Samuel Robert Rivers (born September 2, 1977,

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

) is the

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

and backing vocalist of the

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...

, and one of its founding members.

Early life

Rivers' musical career started fairly early on, with him playing 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 ...

in a band in Arlington Middle School. He got into music initially because of John Otto, who played

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

-style drums. Many have said that Otto is a cousin of Rivers, but during a documentary that was recorded of the band recording their second album, Rivers admits that they initially thought they were cousins but realised neither parents were related. He attended

Bishop Kenny High School Bishop Kenny High School (commonly referred to as Bishop Kenny or BKHS) is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational Catholic high school in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located in and administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. August ...

. He played guitar before he played bass, but switched at the suggestion of his music teacher.

Career

Limp Bizkit

Rivers first met

Fred Durst William Frederick Durst (born August 20, 1970) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and director. He is the frontman and lyricist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He ap ...

while working at a

Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A ( , a Word play, play on the American English pronunciation of "wikt:filet#Pronunciation, filet") is an American fast food restaurant chain which is the country's largest which specializes in chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Coll ...

in a mall in Jacksonville. The two started talking, and found they shared several interests, including

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...

and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

. They decided to get together for a jam session. Rivers was becoming an accomplished bass guitarist, and Durst was to be a vocalist. Together with several other people they formed a short-lived band called Malachi Sage. (Rivers' talents on guitar would later come into play in Limp Bizkit's

Results May Vary ''Results May Vary'' is the fourth studio album by American rap rock band Limp Bizkit, released on September 23, 2003, through Flip and Interscope Records. It is the band's only release under the sole-leadership of vocalist Fred Durst after the ...

album, the only album not featuring longtime guitarist

Wes Borland Wesley Louden Borland (born February 7, 1975) is an American rock musician. He is best known as the current guitarist and backing vocalist of the rap metal band Limp Bizkit, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative and industrial rock ...

, with Rivers playing both guitar and bass on select songs such as "Creamer" and "Lonely World".) When the band did not work out, the two decided to try again, and this time Otto came into the picture to be the drummer at the suggestion of Rivers. In 1994, the three formed Limp Bizkit. Later on

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

came into the fold, as well as

DJ Lethal Leor Dimant ( lv, Leors Dimants, russian: Леор Григорьевич Димант, ; born December 18, 1972), better known as DJ Lethal, is a Latvian-American turntablist and producer and is best known as a member of the groups House of Pai ...

, in 1996. Rivers was the youngest member of the band. When their first album '' Three Dollar Bill, Yall'' was released, he was 19 years old. In 2015, Rivers reportedly left Limp Bizkit following a diagnosis of degenerative disc disease. However, Rivers revealed in 2020 his departure from Limp Bizkit was due to

liver disease Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common. Signs and symptoms Some of the sig ...

caused by excessive drinking. Rivers subsequently received a

liver transplant Liver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a Liver disease, diseased liver with the healthy liver from another person (allograft). Liver transplantation is a treatment option for Cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and ...

. In absentia, live bass duties were covered by Samuel Gerhard Mpungu and Tsuzumi Okai. He was voted Best Bass Player at the 2000 Gibson Awards.

Recent work

After Limp Bizkit went on hiatus, Rivers became a producer for local bands in Jacksonville. He produced the debut albums by

Burn Season Burn Season was an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001. Their final lineup consisted of Damien Starkey on vocals, Kevin Renwick on guitar, Brad Stewart on bass and Bobby Amaru on vocals. The group initially signed with ...

and The Embraced. Most recently, Rivers has been producing for the Orlando-based band

Indorphine Indorphine is an American alternative metal band from Orlando, Florida. History Like many influential grassroots bands before them, Indorphine began in the garage of lead singer Jimmy Grant as he, and high school friend and drummer Everett Sa ...

. Aside from producing their new studio material, Rivers got them booked as the opening act for a

Mushroomhead Mushroomhead is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1993 in the Cleveland Warehouse District, the band is known for their avant-garde sound and horror film-inspired imagery which features masks and costumes as well as ...

