By TD (63.57.6.65 - 63.57.6.65) on Monday, September 16, 2002 - 09:28 pm:

I was working at a hotel in Albany NewYork. The year was probably 1985. We had a new night club in the hotel- it was called Cahoots. The company actually had a corporate D.J, who was putting all of the music together for the grand opening.
I heard him play a Motown song and being kind of cockey with my Motown knowledge, I told him who sang the song and who wrote it.
He proceeded to ask me if I knew who James Jamerson and Benny Benjamin were? Of course I said I had no idea.
He told me that they were the main players in a group that was called the "Funk Brothers", and that they were the "Motown Sound"
He than told me that they were the ones who played on most of the Motown songs-especially James Jamerson.
I finally realized what the "Motown Sound" was all about. I started listening closer to the music-especially that big old familar bass of Jamerson.
Well I have been a huge fan of Jamerson ever since.
TD

By Gary Rosen (12.234.95.0 - 12.234.95.0) on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 04:13 am:

I can't remember exactly when I first heard Jamerson's name. But I remember reading an article in "Guitar Player" magazine in the mid-70s (no "Bass Player" yet) which interviewed several well-known bassists and asked them who their own favorite bass players were. No one was mentioned more often than Jamerson.

One of the people citing Jamerson was - Carol Kaye!!

- Gary Rosen

By Eli (152.163.189.167 - 152.163.189.167) on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 10:15 am:

I first heard mention of Jamerson by Jimmy Grant, a friend of mine who played guitar and tok up the bass because we did not have one in our little neighborhood band who were the "house band" litterally, in my house in North Philly and accompanied all of the "acts " who came through to "practice with Eli" This was around 1962. I think Pride and Joy was the first song that made me take notice .
I then heard a copious amount of talk of Jamerson from a bass player called Ralph Downs whom they nicknamed "motown" as he always tried to emulate that style but he overplayed.(too many notes)
I first heard of Babbitt through him also and when I met him at Tera Shirma in 1968 and actually played on a session with him I was flabberghasted!
Not long befor Jamerson passed, I ran in to him in the mens room at the uotdoor venue in Detroit ( I forgot the name of it) where all of the big acts play. He was with Aretha and I was there with the other act on the bill.

By Sue (63.85.105.9 - 63.85.105.9) on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 11:23 am:

I first heard James Jamerson's name when rocker Suzi Quatro was saying in an interview somewhere that he was her bass hero, was from Motown, and supposedly (my memory is fuzzy here) had given her bass lessons.

That last I may be remembering wrong, or she may have misspoken or been bragging, but she did talk him up as the greatest bass player ever, which piqued my youthful curiosity.

P.S. Bobby where did you live in North Philly? I lived on Hunting Park Ave. with my grandparents for abt three years ...

By Steve Litos (209.100.86.4 - 209.100.86.4) on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 01:45 pm:

Strange, but the very first time I heard of James
Jamerson was from a book, Billboard's #1 Hits which was published in 1985. James is mentioned in the page for "You Don't Have To Be A Star" & also he's mentioned for bringing Dennis Edwards to the attention of Motown in another listing.
After I started playing bass in 1990, I started to see his name more often(in magazines & interviews).

By Eli (64.12.96.230 - 64.12.96.230) on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 02:03 pm:

Sue,
I lived on the s.w. corner of 32nd and Diamond sts. one block from Fairmount Park and this was probably the greatest part of my life for all of my family was still around and I was constantly surrounded by an abundance of wonderful friends who would go on to shape my life and lead me down the path that eventually would introduce me to the commencement of what would become The Sound Of Philadelphia.

Eli

By john c (12.2.233.107 - 12.2.233.107) on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 03:14 pm:

I switched from guitar to bass about 8 years ago and began searching out bass players to emulate. I would read how bass players had been influenced by Motown so I asked my wife to get me Allan Slutsky's book/CD's for Christmas. That was my introduction to Jamerson and the best Christmas present ever. Thank you Dr. Licks!

