam or anything. So Aerosmith again, Malcolm Young, James Hetfield. David Gilmour, Page, Alex Lifeson, The Edge, Slash & Izzy Stradlin, PLenty of others. Honestly, I've absorbed SOMETHING from almost every player I've really listened to.

I was talking more about bass, but either is okay.

I was prompted by the surprise of knowing that some of the way I play is not by someone famous outside of Beatle fandom, not very famous in any case. We always go for the famous names.

Influence is a tricky thing. I know that I use snippets of Gilmour's guitar when I play certain things on the bass.

If you're "too influenced" by someone, then why not just listen to the original artist?

If you throw in "a quote" here and there, I'm pretty okay with that. Now we get into issues of originality, plagiarism, and genre hopping..... can o worms.

buy, beg, steal or borrow

it's all good in the music game

uh, except for lip-syncing, I guess :biglaugh:

and rick-rolling. grrrr.

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Originally Posted by Cogs

We were in Wiesbaden from '65 to '68. Even though I was just a kid, my older sister's taste in music made an impression on me. Stones, Kinks, & some others I can't even remember. Quite a shock when my dad was transferred to Vandenberg AFB in California. Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, & other "west coast psychedelic" bands took over.
I can't say I try hard at it, but on a good day I've been able to get into Jerry Garcia/Dickey Betts territory, or so I'm told

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Did you attend H.H.Arnold ? Did you live on Wiesbaden AFB. We used to play at the Skyhook Serviceman’s Club across the street from the Movie Theater.

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Originally Posted by hushnel

Did you attend H.H.Arnold ? Did you live on Wiesbaden AFB. We used to play at the Skyhook Serviceman’s Club across the street from the Movie Theater.

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Outstanding.

I played many an officer/NCO/enlisted club back in the day. Some of my most unforgettable gigs were at Denker Hall on Mather AFB in California.

https://flic.kr/p/2jHbiDL

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Originally Posted by phantomman

Outstanding.

I played many an officer/NCO/enlisted club back in the day. Some of my most unforgettable gigs were at Denker Hall on Mather AFB in California.

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We were just pups at that time I was around 12 or 13 when dad snapped this picture at the skyhook.

One of the coolest things was one evening Tom, the guitar player and I were out past curfew one evening and we heard some guys jamming in the basement of the Skyhook. It sound so familiar. The window was below the surface but we could still see a good part of the room. A few airmen and airborne guys were jamming and freakin’ Jimi Hendrix was down there burning up some leads. It’s the only time I got to see him live. We had to split when we saw the AP jeep turn onto the road.

When we first got back to the states I was surprised that Hendrix was not all that popular, a lot of people hadn’t even heard of him. I was telling the guys that were friendly about that night and they didn’t know who he was. I had three of his albums recorded on Polydor, I think.

https://flic.kr/p/2jHbiDL https://flic.kr/p/2jHbiDL

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Originally Posted by hushnel

Did you attend H.H.Arnold ? Did you live on Wiesbaden AFB. We used to play at the Skyhook Serviceman’s Club across the street from the Movie Theater.

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No, however my sister & my brother-in-law did. I was just a kid & so went to Aukamm Elementary, lol