Jim Roberts

HOW THE FENDER BASS CHANGED THE WORLD. Jim Roberts.

How the Fender Bass Changed the World
Series: Book
Publisher: Backbeat Books
Format: Softcover
Author: Jim Roberts

This book by the founding editor and former publisher of Bass Player magazine not only celebrates the 50-year history of Fender's revolutionary Precision Bass, it also – for the first time – illuminates the full scope of its profound impact on music and society. Focusing on the bass' artistic influence, it details the technical milestones that gave the bass its musical power. This book also describes the impact of the bass in the hands of such visionaries as James Jamerson; cheers the innovations of rockers like Jack Bruce, Paul McCartney, John Entwistle and Sting; and honors the inspired work of such virtuosos as Jaco Pastorius. Loaded with black & white and 100 stunning color photos.

Inventory #HL 00330737
ISBN: 9780879306304
UPC: 073999307375
Publisher Code: 0879306300
Width: 8.5"
Length: 11.0"
208 pages

The initial inspiration for this book came when Nicky Orta and Matt Bonelli invited me to give a lecture at their 1993 Jazz Bass Conference in Miami, Florida. Not knowing what to talk about, I began to consider the largely unchronided history of the electric bass. The outline I developed for that lecture was later expanded in a series of Bass Player magazine columns published in 1998; they became the starting point for this book.
For the most part this is a book of analysis and opinion, not primary history, so I'm grateful to all of the writers whose hard work has contributed to my knowledge of musical instruments and the musicians who play them. They're all listed in Sources, but lowe special thanks to Chris Jisi, Richard R. Smith, Mikael Jansson, Allan Slutsky, and Tom Wheeler. Special thanks also to Christian Fabian, who contacted me with the story of Leo Fender's 1952 meeting with Lionel Hampton, and Dan Lakin of Lakland Basses,who heard me give a short talk about the electric bass at a trade-show event and said, "Hey, Jim, why don't you write a book?" And, of course, lowe a great deal to the staff of Bass Player, past and present, and to the folks at Backbeat Books, especially Matt Kelsey and Dorothy Cox. As a bass historian, I must acknowledge all of the help I have gotten from my colleague Tony Bacon. We've swapped information about the electric bass for years, and our ongoing dialogue has greatly enhanced my understanding of the development of the instrument. We've also had some memorable Italian dinners together in the unlikely locale of Frankfurt, Germany. Tony is unfailingly witty and gracious, and I am indebted to him in many ways. Many thanks to Tom Wheeler, Chris Jisi, and my wife, Susan Strahosky, for reading the manuscript and offering dozens of good suggestions for improving the material. I shudder to think what this book might have ...

Table of Contents
Foreword by Marcus Miller
Overture
Chapter 1: Long Before Leo
Chapter 2: Just Before Leo
Chapter 3: A Bass Is Born
Chapter 4: Butterflies & Basses
Chapter 5: Jail Break
Chapter 6: Ride the Wild Bass
Chapter 7: Carol & Joe
Chapter 8: St. James
Chapter 9: All You Need Is Bass
Chapter 10: The Big Boing
Chapter 11: S.F. Giants
Chapter 12: Jack It Up
Chapter 13: Thumbslingers
Chapter 14: The World's Greatest Bass Player
Chapter 15: Battleships & B Strings
Chapter 16: Dance, Dance, Dance
Chapter 17: Miles Ahead
Chapter 18: Forward Into the Past
Finale
Sources
Photo Credits
Index