Greatest Bassists of All Time
Rolling Stone put out their Greatest Bassists of All Time and you can read Geddy Lee’s individual entry here.
Geddy Lee also contributed his own unranked Favourite Bass Player list here.
“I could have gone on and on when talking about bassists that I love.”
The players that Lee chose for his list — from Sixties and Seventies rock gods like John Entwistle and John Paul Jones to Motown legend James Jamerson and jazz-rock virtuosos like Jaco Pastorius — all had a hand in making the bass that much cooler. They’re a diverse set of players, but Lee says that they all share a particular dual skill set.
“One common denominator for me was always the ability to play melodically, and to enhance the song on a subterranean level,” Lee says. “So I’ve always gravitated towards bass players that not only locked in with the rhythm section and helped moved the song, but also added some other level of musical interest that may not be as obvious. Usually, that comes out on secondary, tertiary and repeated listenings.”
Photo credit: Fin Costello