Louis Johnson (bassist)
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Louis Johnson (bassist)
Louis Johnson (April 13, 1955 – May 21, 2015) was an American bass guitarist. Johnson was best known for his work with the group the Brothers Johnson and his session playing on several hit albums of the 1970s and 1980s, including the best-selling album of all time, Michael Jackson's ''Thriller''. His signature sound came from the Music Man StingRay bass guitar, which Leo Fender made for him, and from his slapping technique. He is ranked number 38 on ''Bass Player'' magazine's list of "the 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time". Biography His work appears on many well-known records by prominent artists. Johnson played on Michael Jackson's albums ''Off the Wall'', ''Thriller'' and '' Dangerous'', and hit songs "Billie Jean" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". He also played on George Benson's '' Give Me the Night''. He was one of three bassists on Herb Alpert's 1979 album ''Rise'', which included its top-10, Grammy-winning disco/jazz title-track. Due to his distinctive sty ...
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Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid-20th century. It de-emphasizes melody and chord progressions and focuses on a strong rhythmic groove of a bassline played by an electric bassist and a drum part played by a percussionist, often at slower tempos than other popular music. Funk typically consists of a complex percussive groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves that create a "hypnotic" and "danceable" feel. Funk uses the same richly colored extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths and thirteenths. Funk originated in the mid-1960s, with James Brown's development of a signature groove that emphasized the downbeat—with a heavy emphasis on the first bea ...
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Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is a single written and recorded by American singer Michael Jackson. Released under Epic Records on July 10, 1979, the song is the first track on Jackson's fifth studio album ''Off the Wall'' (1979). It was the first solo recording over which Jackson had creative control. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" was Jackson's second single to hit number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart following "Ben" and his first solo number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' Soul Singles chart. It remained at number one for six weeks on ''Billboard'' Soul Singles chart. It is certified 5× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song was also worldwide success, reaching number one in nine other countries. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" was well received by contemporary music critics and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most iconic disco songs of all time. An accompanying music video for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" w ...
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Thief In The Night (album)
''Thief in the Night'' is the nineteenth studio album by American keyboardist and record producer George Duke. It was released in 1985 through Elektra Records, making it his first release on the label. Recording sessions for the album took place at Le Gonks West in West Hollywood, California. Duke played various keyboard instruments on the album, including Synclavier II, Memorymoog, Fender Rhodes, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, clavinet, Yamaha P F15 and Minimoog. The album features contributions from Lynn Davis, Paul Jackson Jr, Paulinho da Costa, Robert Brookins and Deniece Williams among others. The album peaked at number 183 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 52 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Its lead single, a title track "Thief in the Night", reached number 37 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, number 21 on the Dance Club Songs, and number 89 in the UK Singles Chart. Its second single "I Surrender" and a promotional single "Love Mission" did not chart. Track listing ...
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Guardian Of The Light
''Guardian of the Light'' is the seventeenth studio album by American keyboardist and record producer George Duke. It was released in 1983 through Epic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in Los Angeles at The Complex, Le Gonks West and Ocean Way Recording. Duke used a variety of keyboard instruments, such as Rhodes electric piano, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Korg Polysix, ARP Odyssey, Clavitar Solo, Minimoog, melodeon, melodica, and also Sennheiser and Roland vocoders, and LinnDrum machine. The album features contributions from various musicians, including vocalists Jeffrey Osborne and Lynn Davis, guitarists Michael Sembello and Charles Fearing, bassists Louis Johnson and Byron Miller, drummers John Robinson and Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, percussionist Paulinho da Costa, trumpeters Gary Grant and Jerry Hey, trombonist Lew McCreary, conductor George Del Barrio with a musical ensemble of string instrument players. The album peaked at number 147 on the ''Billboa ...
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George Duke
George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a professor of music. He first made a name for himself with the album '' The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio''. He was known primarily for 32 solo albums, of which '' A Brazilian Love Affair'' from 1979 was his most popular, as well as for his collaborations with other musicians, particularly Frank Zappa. Biography George M. Duke was born in San Rafael, California, United States, to Thadd Duke and Beatrice Burrell and raised in Marin City. At four years old, he became interested in the piano. His mother took him to see Duke Ellington in concert and told him about this experience. "I don't remember it too well, but my mother told me I went crazy. I ran around saying 'Get me a piano, get me a piano!'" He began his formal pia ...
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Grover Washington, Jr
Grover Washington Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999) was an American jazz-funk and soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with Wes Montgomery and George Benson, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre. He wrote some of his material and later became an arranger and producer. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Washington made some of the genre's most memorable hits, including "Mister Magic", "Reed Seed", "Black Frost", "Winelight", "Inner City Blues", "Let it Flow (For 'Dr. J')" and "The Best is Yet to Come". In addition, he performed very frequently with other artists, including Bill Withers on "Just the Two of Us", Patti LaBelle on "The Best Is Yet to Come" and Phyllis Hyman on "A Sacred Kind of Love". He is also remembered for his take on the Dave Brubeck classic "Take Five", and for his 1996 version of "Soulful Strut". Early life Washington was born in Buffalo, New York, United States, on December 12, 1943. His mother was a church choriste ...
