Let's see, there's Geddy. Les. Paul, Flea, Lemmy and Um.....

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Let's see, there's Geddy Lee... Les Claypool... Paul McCartney... Flea... Lemmy... and um... er... oh yeah, and... no... and that guy who played bass in (place your favorite band here). Yup, that's about what happens when most people are asked about Bass guitar players. A precious few have floated to the cream of the crop status, and the rest just kind of float around like... well, like the bass line of most songs. There... but ignored. The bass player answers Barry Mann's 1961 musical question, "Who Put the Bomp in the Bomp bah Bomp bah Bomp"... and the entire framework of the song revolves around how and when the bass player choose to "bomp", "bah bomp" or even "bah bomp bah bah bomp bah bomp". Then there are those who prefer to make their own personal mark on the song. For them, it isn't enough to simply provide a beat to follow, they want their part to be as distinctive and memorable as the lead guitar and the singer themselves. This is the group you will find the few well-known bass players (especially out of those who aren't also the lead singer for the band). Many minimalists chose to do this for their own artistic reasons, while others are just the least talented guitar player in the band. There actually is a third category here. These would be bass players who have one or two songs that feature a strong bass line. These tracks propelled a shadowy figure of a musician into center stage, even if it was just for a song or two. Alas, for these bassists, their signature bass lines are much more famous than they will (most likely) ever be. So... do you have a favorite bass player? Or do you even realize there's one in your favorite band? ;~D