James Jamerson (1936-1983)

Image Source: Experimento69 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Full Name: James Lee Jamerson

Style

• Motown
• Soul
• R&B
• Funk

Gear:

• Double bass
• Fender Precision Basses, including:
  • “Black Beauty”
  • “The Funk Machine”
• Fender Bass V
• Hagström 8 string
• Strings: La Bella heavy gauge flatwound
• Amplifier: Ampeg B-15 or Kustom (depending on venue)

Notable Songs:

• Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
• My Guy by Mary Wells
• You Can’t Hurry Love by The Supremes

Bands:

• Largely unaccredited for Motown Records
• Funk Brothers
• Played/Recorded with several musicians including (but not limited to):
  • Marvin Gaye
  • Smokey Robinson
  • Stevie Wonder
  • The Temptations
  • Aretha Franklin
  • Glady Knight & The Pips
  • The Supremes
  • Joan Baez
  • Mary Wells

Want to know more?

•  A biography by Ed Hogan
• Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson A bass guitar instructional book
• A video of Bob Babbitt’s Induction of James Jamerson into the Fender Hall of Fame