Music fans have been privileged to some great bass players over the years. From rock and roll to rhythm and blues, bass players are an essential part of any great band. Traditionally, bands consist of four to five members – a lead singer, a drummer, a guitarist (or two), and a bassist. Together, bassists and drummers make up the rhythm section of a band, keeping the rest of the band in harmony with one another. Undoubtedly, there have been some incredibly talented bass players over the years, but only a few can be called the best bassists of all time.
With music legends as such influential icons in pop culture, which bassists are considered the greatest to ever hit the stage? StudyFinds did our homework, consulting 11 music review sites to find the consensus best bassists of all time. Our list comprises the seven most frequently listed bassists from across these sites. Did we snub your favorite bass player of all time? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
The List: Best Bassists of All Time, According to Music Critics
1. Jaco Pastorius
The top spot on the list of the best bassists of all time belongs to Jaco Pastorius. Pastorius is known for mastering the fretless bass guitar and he’s one of the most legendary bass players the world has ever known, explains Seat Geek.
Born in 1951, Pastorius’ virtuosity and melodic playing style redefined the role of the bass, pushing it beyond rhythm and into the realm of lead melody. He is particularly remembered for his work with the jazz fusion group Weather Report, his session work with artists like Joni Mitchell, and his solo albums that showcased his unique approach to the instrument.
Unfortunately, Pastorius was taken far too early from the world of music. The legendary bassist passed away in September of 1987 after being in a coma and suffering a brain hemorrhage. Before his passing, Pastorius regularly introduced himself as the greatest electric bass guitar player in the world, and for good reason, notes uDiscover Music.
If you listen to Pastorius’ debut works, it can be hard to think that he hit the notes he did just by playing the bass guitar. Pastorius redefined what it meant to play electric bass guitar.
2. James Jamerson
Next up on the list of the top bassists of all time is none other than legendary Motown bass player, James Jamerson. Jamerson’s work can be heard across the Motown universe as he was influential in the success of the legendary recording studio, notes Rolling Stone. Jamerson’s work can be found in a variety of Motown tracks including “My Girl,” and Gladys Knight’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”
These are just a few of the legendary tracks Jamerson worked on, developing incredibly recognizable basslines and raising the artistry of improvised bass playing, raves Guitar World. Jamerson worked with some of the biggest names in music history such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Smokey Robinson, the Four Tops, the Temptations, and the Jackson 5, just to name a few.
Some would argue that Jamerson laid the groundwork for modern popular music with his soulful grooves on countless Motown hits in the 1960s and 70s. Though initially a double bassist, Jamerson’s switch to the Fender Precision Bass revolutionized the instrument’s role. His signature style is characterized by melodic walking basslines and subtle syncopation. Despite working as a session musician and receiving minimal recognition at the time, Jamerson’s influence on bassists across genres is undeniable. His legacy lives on as a testament to the power of a simple yet masterful touch.
Jamerson was one of the most versatile bass players the world has ever known, adds Rubber City Review. Jamerson paved the way for bass players everywhere to stand out while fitting in with the melodies of the songs they play. He simply is a legend on the bass guitar.
3. John Entwistle
The third spot on the list of the best bassists of all time belongs to John Entwistle. Entwistle famously played bass guitar for The Who, laying down some of the most recognizable basslines in the history of rock music. Entwistle not only provided some of the best basslines fans have ever heard but he was also able to change with the times and keep up with the ever-changing musical landscape, notes Yardbarker.
Entwistle’s work stands out among other members of The Who such as Keith Moon and Pete Townshend, and that’s saying something, explains LedgerNote. Entwistle was the only member of The Who with formal music training and it certainly showed. He was influential in the growth of other bassists such as Geddy Lee and Chris Squire, earning him induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Entwistle utilized pentatonic lead lines with an unusually treble-rich sound, Music n Gear explains. Entwistle’s full treble, full volume approach to his basslines was exacerbated by his use of round wound steel bass strings. The legend’s career spanned more than four decades and he’s inarguably one of the best bassists of all time.
4. Paul McCartney
The fourth spot on the list of the top bassists of all time belongs to Sir Paul McCartney. This famed Beatle is one of the most recognizable musicians of all time, but his role as a bassist almost never happened. As Atlanta Institute of Music (AIMM) explains, McCartney was thrown into playing bass for The Beatles after the original bassist left the group. All he did was master the instrument and become one of the most important bass players in history. Easy, right?
