BassPlayer 2017-05

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R&B GOLD
Even More Great Moments In R&B Bass
BY ED FRIEDLAND |
THIS MONTH I’LL RETREAD THE “GREAT
Moments” format as a brief break from exploring
the vaults of Motown. When searching for R&B
Gold nuggets, I’m often surprised by what the
sediment of music history holds—unusual facts,
or strange connections that remind us that this
music was created in a much smaller world than
the one we live in now. The music business back
then was indeed the “cruel and shallow money
trench” Hunter S. Thompson once referred to—but
it was relatively young and still willing to experiment,
resulting in some great music that would
never be released in today’s perfection-obsessed,
mega-hit-driven music industry.
One of the great R&B bass breaks of all time
is the intro to the King Curtis hit “Memphis Soul
Stew.” The original version was on Curtis’ 1967
album King Size Soul and featured Tommy Cogbill
on bass. During the 1960s and ’70s, Cogbill was
in a group of select session players who became
casually known as “the Memphis Boys.” His active
style owed a debt to James Jamerson for sure, but
his laid-back feel put an indelible Southern stamp
on it. In 1966, Cogbill went to Muscle Shoals, Alabama,
to record with Wilson Pickett; he played
guitar on some tracks, but switched over to the
bass for “Mustang Sally.” While burnt-out bar
bands may scoff at the mention of this staple,
the original Wilson Pickett version is an indisputable
masterpiece. Cogbill anchored several other
monster hits such as Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,”
Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” and
Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” to name a choice
few, but his intro on “Memphis Soul Stew” is a
classic riff all bassists should know. Example 1
is the basic idea, followed by something resembling
the main riff (Ex. 2). Now, jump to 1971 and
check out Jerry Jemmott playing the same tune
on King Curtis’ Live at the Fillmore West. While the
essential part is the same, it’s an amazing study in
contrast. Where Cogbill is loose, chill, and in the
pocket, Jemmott is tight and bubbly, crackling
with electricity. (I discuss both Cogbill and Jemmott
in my book The R&B Masters: They Way They
Played, from Backbeat Books.)
Another great moment in R&B bass is the intro
to the Temptations’ version of “Papa Was a Rolling
Stone.” In my search to identify the player, several
interesting things came to light. While it might seem
natural to assume it was James Jamerson on bass,
there were other players tracking bass at Hitsville
USA, and the tone and performance made me consider
the possibility of Bob Babbitt being the man
behind the groove. But there was also a pre-Temptations
version of the song, which I was not aware
of, that Babbitt did play on, by the Motown recording
act the Undisputed Truth. I found a post from
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INFO
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ED FRIEDLAND
Ed Friedland is
currently touring
with Grammy
Award winners
the Mavericks,
and living outside
of Nashville,
Tennessee.
edfriedland.com
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52 bassplayer.com / may2017