Garry Wayne Tallent (born October 27, 1949), sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being bass player and founding member of the
E Street Band
The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...
,
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
's primary backing band since 1972. As of 2022, and not counting Springsteen himself, Tallent is the only original member of the E Street Band remaining in the band. Tallent was inducted as a member of the E Street Band into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
.
Biography
Growing up in
Neptune City
Neptune City is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,869,[Jersey shore
The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...]
, Tallent took up first the
tuba
The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...
and then the bass. Tallent attended
Neptune High School
Neptune High School is a comprehensive four-year community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Neptune Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Neptune Townsh ...
, together with future bandmate
Vini Lopez
Vincent Lopez (born January 22, 1949), nicknamed Mad Dog, is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen's first two albu ...
.
He was influenced by
James Jamerson
James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases ...
,
Donald "Duck" Dunn, and
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
. He started playing with Springsteen in 1971 in two earlier bands and then was an original member of the E Street Band, who formed in 1972.
[Standing in the shadows of Motown: the life and music of legendary bassist James Jamerson](_blank)
(1989) His bass plays a key role in Springsteen's music (both live and in-studio). Notable Tallent bass parts can be heard on "
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
", "
Prove It All Night", "
Kitty's Back", and "
Incident on 57th Street
"Incident on 57th Street" is a song written by Bruce Springsteen that was first released on his 1973 album ''The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle''. It has been described by critics as a key development in Springsteen's songwriting caree ...
". During the E Street Band's early years, he occasionally played the tuba in concert and on record (most notably in "
Wild Billy's Circus Story").
In addition to his work with Springsteen, Tallent has recorded with numerous other artists. In 1987 Tallent produced the song "
Crying, Waiting, Hoping
"Crying, Waiting, Hoping" is a song written by Buddy Holly. It was released in 1959 as the B-side to " Peggy Sue Got Married". Three versions of Holly's recording were released: the 1959 commercial release, the 1964 reissue with different orches ...
" for
Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and " Whenever You're on My Mind." He ...
on ''
La Bamba'' soundtrack. During the long time the E Street Band was inactive in the 1990s, Tallent moved to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, having an affinity for
country and western and
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...
music. (By this point, Tallent had already long been referred to by the nickname "The Tennessee Terror",
a name given to him after once driving through Tennessee briefly on a roadtrip). There he opened the MoonDog recording studio and helped start the D'Ville Record Group label. Tallent has produced such artists as
Jim Lauderdale
James Russell Lauderdale (born April 11, 1957) is an American country, bluegrass, and Americana singer-songwriter. Since 1986, he has released 31 studio albums, including collaborations with artists such as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Buddy Miller, and ...
,
Kevin Gordon
Kevin Sysu Gordon (born 26 December 1989) is a former Philippines international rugby league footballer. A New South Wales Country and Prime Minister's XIII representative, he played as a er and for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Ru ...
, and
Steve Forbert.
[Gold, Adam (July 29, 2011)]
E Street Band/Former Long Players Bassist Garry Tallent: The Cream Interview
, ''Nashville Scene
''Nashville Scene'' is an alternative newsweekly in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1989, became a part of Village Voice Media in 1999, and later joined the ranks of sixteen other publications after a merger of Village Voice Media with ...
''
Springsteen and the E Street Band performed on
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
on December 12, 2020 however Tallent opted out of the performance due to
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
travel concerns. This marked the first time that Tallent had missed a show with the E Street Band. Jack Daly of the Disciples of Soul filled in for him.
References
External links
Official websiteGarry Tallent biographyat AllMusic
Interview with Garry Tallentat ''The Aquarian Weekly''
ArchiveBacking Up the Boss at ''The Wall Street Journal''
Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallent, Garry
1949 births
Living people
American rock bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
E Street Band members
Neptune High School alumni
People from Neptune City, New Jersey
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes members
Jersey Shore musicians
American tubists
American male guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
21st-century tubists