McCartney laid the foundation for some of the top Beatles songs of all time including “Come Together” and “With a Little Help from My Friends,” notes Guitar World. McCartney famously debuted in America on the Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964 and perhaps no other performance in the history of live television helped spawn more rockers than McCartney and The Beatles did in this performance.
Still, McCartney continued to play the bass guitar well after The Beatles went their separate ways. As Seat Geek explains, McCartney’s love for his Höfner bass guitar helped the brand’s popularity as sales of these bass guitars skyrocketed. Of course, McCartney’s duties didn’t end with playing the bass. McCartney is one of the rare bass players who also sang in his groups. McCartney’s melodic approach and dedication to perfecting his role as a bassist is truly legendary.
5. Flea
Next up on the list of the top bass players of all time is none other than Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The Chili Peppers are known for their unique sound and that wouldn’t be the same without the man they call Flea. He is arguably the most well-known bass player in modern rock music, according to GuitarGuitar.
Flea’s real name is Michael Peter Balzary. He was born in Australia and his family moved to Los Angeles when he was four. In high school, Flea met up with the co-founder of the Chili Peppers, Anthony Kiedis, and the two officially formed the legendary rock group in 1983. From there, Flea has been a major contributor to one of the best bodies of work in rock music history, adds nkoda. Specifically, Flea’s work on the Chili Peppers’ 1999 album “Californication” is iconic.
Flea hasn’t limited himself to playing solely with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, either. The legendary bassist has appeared on stage with the likes of Tom Waits, Jane’s Addiction, and even Johnny Cash, notes Yardbarker. Speaking of on-stage performances, Flea is one of rock music’s greatest showmen. If you’re ever privileged enough to see him play live, be forewarned that Flea is notorious for stripping down and playing a song or two in the nude. Don’t let these antics fool you, Flea is a musical genius.
6. Les Claypool
The sixth spot on the list of the top bassists in music history belongs to Les Claypool. Claypool helped revolutionize the bass guitar, introducing unique strumming patterns and hardware such as the whammy bar to the bass-playing world, explains Seat Geek. He helped form the band Primus and he’s the only member of the band who has been there from the beginning.
Primus is one of the most notable funk-metal bands in the world, and Claypool was the founder, lead singer, bassist, and primary songwriter, furthers Music n Gear. Claypool’s artistry hasn’t been limited to playing the bass guitar as he’s also a filmmaker, novelist, and songwriter for theme songs of some of the most popular animated series in history like “Robot Chicken” and “South Park.”
Claypool is one of the all-time greatest slap bass players in the history of rock and roll, raves AIMM. Claypool expanded upon his musical influences to create a truly unique style of bass playing and solidify himself as a true innovator of the instrument.
7. Geddy Lee
Rounding out the list of the best bassists of all time is none other than the legendary Geddy Lee. Lee is the notorious bass player, singer, and keyboardist for the rock group Rush, and he’s renowned for his versatility on stage, at times acting as a one-man rhythm section, explains LedgerNote. In total, Lee has earned seven Grammy nominations and sold more than 40 million records worldwide, making him one of the most successful bassists to ever pick up the instrument.
Lee’s influence on the bass guitar stems well beyond his music as he’s helped shape the way rockers incorporate the bass into their genre. Lee inspired a range of legendary rock bassists such as the aforementioned Les Claypool, Cliff Burton of Metallica, Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, and Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, explains Music n Gear.
Regardless of Lee’s influence on the genre, his ability to perform a variety of musical tasks can’t be overstated. As AIMM notes, Lee’s ability to flawlessly nail Rush’s complex basslines while singing and playing the keyboard is truly remarkable and speaks to his musical gifts.
You might also be interested in:
Sources:
- Rolling Stone
- uDiscover Music
- Yardbarker
- Guitar World
- Rubber City Review
- LedgerNote
- nkoda
- GuitarGuitar
- Music n Gear
- AIMM
- Seat Geek
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This article may contain affiliate links in which we receive a commission if you make a purchase.
