__NOTOC__ Robert Andrew Kreinar (November 26, 1937 – July 16, 2012), known as Bob Babbitt, was a Hungarian-

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

bassist, most famous for his work as a member of Motown Records' studio band, the Funk Brothers, from 1966 to 1972, as well as his tenure as part of

MFSB MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom ...

for

Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. ...

afterwards. Also in 1968, with Mike Campbell,

Ray Monette Ray Monette is an American musician born on May 7, 1946. He started his career as a session musician with Motown. He was also a songwriter and, in 1967 Detroit started a band called The Abstract Reality, who released a 45 rpm single "Love Burns Li ...

and Andrew Smith he formed the band Scorpion, which lasted until 1970. He is ranked number 59 on ''Bass Player'' magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time". Babbitt traded off sessions with original Motown bassist James Jamerson. When Motown moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, Babbit went in the opposite direction and ended up in New York as well as making occasional trips to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. In this new city he worked on recordings for Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, Gloria Gaynor, Robert Palmer, and

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

. During this time his most notable successes were " Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips and " The Rubberband Man" by The Spinners. The

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

-born Babbitt's most notable bass performances include " Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

; " War" by Edwin Starr; " The Tears of a Clown" by

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...

; "

Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" is the second single from Marvin Gaye's 1971 album, '' What's Going On''. Following the breakthrough of the title track's success, the song, written solely by Gaye, became regarded as one of popular music's most poi ...

" and " Inner City Blues" by Marvin Gaye; " Band Of Gold" by Freda Payne; " Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" and " Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" by The Temptations; "

Touch Me in the Morning "Touch Me in the Morning" is a song recorded by Diana Ross on the Motown label. It was written by Ron Miller and Michael Masser, and produced by the latter and Tom Baird. It was released on May 3, 1973 as the first single from her album of the ...

" by Diana Ross; and “ Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely” by

The Main Ingredient The Main Ingredient was an American soul and R&B group best known for their 1972 hit song " Everybody Plays the Fool". Early history The group was formed in Harlem, New York City in 1964 as a trio called the Poets, composed of lead singer Do ...

. He participated in hundreds of other hits, including " Little Town Flirt" by Del Shannon and " Scorpio" by

Dennis Coffey & the Detroit Guitar Band Dennis James Coffey (born November 11, 1940) is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings, and is well known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single " Scorpio". Biography Coffey learned to play guitar at the age ...

. He played on the Jimi Hendrix album '' Crash Landing''. He also played bass on Cindy Bullens' 1979 album ''

Desire Wire ''Desire Wire'' is the debut album by singer-songwriter and musician Cindy Bullens, released in 1978 on United Artists Records. It was produced by Tony Bongiovi and Lance Quinn. AllMusic's William Ruhlmann calls it "one of the great lost rock a ...

''. He accepted an offer from Phil Collins to perform on his album of Motown and 1960s soul classics, '' Going Back'', and also appeared in Collins' ''Going Back - Live At Roseland Ballroom, NYC'' concert DVD. He appeared on stage in an episode of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

'', backing up Jacob Lusk's performance of " You're All I Need To Get By" for AI's Motown Week in March 2011. In 2003, Babbitt played on Marion James' album, ''Essence,'' on Soulfood Records, and amongst others playing on the record were

Beegie Adair Bobbe Gorin "Beegie" Adair ( Long, December 11, 1937 – January 23, 2022) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. In a career that spanned 60 years, she played on more than 100 recordings. More than a third of her recordings were with the B ...

, Reese Wynans, Jack Pearson ( The Allman Brothers), and drummer Chucki Burke. He was added to the Music City Walk of Fame on June 5, 201

Bob Babbitt died on July 16, 2012, aged 74, from Brain tumor, brain cancer.

Discography

with Tom Rush *'' Ladies Love Outlaws'' (CBS, 1974) with Herbie Mann *'' Surprises'' (Atlantic, 1976) *with Alice Cooper *Go To Hell ( song only ) 1976 With Jimmy McGriff *''

Red Beans Red bean is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * Adzuki bean (''Vigna angularis''), commonly used in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cuisine, particularly as red bean paste * Kidney bean, red variety of ''Phaseolus vulgaris '' ...

'' (Groove Merchant, 1976) With

Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith may refer to: * Lonnie Smith (baseball) (born 1955), American baseball player * Lonnie Smith (boxer) (born 1962), American boxer * Lonnie Smith (organist) (1942–2021), American organist * Lonnie Liston Smith Lonnie Liston Smi ...

*'' Keep on Lovin''' (Groove Merchant, 1976) With Stanley Turrentine *'' The Man with the Sad Face'' (Fantasy, 1976) With Rodriguez *''

Cold Fact ''Cold Fact'' is the debut album from American singer-songwriter Rodriguez. It was released in the United States on the Sussex label in March 1970. The album sold poorly in the United States, but performed better in South Africa and Australia, ...

'' (Sussex, 1970)

References

Sources

External links

Official websiteBob Babbit Profile -Pittsburgh Music History
*Interview with Bob Babbit
Part 1Part 2Part 3
by Bass Frontiers Magazine, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Babbit, Bob 1937 births 2012 deaths American rhythm and blues bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American session musicians American funk bass guitarists Musicians from Pittsburgh The Funk Brothers members Deaths from brain cancer in the United States American people of Hungarian descent Guitarists from Pennsylvania 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Motown artists MFSB members The Group with No Name members