The 15 Greatest R&B Bassists Ever (1960–1980) — The Untold Stories

He was found drunk in a bar, carried into the studio, and recorded one of the most famous basslines in music history lying flat on his back. A teenager fired overnight by James Brown became one of funk's most legendary players. A bassist's mother's organ broke — and he accidentally invented slap bass trying to fill the silence. These are the true, deeply researched stories behind the fifteen greatest bassists in R&B history, the musicians who built the low end under nearly every soul and funk record you've ever loved. Every chart position, credit, and behind-the-scenes story in this video is pulled from verified sources — Billboard records, official biographies, and firsthand interviews with the musicians themselves. Featuring: James Jamerson, Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins, Verdine White, Duck Dunn, Chuck Rainey, Rocco Prestia, Louis Johnson, Anthony Jackson, Bob Babbitt, Jerry Jemmott, Wilton Felder, Nathan Watts, Doug Wimbish, and Ronald LaPread. 🔔 Subscribe to R&B Zoom for weekly deep dives into the greatest soul, funk, and R&B stories never told. Keywords greatest bassists of all time, R&B bass players, funk bass history, James Jamerson, Larry Graham slap bass, Bootsy Collins, Motown Funk Brothers, Verdine White Earth Wind and Fire, Duck Dunn Booker T MGs, Chuck Rainey session bassist, Rocco Prestia Tower of Power, Louis Johnson Thunder Thumbs, Anthony Jackson bassist, Bob Babbitt Motown, Jerry Jemmott, Nathan Watts Stevie Wonder, Doug Wimbish Sugar Hill, Ronald LaPread Commodores, funk bass technique, 70s soul music documentary — Cold Open & Intro Hook — #15 Ronald LaPread (Commodores) — #14 Doug Wimbish (Sugar Hill Records) — #13 Nathan Watts (Stevie Wonder) — #12 Wilton Felder (The Crusaders) — #11 Jerry Jemmott (Atlantic Records) — #10 Bob Babbitt (Funk Brothers) — #9 Anthony Jackson (Session Legend) — #8 Louis Johnson (Brothers Johnson) — #7 Rocco Prestia (Tower of Power) — #6 Chuck Rainey (Session Legend) — #5 Duck Dunn (Booker T. & the M.G.'s) — #4