Here’s my list
Geezer Butler
Berry Oakley,
Phil Leah
John Entwistle
Cliff Burton
Les Claypool? Flea? Cliff Burton? Geezer Butler? All of them are better candidates than McCartney…
You have seriously forgot about the bass players from The GAP band The Isley Brothers and the funk group Slave not to mention Bootsy Collins.. Paul McCartney can’t touch any of those
What’s with all the hate on Paul?
Les Claypool from Primus is number 1 and ain’t no one even close to what this guy can do.
This sucks, these are all bassists from back in the day. Their standards aren’t the same as today’s standards. There are many bassists today that are better than the ones on this list. Not saying they are bad but I think your list is incorrect.
Agree with several about Geezer and John Paul Jones. Paul McCartney? No way. Flea is better choice!
Not a horrible list at all. Very interesting list! But there are others that arguably could be on the list. But I must say without a doubt they belong on that list. Being a music theory basist myself. I have to say Jaco is one of the best I’ve ever heard and that is what his peers said about him..
No top five list without Tommy Shannon can be correct. Listen to any Stevie Ray or Johnny Winter music.
I think that Steve Harris of Iron Maiden,Cliff Burton of Metallica,Tom Araya of Slayer are some of the best bass players in Rock history. Gene Simmons of KISS lays down some good bass rhythm and I would recommend Pete Rizzi of Who On Earth lays down some good bass lines. I like the list of bass players mentioned in this article. I really enjoyed reading this article and I want to read more about some music history. Rock Steady.
I unfortunately left out one of the best bass players. Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath
That group to me is the read sheet music group best bass players are improv jam anytime with out looking at a sheet Play with anyone any style only person is Mr Jameson I got to go with , but the rest, Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten,Bootsy Collins Louis Johnson, Larry Graham Geddy Lee
What? No Jack Bruce? Ridiculous!
To all of the ignorant comments saying Paul McCartney isn’t that great of a bass player and shouldn’t be on top bass player ists,
In this PDF file of several chapters from the book The Beatles And Their Revolutionary Bass Player by bass player Dennis Alstrand,he explains that Paul’ McCartney’s bass playing was already first rate in 1961 only months after he learned to play it which he got stuck with because John and George didn’t want to play it, and he was not a bad bass player by 1963 and you can hear on The Beatles 1963 and 1964 recordings and live playing that he was already very good even on such primitive,limited sound systems with no feedback monitors so they couldn’t even hear themselves singing and playing yet they still sang and played great and in sync with each other anyway.
And very limited,primitive recording technology recording technology and many people said this about his bass playing too in reviews of the remastered The Beatles Live At The Hollywood Bowl album and I could hear this too just from 3 minutes of samples on amazon.com. Many people also said you can hear George Harrison’s great guitar playing,Ringo’s great underrated drumming,and John Lennon’s great underrated rhythm guitar playing, and Paul became a great bass player starting on The Beatles late 1965 Rubber Soul album.
http://dennisalstrand.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Sample-The-Beatles-and-their-Revolutionary-Bass-Player.pdf
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/best-bassists-in-music/
100 Greatest Bass Players Of All Time Bass Player Magazine, Paul McCartney is # 3.
https://www.bassplayer.com/artists/the-100-greatest-bass-players-of-all-time
Paste Magazine The 10 Best Rock Bassists Of All Time Paul McCartney is # 2.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/11/the-10-best-rock-bassists-of-all-time.html
Music Radar The 50 Best Bassists Of All Time Paul McCartney Paul McCartney is # 11 John Paul Jones is # 13.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/11/the-10-best-rock-bassists-of-all-time.html
Atlantic Institute Of Music And Media 15 Best Bass Guitarists Of All Time Paul McCartney is # 1.
https://www.aimm.edu/blog/15-best-bass-guitarists
LA Weekly The 20 Best Bassists Of All Time Paul Mccartney is # 9
https://www.laweekly.com/music/the-20-best-bassists-of-all-time-5505433
Rolling Stone Readers Pick The Top Ten Bassists Of All Time,Paul McCartney is # 3
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/rolling-stone-readers-pick-the-top-ten-bassists-of-all-time-10325/2-flea-103314/
And on the site DigitalDreamdoor where many musicians are members, On their 100 Greatest Rock Bass Guitarists Paul McCartney has been number 8 for many years now, John Deacon is number 32.John Paul Jones is number 21,and Bill Wyman is number 95.
