Willie Dixon, along with Muddy Waters defined Chicago Blues and American music forever. Dixon wrote and performed on the majority of early rock and roll hits. He influenced everyone, in fact Led Zeppelin settled out of court for stealing songs from Dixon.

Hoochie Coochie Man

The best bass player you never heard of and the original of the Motown sound. Ain't a hit or style Jamerson didn't perform. He played on 23 top 100 hits.

Greedy Green

Funk Brothers Fever in Funktown

One of the most prolific bass session players in history.The only female member of the wrecking crew Kaye also scored many movies and television shows.

Glen Campbell Wichita Lineman

Nancy Sinatra These Boots Are Made for Walking

Bernard Odum bridged early rock and roll and funk as James Brown Bass Player on hits such as “Papa's Brand New Bag” and “I Git You.” He went on to play with Funk Maestro Maceo Parker.

When Odum quit James Brown's band, with the majority of other players who wanted to get paid, Bernard was replaced by Bootsy Collins. Bootsy and his brother's band the Pacemakers became James Brown's JBs. After performing on THE funkiest of all Brown's tracks Boosty Collins and his brother joined up with Funkadelic and George Clinton. This lead to some of the best bass lines in funk.

Suberbad by James Brown

One Nation Under a Groove by Funkadelic

Godfather of the slap bass, Larry Graham changed the style of the instrument forever. First as a member of Sly and the Family Stones and then Graham Central Station.

Thank You Sly and the Family Stone

The Jam by Graham Central Station

Off the Wall, the greatest of all Michael Jackson's ,albums got powered by the bass playing of Luis Johnson. A session player and a member of Brother Johnson's Luis perfected the slap bass techniques.

Don't Stop Till You Get Enough by Michael Jackson

Okay no bass player but the G-funk can't be excluded in any description of funky bass. Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Nate Dog reinvented many of the lines that Odum, Collins and Graham laid down. Once Dr. Dre added the discipline of his mechanics and marketing machines a new genre that reinvented funk and hip-hop hit the scene.

Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Get None) by 213 CW: explicit and misogynistic lyrics

Bassist for Cream, one of the greatest rock and bands, Bruce was trained as a classical jazz bassist but then took on the R+B sound coming from Detroit and Michigan with the Graham Bond Organization and the Bluesbreakers. In 1966 Bruce teamed up with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker to form Cream. Bruce sang and played bass.

White Room by Cream

Apostrophe by Frank Zappa

Ron Carter

Stanley Clarke

Jaco Pastorius

Ezperenza Spalding

Geezer Butler

Phil Lynott

Kim Gordon

Flea

Lemmy

Les Claypool

Phil Lesh

Victor Wooten

Les Claypool