It’s James Jamerson’s birthday today. If the Motown legend was with us, he’d be celebrating his 86th cycle around the sun today. There’s a small list of bass players who are near-universally agreed to be on the short list for the greatest bass players of all time, and few would argue that James Jamerson belongs at the very top of that list. Name a Motown hit, and chances are it was James Jamerson handling the bass line. As one of the first ambassadors for the electric bass, he added harmonic sophistication to an instrument that was often relegated to just playing the root notes. And his playing was always so fundamentally supportive of the melody of the song. There’s few better rabbit holes to dive down on the internet than recordings where all the other instruments on Motown classics are muted, and just Jamerson and the lead vocal remains. Enjoy. 

Tonight on Radio Free Current, we’ll celebrate the great bass players of the world. Does this mean hours upon hours of pyrotechnics from masters like Les Claypool, Marcus Miller and Jaco Pastorious? Not exclusively! The best bass players in the world lead from the back with masterful bass lines that call attention to the song, not to themselves.

What are some of your favorite bassists and basslines? Make your request for this week’s Radio Free Current in the comments below.

You can also join me live on The Current’s Facebook page tonight at 6 Central to leave me a request, hit me up on Twitter at @twinkiejiggles (be sure to tag #RadioFreeCurrent) or you can email me at sean@thecurrent.org. During the program (7 to 11 p.m. Central), you can phone the studio line, 651-989-4893, to tell me your request, or use our request form.