http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_bassguitar.html
Here is what Sting,Stanley Clarke,Billy Sheehan, Will Lee, John Lennon, and George Martin,say about what a great melodic and influential bass player Paul has always been.
http://www.macca-central.com/macca-archives/evolutionplaying.htm
THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK BASS PLAYING;McCARTNEY STYLE
Relative obscurity for a while. ’64/’65 were not banner years for the development of rock bass playing. As always, his playing was tasteful and right in the … And Wilco’s John Stirratt was asked in Bass Player in February 2005 which bass players have had the most impact on his playing and the first thing he said was, Paul McCartney is one of the greatest bass players of all time,if you listen to what he was tracking live in the studio it’s unbelievable.” “With his tone and musicality he was a huge influence,he covered all of his harmonic responsibilities really well but his baselines were absolutely melodic and inventive.”
http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/15716769/windy-city-wingman-john-stirratt-lays-roots-wilco
And here in this 2010 interview he says he’s always absolutely in awe of Paul’s bass playing including during The Beatles years.
http://audreeanne.blogspot.com/2010/02/interview-wilcos-john-stirratt-talk.html
Audio Ink Radio: Interview: Wilco’s John Stirratt talks melody audreeanne.blogspot.com Wilco bass player and founding member John Stirratt has an affinity for good melodies, so it makes sense Paul McCartney is one of his musical icons. Here is a great online article by musician and song writer Peter Cross,The Beatles Are The Most Creative Band Of All Time and he says that many musicians besides him recognize Paul as one of the best bass guitar players ever.
He too says that John and Paul are the greatest song composers and that to say that John and Paul are among 2 of the greatest singers in rock and roll is to state the obvious,and that John,Paul and George were all excellent guitarists and that George is underrated by people not educated about music but that Eric Clapton knew better,he also says that both John and Paul played great leads as well as innovative rhythm tracks.
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Beatles-are-the-Most-Creative-Band-of-All-Time&id=222245
The Beatles are the Most Creative Band of All Time The Beatles phenomenon went way beyond any kind of stardom that had ever been seen before because of their creative songwriting abilities, their musical abilities and …
https://www.musicradar.com/news/bass/paul-mccartneys-12-greatest-beatles-bass-performances-509352
The 50 Best Bassists Of All Time Paul mcCartney is number 11
https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-30-best-bassists-of-all-time
Here is a video interview Geddy Lee praising Paul McCartney’s bass playing,he says he’s a huge fan of his bass lines including in The Beatles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BgrGhzD7qI
Geddy Lee On Paul McCartney’s Influence On His Bass Playing
To all of the ignorant comments saying Paul McCartney isn’t that great of a bass player and shouldn’t be on top bass player lists,
In this PDF file of several chapters from the book The Beatles And Their Revolutionary Bass Player by bass player Dennis Alstrand,he explains that Paul’ McCartney’s bass playing was already first rate in 1961 only months after he learned to play it which he got stuck with because John and George didn’t want to play it, and he was not a bad bass player by 1963 and you can hear on The Beatles 1963 and 1964 recordings and live playing that he was already very good even on such primitive,limited sound systems with no feedback monitors so they couldn’t even hear themselves singing and playing yet they still sang and played great and in sync with each other anyway.
And very limited,primitive recording technology recording technology and many people said this about his bass playing too in reviews of the remastered The Beatles Live At The Hollywood Bowl album and I could hear this too just from 3 minutes of samples on amazon.com. Many people also said you can hear George Harrison’s great guitar playing,Ringo’s great underrated drumming,and John Lennon’s great underrated rhythm guitar playing, and Paul became a great bass player starting on The Beatles late 1965 Rubber Soul album.
http://dennisalstrand.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Sample-The-Beatles-and-their-Revolutionary-Bass-Player.pdf
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/best-bassists-in-music/
100 Greatest Bass Players Of All Time Bass Player Magazine, Paul McCartney is # 3.
https://www.bassplayer.com/artists/the-100-greatest-bass-players-of-all-time
Paste Magazine The 10 Best Rock Bassists Of All Time Paul McCartney is # 2.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/11/the-10-best-rock-bassists-of-all-time.html
Music Radar The 50 Best Bassists Of All Time Paul McCartney Paul McCartney is # 11 John Paul Jones is # 13.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/11/the-10-best-rock-bassists-of-all-time.html
Atlantic Institute Of Music And Media 15 Best Bass Guitarists Of All Time Paul McCartney is # 1.