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Time Exposure (Stanley Clarke Album)
''Time Exposure'' is the thirteenth studio album by American jazz fusion bassist Stanley Clarke, released on August 28, 1984, by Epic Records. The album features musical assistance from Jeff Beck, George Duke, Howard Hewett and Ernie Watts, amongst others. The album was digitally remastered in 2013 by Funky Town Grooves and included five bonus tracks. Critical reception In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Richard S. Ginell wrote that "The sheer speed and power of Clarke's electric and piccolo bass work is astonishing throughout the album, and the CD as a whole has a techno sound and edge reflecting a period of time just before analog synthesizers were swept away by digital instruments." Track listing All tracks composed by Stanley Clarke; except where indicated. Side one # "Play the Bass 103" – 0:46 # "Are You Ready (For the Future)" (Clarke, Denzil Miller) – 3:15 # "Speedball" – 3:12 # "Heaven Sent You" (Denzil Miller, Howard Hewett) – 6:00 # "Time Exposure" ...
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Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jazz-fusion bassist to headline tours, sell out shows worldwide and have recordings reach gold status. Clarke is a 5-time Grammy winner, with 15 nominations, 3 as a solo artist, 1 with the Stanley Clarke Band, and 1 with Return to Forever. Clarke was selected to become a 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship. A Stanley Clarke electric bass is permanently on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. Music career Early years Clarke was born on June 30, 1951 in Philadelphia. His mother sang opera around the house, belonged to a church choir, and encouraged him to study music. He started on accordion, then tried violin. But he felt awkward holding such a ...
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Larry Graham
Larry Graham Jr. (born August 14, 1946) is an American bassist and baritone singer, both with the psychedelic soul/funk band Sly and the Family Stone and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station. In 1980, he released the single "One in a Million You", which reached the top ten on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He is credited with the invention of the slapping technique on the electric bass guitar, which radically expanded the tonal palette of the bass, although he himself refers to the technique as "thumpin' and pluckin' ". In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Sly and the Family Stone. He is also the uncle of rapper Drake. Life and career Born in Beaumont, Texas to successful musicians, Graham played bass in the funk band Sly and the Family Stone from 1967 to 1972. It is said that he pioneered the art of slap-pop playing on the electric bass, in part to provide percussive and rhythmic elements in addition to the n ...
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Bass Player (magazine)
''Bass Player'' is a magazine for bassists. Each issue offers a variety of artist interviews, lessons, and equipment reviews. The magazine was founded in 1988 as a spinoff of ''Guitar Player'' magazine, with Jim Roberts as its first editor. The original headquarters was in San Francisco, CA. It began as a regular edition magazine in 1990. Currently published by Future US, ''Bass Player'' held an annual event for bassists, Bass Player LIVE!. From 2004 until 2007 Bass Player LIVE! was held in New York City; from 2008 until 2017 it was held in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California. Editors *Jim Roberts, March 1990 to December 1996 *Karl Coryat, January 1997 to January 1998 *Richard Johnston, February 1998 to July 2001 *Bill Leigh, August 2001 to March 2009 *Jonathan Herrera, April 2009 to December 2010 *Brian Fox, January 2011 to June 2014 *Chris Jisi, July 2014 to October 2018 *Joel McIver, November 2018 to date Lifetime Achievement Awards In most years since 1998, Bass ...
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Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the music industry worldwide. It was originally called the Gramophone Awards, as the trophy depicts a gilded gramophone. The Grammys are the first of the Big Three networks' major music awards held annually, and is considered one of the four major annual American entertainment awards, alongside the Academy Awards (for films), the Emmy Awards (for television), and the Tony Awards (for theater). The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, to honor the musical accomplishments of performers for the year 1958. After the 2011 ceremony, the Recording Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. History The Grammys had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s. ...
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Rise (Herb Alpert Album)
''Rise'' is a 1979 album by Herb Alpert. History In 1979, the song "Rise", written by Andy Armer and Alpert's nephew Randy "Badazz" Alpert but without an accompanying album, became a worldwide sensation. The 12" version was a favorite of club DJs and the 7" single, released on July 20, 1979, reached the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in October, staying there for two weeks. "Rise" was Alpert's first No. 1 hit in the US since "This Guy's in Love with You" spent four weeks there in 1968. Armer and the Alperts then set about creating an album to capitalize on the song's success, and ''Rise'' was released in September. Side 1 of ''Rise'' consists of original songs composed by Armer, Herb Alpert and Randy Alpert. Side 2 contains cover versions of songs that Herb Alpert admired. All songs featured the elder Alpert on trumpet, with many other studio musicians contributing. The opening track, "1980", is an instrumental theme written by Herb Alpert that NBC Sports executive Do ...
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