By Sue (64.244.93.44 - 64.244.93.44) on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 03:28 pm:

Bobby,
Small world. My dad lived with his parents and grandparents on 30th Street before they moved to Hunting Park Ave. I used to go to sleep watching the Budweiser sign fizz over Broad Street.

Good old Fairmount Park!

By Brian Chin NYC (152.163.189.167 - 152.163.189.167) on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 08:45 pm:

First time I knew anything of Jamerson was probably, of all places, Rolling Stone, which ran a long, impeccable retrospective at the time of Motown's 10th Anniversary, when the RKO chain of stations ran the original "Motown Story" radio documentary. That five-disc set was more or less the beginning of my album collection. But, of course, none of the musicians were discussed in the documentary...for that part of it, the Rolling Stone piece filled in the gaps. I think that was part of the reason why I wanted to be a writer and reviewer, to put light on EVERYBODY who made the records I loved.

And I must second all the praise of SITSOM, which made all that astounding musicianship totally accessible to lay fans like myself. One of the greatest works of history ever, and as indispensible as the Motown Singles boxes themselves. I envy anyone who has yet to discover it on Amazon.com...but I warn you, better buy it when you have an entire weekend to spend with it. It will devour every second of waking time until the next time you have to go into work.

By john c (12.2.233.107 - 12.2.233.107) on Tuesday, September 17, 2002 - 09:05 pm:

Brian,

I couldn't put the book down until I finished it, and I will be probably be working on the transcriptions the rest of my life. And as good as the musicians/musicianship are on the CD's copying Jamerson lines, they only led me to the real thing which I found even better and more inspiring.

By Eli (152.163.189.167 - 152.163.189.167) on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 01:06 am:

Just a little addendum to the subject.
The first time that I heard the names Berry Gordy and Motown was thru a fellow named Robert Hightower who used to come and hang out at my house. This had to be around the time Bye Bye Baby came out as it was the very first Motown disc which I purchased. Way Over There was the next one shortly thereafter.
The way that he put it was that "there is this guy in Detroit named Berry Gordy who has a company called Motown and they are gonna be big!"
I had alreeady been aware of The Miracles and I did have Got a Job and Money and then I connected the "Gordy" on the Jackie Wilson records next.
I remember seeing Mary Wells on Bandstand at the time of The One Who Really Loves You and Dick Clark told her that he loved the arrangement and asked her where she recorded it and she said in a place caled Hitsville which was basically in a garage!! So I thought to myself..Hmmm...Hitsville..what a cool name!!

The first time I heard the name Lebaron Taylor was through my friend Ralph "Motown" Downs who played bass and it was with reference to I Wanna Testify and the bass line thereof which he was getting into although he overplayed somewhat.
I thought to myself.. Hmmmm....Lebaron, must be a nickname of a pimp type guy. Little did I know that I would be his friend and neighbor around eight years later!!! I was actually on a show at the Howard Theatre in DC when they were The Parliaments in 1968 and met them then.
Sometimes I amaze myself at recalling all of the things that I have done and I find it so hard to believe that it was in fact in this lifetime!!

But THE highlight of my life was when I met my main man Paulie 3 Shoes!!!

By larry (63.210.115.160 - 63.210.115.160) on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 02:11 am:

Who da phuck is Paulie 3 Shoes?

By KevGo (12.84.107.116 - 12.84.107.116) on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 02:46 am:

The first time I've heard of James Jamerson through a wonderful radio program in my hometown (Rochester, NY) called "The Glory That Was Grease" hosted by two "musicologists" Larry White and Dan Guilfoyle. Dan had a record collection big enough to fit into a warehouse. One night, they played tracks from the Choker Campbell/Earl Van Dyke LPs of instrumentals and Danny "schooled" me as far as who the Funk Bros were and the contributions of James Jamerson, the man who taught bass players everywhere how to "do their thang." James & the FB played on outside sessions as well for Golden World, Revilot and even Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Highter"

By Phillysoulman (64.12.96.230 - 64.12.96.230) on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 09:43 am:

I believe that the Chicago hookup cam via Sonny Sanders, a former satintone who went on to arrange and produce many famous Chicago sessions. Correct me if I am wrong.

