By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 06:12 pm:

We all know something of Jamerson and Babbitt, but there were lots of other Motown bassists - Tweed Beard of legend, Nate East who was on the SITSOM picture and also played with certain well known west coast types. Tony Newton came to the UK on the first Motortown Revue to pass this way. Who else was the bottom of the class in the class where the bottom was tops? And who has recollections to share with SD?

By Wonder B (81.249.168.106) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 07:18 pm:

Tony NEWTON...???? I don't know why but I never made the connection with Motown....
I bought a solo LP by this guy and it was called 'Mysticism & Romance'... But it had very little to do with Motown TOO...

Wonder B

By johneflat (205.188.117.14) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 10:41 pm:

That bass player from SITSOM was Nate WATTS, wasn't it?

By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Sunday, April 04, 2004 - 05:59 am:

I think I need to download some more memory from somewhere, John. You're right of course.

By Mike S (195.93.34.12) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 06:50 am:

Wasn't Tony Newton involved in Invictus/Hot Wax sessions? He certainly played on later Lamont Dozier solo albums.

By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 02:15 pm:

I didn't know that, Mike (either bit). There's not much info on Tony about that I've seen.

By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 02:22 pm:

Just found this great website with some history on Tony:http://www.novastarinteractive.com/NewtonMusic/

By STUBASS (206.135.204.254) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 02:30 pm:

HEY GUYS!!!...JUST PEEKING IN AND SAW YOU TALKING ABOUT MY OLD FRIEND TONY NEWTON!!!...TONY WAS MY BASS MENTOR AFTER MEETING HIM IN THE EARLY 60'S WHEN I WAS ABOUT 14!!!...HE HAD BEEN PLAYING FOR AND TRAVELLING WITH SMOKEY ROBINSON AND DOING OTHER EARLY MOTOWN SESSIONS!!!...YEARS LATER...I RAN INTO TONY AND HE INVITED ME OVER TO HIS HOUSE EAST OF LIVERNOIS WHICH HE WAS SHARING WITH MANY OF HIS THEN BANDMATES FROM THE GROUP 8TH DAY!!!...THEY WERE LIVING AND PRACTICING IN THIS PAD!!!...WHEN I MOVED TO L.A. IN THE EARLY 80'S...I HOOKED UP WITH TONY AND HE WAS QUITE HELPFUL IN ALLOWING ME TO USE HIS RECORDING EQUIPTMENT AT HIS APARTMENT TO DO SOME VOICE DEMOS!!!...HE WAS DOING A LOT OF SYNTH STUFF (NEW MODE) AND NOT REALLY PLAYING MUCH BASS!!!...TONY IS A GREAT GUY AND I'M PLEASED TO CALL HIM A FRIEND!!!...GOTTA RUN!!!...STU

By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 02:50 pm:

Thanks for that, Stu. Great to hear from you. Come back to us soon. We miss you.

By STUBASS (206.135.204.254) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 06:17 pm:

THANKS DAVE...JUST KICKIN IT!!!...BY THE WAY...DON'T FORGET MOTOWN BASSISTS CHUCK RAINEY...FREDDIE (READY FREDDIE) WASHINGTON...AND EDDIE WATKINS JR...WHO AMONG OTHER TUNES DID THAT AWESOME LINE ON "IF THERES A CURE FOR THIS"!!!...BACK TO THE GOLF...SOME BUDDIES HITTING VARIOUS TOURS INCLUDING UCLA ALUM J.T. KOHUT WHOS HEADED FOR THE NATIONWIDE (FORMERLY NIKE) TOUR!!!...BY THE WAY...CONGRATULATIONS PHIL MICKELSON!!!...STUBASS

By STUBASS (206.135.204.254) on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 - 06:29 pm:

BY THE WAY DAVE...SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY I PICKED UP A PROTEGE OF SORTS..."YOUNG STUBASS"...A YOUNG DUDE OUT OF NEW YORK VIA TORONTO...STEWART BROOKS!!!...YOUNG STUBASS WAS A SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT AT THE RENOWNED BERKLEE SCHOOL OF MUSIC...AND HAS BEEN WORKING WITH SOME GROUPS INCLUDING A BANMD CALLED "TOPAZ...WHICH WAS THE BACKING BAND FOR BOB MARLEYS WAILERS!!!...THIS 23 YEAR OLD PHENOM ALSO ARRANGED AND PLAYED ON AN AMERICAN MUSIC AWARD WINNING TUNE...AND HAS WORKED OUT HERE IN L.A. WITH JEFF POE...NEW AGE PRODUCER/MIXER (SANTANA AND MANY MORE RECENT HUGE PROJECTS)...STUBASS IS PROUD TO HAVE THIS YOUNG GUN SHARING HIS MONIKER!!!...STU(OFTEN IMITATED/NEVER DUPLICATED)BASS

By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 12:12 pm:

Two Stubasses - that's something to ponder.

By dvdmike (65.208.234.61) on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 01:14 pm:

I remember having a conversation with Nathan East and he spoke very highly of Nathan Watts.

By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 01:56 pm:

Both great players, dvdmike. My memory is more like Nathan Jones - it's been gone too long.

By STUBASS (64.12.117.14) on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 02:10 pm:

HEY DAVE!!!...GOOD LINK TO TONY...I'VE MADE CONTACT!!!...GOOD TO SEE HIM DOING MORE BASS WORK...THE GUY CAN REALLY PLAY!!!...ASK HIM ABOUT THE RENOUNED "NEWTON" BASS WHICH HE HAD NAMED AFTER HIM AND WAS SELLING OUT OF A MUSIC SHOP ON LIVERNOIS (OWNED I THINK BY A GUY NAMED DICK WILSON)!!!...HE WAS TRYING TO HOOK ME UP...AND PERHAPS HAD STUBASS CHOSEN TO PLAY A NEWTON INSTEAD OF A FENDER...THAT BASS COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY GONE DOWN IN HISTORY RIGHT ALONGSIDE LEOS AXES!!!...AS FOR "YOUNG STUBASS"...HE JUST HAD A TOUR CANCELLED...SO HE TELLS ME HE'S LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FOR THE SUMMER...SO LONG AS HE STAYS AWAY FROM AUTOMOBILES!!!...STU

By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 05:11 pm:

Hey Stu:

I just tested a Honda for my motoring column and lo it was good. No influences on my decision there.

I've got a lot of questions for Tony when he gets out of that studio. A question for you in the meantime. Do you or Bruce have any contact with Doris or the Van Dyke family? I really would like to make contact with a view to a book about Earl.

Meanwhile, a golfing tip: It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. I'll go quiet now.

By STUBASS (64.12.117.14) on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 05:26 pm:

FIGURES YOU'D MAKE THAT COMMENT DAVE...SINCE I'M ON MY WAY TO THE GOLF COURSE RIGHT NOW!!!...AS FOR EARL VAN DYKE...I DOUBT BRUCE HAS HAD MUCH CONTACT WITH THE VAN DYKE FAMILY...BUT I'M NOT SURE...I'LL ASK!!!...AS YOU MAY KNOW...BRUCE HIRED EARL AND ROBERT WHITE TO TOUR WITH PAUL ANKAS ROAD GROUP AS THE MOTOWN THING WAS WINDING DOWN!!!...BRUCE LOVED EARLS DISTINCTIVE STYLE OF PLAYING!!!...BRUCE HAS HAD A LOT OF CONTACT WITH LAMONT DOZIER RECENTLY SINCE HE WAS ASKED TO WORK WITH LAMONTS SON BO ON A CURRENT PROJECT OVER AT WARNER BROS. BRUCE ALSO SAW MANY OLD FRIENDS AT THE MOTOWN 45 TAPING...AND SHARED A SECTION OF JERRYS DELI IN WOODLAND HILLS WITH SMOKEY AFTER THE SHOW AND DID A LOT OF REDMINISCING...INCLUDING TALKING ABOUT OUR OLD NEIGHBORHOOD IN DETROIT WHICH BRUCE VISITED A COUPLE OF YEARS BACK ON A TRIP TO DETROIT!!!...GOTTA JUMP IN MY S2000 NOW...TRYING OUT A NEW 15-DEGREE TITANIUM 3 WOOD!!!...TAKE CARE...STU

By BankHouseDave (195.93.34.12) on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 06:30 pm:

Thanks for that, Stu. Yes, it was the Anka connection that made me ask. You take care.