https://www.aimm.edu/blog/15-best-bass-guitarists
LA Weekly The 20 Best Bassists Of All Time Paul Mccartney is # 9
https://www.laweekly.com/music/the-20-best-bassists-of-all-time-5505433
Rolling Stone Readers Pick The Top Ten Bassists Of All Time,Paul McCartney is # 3
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/rolling-stone-readers-pick-the-top-ten-bassists-of-all-time-10325/2-flea-103314/
And on the site DigitalDreamdoor where many musicians are members, On their 100 Greatest Rock Bass Guitarists Paul McCartney has been number 8 for many years now, John Deacon is number 32.John Paul Jones is number 21,and Bill Wyman is number 95.
http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_bassguitar.html
To all of the ignorant comments saying Paul McCartney isn’t that great of a bass player and shouldn’t be on top bass player ist
Here is what Sting,Stanley Clarke,Billy Sheehan, Will Lee, John Lennon, and George Martin,say about what a great melodic and influential bass player Paul has always been.
http://www.macca-central.com/macca-archives/evolutionplaying.htm
THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK BASS PLAYING;McCARTNEY STYLE
Relative obscurity for a while. ’64/’65 were not banner years for the development of rock bass playing. As always, his playing was tasteful and right in the … And Wilco’s John Stirratt was asked in Bass Player in February 2005 which bass players have had the most impact on his playing and the first thing he said was, Paul McCartney is one of the greatest bass players of all time,if you listen to what he was tracking live in the studio it’s unbelievable.” “With his tone and musicality he was a huge influence,he covered all of his harmonic responsibilities really well but his baselines were absolutely melodic and inventive.”
http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/15716769/windy-city-wingman-john-stirratt-lays-roots-wilco
And here in this 2010 interview he says he’s always absolutely in awe of Paul’s bass playing including during The Beatles years.
http://audreeanne.blogspot.com/2010/02/interview-wilcos-john-stirratt-talk.html
Audio Ink Radio: Interview: Wilco’s John Stirratt talks melody audreeanne.blogspot.com Wilco bass player and founding member John Stirratt has an affinity for good melodies, so it makes sense Paul McCartney is one of his musical icons. Here is a great online article by musician and song writer Peter Cross,The Beatles Are The Most Creative Band Of All Time and he says that many musicians besides him recognize Paul as one of the best bass guitar players ever.
He too says that John and Paul are the greatest song composers and that to say that John and Paul are among 2 of the greatest singers in rock and roll is to state the obvious,and that John,Paul and George were all excellent guitarists and that George is underrated by people not educated about music but that Eric Clapton knew better,he also says that both John and Paul played great leads as well as innovative rhythm tracks.
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Beatles-are-the-Most-Creative-Band-of-All-Time&id=222245
The Beatles are the Most Creative Band of All Time The Beatles phenomenon went way beyond any kind of stardom that had ever been seen before because of their creative songwriting abilities, their musical abilities and …
https://www.musicradar.com/news/bass/paul-mccartneys-12-greatest-beatles-bass-performances-509352
The 50 Best Bassists Of All Time Paul mcCartney is number 11
https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-30-best-bassists-of-all-time
Here is a video interview Geddy Lee praising Paul McCartney’s bass playing,he says he’s a huge fan of his bass lines including in The Beatles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BgrGhzD7qI
Geddy Lee On Paul McCartney’s Influence On His Bass Playing
12 Of Paul McCartney’s Greatest Baselines Ever his 1963 Great Rock n Roll Song I Saw Her Standing There Is Included
One of the greatest songwriters of all-time also helped write the book on rock and roll bass guitar.
This great article by DJ Ken Dashow from classic rock radio station Q104.3 very accurately says in the description of The Beatles 1963 live performance of Paul’s great rocking song I Saw Her Standing There,that Paul was already a killer bassist by the time the band broke through in America,his line from I Saw Her Standing There positively cooks with rock n roll walking bass excitement!
https://q1043.iheart.com/featured/ken-dashow/content/2017-06-19-12-of-paul-mccartneys-greatest-bass-lines-ever/#
My personal favorite bass players
Glenn Cornick
Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond
David Goodier
John Entwistle