By LTLFTC (12.245.225.79 - 12.245.225.79) on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 11:32 am:

The first time I heard the name "Jamerson" was in an interview with Duck Dunn in Hit Parader magazine when I was 12-13, around 1967. I was shocked that, basically , one guy played on all that stuff (this was probably pre-Babbitt). It never occurred to me that there was a regular studio band (like the MG's in Memphis) ; I figured every singer took their own band into the studio and that there must be a lot of awesome bassists around.
Steve K.

By Livonia Ken (136.1.1.33 - 136.1.1.33) on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 11:39 am:

Mr Eli,
The venue you were trying to remember was probably "Pine Knob" in Clarkston. It has since been renamed, for purely artistic reasons, I am sure, the DTE Energy Music Theater. The next biggest ampitheater in the area was probably Meadowbrook on the Oakland U. Campus in Rochester(still there, still called Meadowbrook AFAIK).

Regards,

By KevGo (12.84.109.56 - 12.84.109.56) on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 01:18 pm:

Eli/Phillysoulman:
You're right regarding Sonny Sanders. He was Brunswick's in-house arranger who brought Jamerson (as well as drummer "Pistol" Allen) into the Jackie Wilson "Higher & Higher." Sonny also co-wrote Aretha Franklin's "Angel" with Aretha's late sister Carolyn. Sonny's a legendary talent and is still active in Chicago.
KevGo

By mhc (172.138.135.122 - 172.138.135.122) on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 03:06 pm:

I don't remember where I first heard of James jamerson, but I first heard of Bob Babbitt from a part-time bassist named Dave Sweeney who worked a couple positions down from me on a snowmobile assembly line (in the Detroit area) during the early '70s. I was impressed to meet somebody who seemed to have inside knowledge, because info about the inner workings of Motown was hard to come by back then. He also confidently told me, "And you know how they get that bass sound, man? They blow it through an Acoustic (amp) and mic it." When in doubt, make something up, I guess..

By HW (68.37.217.106 - 68.37.217.106) on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 10:29 pm:

I first heard of James Jamerson from the original magazine article by Nelson George in Musician magazine summer 1983 that provided the name of the book by Dr. Licks that became a movie that will also become indispensable to those thirsty for the real deal. At the time the article was first published Jamerson died and I read Marshall Crenshaw's obit in Rolling Stone.

Today, with all the stuff I got in my office, my favorite framed item is a Jamerson poster Dr. Licks gave me when we first met a decade ago. It is there to remind me why and how I got in that office chair, and why I care to be there.

There are no coincidences... so let me close by saying that his week as the good Dr. Licks and I complete some work on the SITSOM soundtrack due out imminently, I was researching some old files and opened a worn manila envelope, something long forgotten. Inside was a copy of that first Musician article. And the obit, and a letter from Licks, and a photograph taken of the Funk Brothers with Hank Cosby taken just before Earl Van Dyke died. Even 20 years ago, I was being pointed toward the shadows...

With respect to the Funks, I remain,

Harry W.

By Vickie (205.188.208.135 - 205.188.208.135) on Thursday, September 19, 2002 - 12:36 am:

Harry,
Simply, wonderfully & beautifully said..