SOiL Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

concert. In early 2009, Rivers reunited with Limp Bizkit for tours and their sixth studio album, ''

Gold Cobra ''Gold Cobra'' is the fifth studio album by American rap rock band Limp Bizkit. Released in 2011 by Flip and Interscope Records, it is the band's first studio album since 2003's ''Results May Vary'' and its first with the full original lineup sin ...

'' released in 2011. Rivers is now pursuing another project with Burn Season vocalist

Damien Starkey Damien Starkey (born October 20, 1982) is an American musician, songwriter and producer. He has played many roles in several bands, served as a vocalist for Society Red and Burn Season, bassist for Puddle of Mudd, and he also owns a company ca ...

in a band called Sleepkillers, along with

Adam Latiff Adam Latiff (born March 24, 1979) is a lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist for a number of bands, most notable for Puddle of Mudd. He started his career in bands such as Devereux and was a touring guitar player for Eve to Ad ...

and

Saliva Saliva (commonly referred to as spit) is an extracellular fluid produced and secreted by salivary glands in the mouth. In humans, saliva is around 99% water, plus electrolytes, mucus, white blood cells, epithelial cells (from which DNA can be ...

vocalist Bobby Amaru, who was also a founding member and drummer for Burn Season. They released their self titled debut album on March 1, 2019.

Personal life

His influences include bands such as

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

and

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

. Rivers cites

Jeff Ament Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who is best known as the bassist of the American rock band Pearl Jam, which he co-founded alongside Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder. Prior to his wo ...

from

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

as a big influence on his playing. In the early 2000s, Rivers married Kinter Atkins. They divorced due to personal issues. Currently, Rivers is in a relationship with pornographic actress Kayla Paige.

Equipment

Rivers was originally endorsed by

Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as ...

, and one of his basses was a customized BTB 5-string, but he then used custom made

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

basses, with

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...

s in the

fretboard The fingerboard (also known as a fretboard on fretted instruments) is an important component of most stringed instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating s ...

. Since 2019, Sam Rivers is using 5-string Fender Jazz Basses live with Limp Bizkit. Rivers has also been seen using Wal Basses since 2005, mainly in the studio and uses

Ampeg Ampeg is a manufacturer best known for its bass amplifiers. Originally established in 1946 in Linden, New Jersey by Everett Hull and Stanley Michaels as "Michael-Hull Electronic Labs," today Ampeg is part of the Yamaha Guitar Group. Although ...

and Warwick amps.

Collaborations

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

ft. Sam Rivers - "Redeemer" (

Queen of the Damned (soundtrack) ''Queen of the Damned: Music from the Motion Picture'' is the official soundtrack for the 2002 vampire film ''Queen of the Damned'', released on February 19, 2002 via Warner Music Group. It was produced by Richard Gibbs and Jonathan Davis of Ame ...

) *

David Draiman David Michael Draiman ( he, דוד מיכאל דריימן; born March 13, 1973) is an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distorted, operatic, baritone voice and percussive singing style, he is best known as the lead vocalist of the h ...

ft. Sam Rivers - "Forsaken" (

) *

Black Light Burns Black Light Burns is an American industrial rock band fronted by Wes Borland. Founded in 2005 after Borland departed Limp Bizkit, the band's lineup also includes Nick Annis, Dennis Sanders and Dylan Taylor. Their debut album, '' Cruel Melody'' ...

ft. Sam Rivers - "I Have a Need" (

Cruel Melody ''Cruel Melody'' is the debut album of American rock band Black Light Burns, released on June 5, 2007, through Ross Robinson's label I AM: WOLFPACK. The album is an outcome of frontman Wes Borland's efforts after h ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, Sam 1977 births Living people American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Limp Bizkit members Liver transplant recipients Musicians from Jacksonville, Florida Guitarists from Florida Bishop Kenny High School alumni 21st-century American bass guitarists