You have my highest repsects for the work that you do..And, yes there are no coincidences, you must follow where you are pointed..I look forward to the soundtrack and the movie so much...I hope it opens the doors for more stories to be told on the big screen..I am glad that Dr. Licks followed where he was pointed too


Vickie

By soulboy (213.105.224.5 - 213.105.224.5) on Friday, September 20, 2002 - 04:19 pm:

The my first ever insight into who was 'standing in the shadows of motown' came in 1979/80. I purchased a book 'the rolling stone - illustrated history of rock and roll' The section on motown mentions the following: Robert White,Benny Benjammin,Joe messina,Earl van Dyke,James giddons
and in particular Jamerson for his 'explosive bassline on 'ain't no mountain high enough. It actualy refers to the band as Earl van dyke and the soul brothers.
This book must have been one of the earliest recorded cases of the funk brothers getting some recognition by the music press,(allthough Jamerson was mentioned several times prior to that).I still have that book, allthough it is rather tattered and torn.

By TD (63.57.6.183 - 63.57.6.183) on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 02:49 pm:

Soulboy

Good story. You may have one of the first acknowledgement of Jamerson on bass.
TD

By SisDetroit (67.25.214.128 - 67.25.214.128) on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 04:59 pm:

I can't remember the first time I heard the name "James Jamerson". It was in the early 60's when my little brother put his horn down for the bass guitar in junior high. Since then the name has become a house hold name.

By John Lester (217.40.201.248 - 217.40.201.248) on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 05:45 pm:

Can I say that it was an article from Paul McCartney in the UK music newspaper New Musical Express in the 60's that first brought Benny Benjamin and James Jamerson to my attention.

The Beatles did Motown proud....as did our Dusty..

By Common (64.12.96.230 - 64.12.96.230) on Saturday, September 28, 2002 - 06:39 pm:

The first time I read about James Jamerson was either in a Motown book I bought in the eighties as a preteen. As a matter of fact, the book had a section especially for the Funk Brothers. I also read about him in Marvin's bio by David Ritz. He talked about how James "busy bass" was the backbone of the Motown Sound.

Peace!

By Sue (152.163.189.167 - 152.163.189.167) on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 01:32 am:

John,
I got to interview McCartney earlier this year, and when I asked him about Motown, the first name out of his mouth was "James Jamerson." Then "Smokey."

By Gary Rosen (12.234.95.0 - 12.234.95.0) on Sunday, September 29, 2002 - 03:38 am:

Guitar Player had a 2 1/2 page interview with Jamerson in June 1979. In the mid-80s Nelson George's Motown book "Where Did Our Love Go" had several pages on Jamerson and the Funk Brothers, including some great stories on Benny Benjamin's excuses for being late to sessions (like the circus animals got loose and caused a traffic jam - never mind that Benny didn't have a driver's license!). While I had heard the names of the musicians before (I knew of Earl van Dyke in the '60s from the Motown instrumental album), this was the first place I heard the name "Funk Brothers" for the whole band. These are the most extensive references to Jamerson I know of prior to Slutsky's great book.

- Gary Rosen

By TD (63.57.6.254 - 63.57.6.254) on Monday, September 30, 2002 - 11:18 pm:

WOW
Jamerson is tremendous on You Keep Me Hanging On on SITSOM c.d.
TD

By john c (12.2.233.107 - 12.2.233.107) on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 03:41 pm:

HW -

You have done a wonderful job with the reissues. Your last post was elegant and moving and got me to wondering how you came about to have this responsibility. Although, it's off the topic a little, I was wondering if you could share a little about yourself.

By HW (12.110.192.128 - 12.110.192.128) on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 06:45 pm:

if it's too off-topic for the room, john c can email me at harryweinger@yahoo.com

By SisDetroit (67.25.204.67 - 67.25.204.67) on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 06:49 pm:

It's not off the topic. Someone could make a thread for HW. "Please"

By Ralph (209.240.198.62 - 209.240.198.62) on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 10:11 pm:

Harry,
I think we would all be interested in a little of your background. I'm sure it's an interesting story. You have the respect of all the forum members.

By john c (12.81.193.247 - 12.81.193.247) on Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 03:07 am:

Harry,

Basically, I wanted to know:

How did you get such a cool job?

(and you're the perfect man for the job)

By TD (63.57.6.21 - 63.57.6.21) on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 02:56 pm:

HW

I too would like to know-who are you- we really want to know

TD