JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Bass and Drum Forum great female bass players?

I can only think of two:
Carol Kaye and Tina Weymouth. Who else should I check out?

Carol Kaye, certainly.

Tina Weymouth? Great. Female. Bass player. Tina is 2 of the 3.

Of course, I suppose it depends on how you define "great." I define it this way: if you took all the professional bass players in the world, a few of them would actually suck, some would be below average. By far the huge majority of them would be average. Some would be better than average, and a very few would be great. Tina Weymouth?

I have a funny first hand Tina Weymouth experience story.. but I probably better not post it on a public board.

Brian

Come on Brian, it's just us here

My adds are bluegrasser Missy Raines, she won IBMA bassist of the year http://www.missyraines.com/ Me'shell Nedegeocello, and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth.

You nailed my top 2 choices.
Kim Deal is a female bass player and a great songwriter, but not a great bass player, althtough she is the next one that comes to mind.

Hey Brian, since you have met Tina personally, does it affect how you think of her as a telented musician? I've often wondered if we tend to forget how skilled and talented people are if we work with them constantly, or know them on a different level than the average person. Maybe that's a topic for another post.

See female drummer thread...Rinse and repeat.

I think my direct experience with Tina would not change my opinion of her bass playing either way. Carol Kaye is one of the great seminal bass players in pop music history. Check out her credits and they are beyond belief for a musician that few non musicians are familiar with. I don't think Tina really fits in the same discussion as Carol. I think Tina would agree.

Brian

The bass lines on "The Good Thing" ALONE absolutely seal her as one of the all-time greats (male or female) in my book. Funky and melodic and inventive and flat-out cool. I loves me some Tina.

Funny, Bob. I agree.

Kim Deal! Gail Ann Dorsey!

I have to disagree, kim deal is great female bass player. In my opinion, it's not always about playing the most "technical/complex" riffs. It's about how ther person puts it all together to make the bass unforgetable. Of course, this is all subjective (plus, Kim Deal is my fav. bass player, so I may be biased!).

Tina Weymouth.
But there was a gal band called Vixen that could hold their own on all the instruments with any guy band.
And also L7.

Matt

Bob and Truman,

Actually there's one thing that makes this VERY different from the female drum thread. The inclusion of a player who is easily one of the top ten all time bassists. Carol Kaye may have recorded more hits than any other bassist...ever...if not, there's certainly no more than two bassists who've beat her statistics. Check out her website: www.CarolKaye.com

I know Im late on this subject but just in case anyone is paying attention still.... one of my favorite bass players period is a female. Check her out.... http://www.meshell.com/ ..... Meshell Ndegeocello. She's got some real chops. Even if you don't like the tunes you have to respect what she can do. Love her!

Hey Paul,

She's great, I mentioned her in passing earlier in the thread. Welcome, Mr. Ears, thanks for stopping by.

The thing that puzzles me is that there are no women joining in the discussion. On the female drummer thread, I tried to get some women mad enough to respond. The only one who got mad, responded once then disappeared Well, that's show biz.

Mike

How about Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth)?
She needs to be pretty insane to keep up with all the shenanagins and alternate tunings going on in that band.

Hey Mike, I like the way that you handled the "mad" one on the other thread. Very classy and tactful. She should have read the complete thread to know that you were kidding like the other women who responded did. Ben

Thanks Ben,

I've hired several female drummers, and hired a female bass player back in the early 70's, Judy Hauff, she was a fine bass player and harmony singer, used to be with the band Rotary Connection that had a hit with the Stones' cover "Ruby Tuesday" a few years previously.

I've found that when I get angry while reading a post, I need to step back, take a deep breath, and read it again slowly before I post a response. Often I'll find that it wasn't what I originally thought it was, just some "percieved" transgression that was really something innocent or written in jest.

Folks with a life-consuming agenda seem to be intolerant of humor at their agenda's expense. Actually, I find that to be pretty funny.

All the Best,
Mike

Search up Tal Wilkenfeld in youtube, she has a myspace too. She is really really good, and used a sweet bass too.

I'm with y'all on Meshell Ndegeocello. She's got chops *and* imagination. She's been all over the place, genre-wise, and I haven't liked every direction she's taken, but I respect her for taking chances.

Hey Nancy, she's a formidable bassist. Excellent player!

srh, I'll go check them out right now....be right back....oh, and thanks, both, for posting here, welcome.

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WOW!!!!!!!! I'd have been back sooner, but I watched it twice. She's got great chops and she grooves deep. Here's a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRFkOrnds8I

Didn't White Zombie have a female bass player?

I think so , Tom, she had a man's name, but I can't remember it. Anybody know?

Sean Yseult.

You should check out Kira Roessler of late Black Flag and DOS, with her friend (and ex hubby) Mike Watt of The Minutemen.

Well, she may not be the greatest Bass player but I love her Here's a video of my 14 year old daughters' band: The Wicked Peaches Live! She's on the right side wearing black with a black bass in the shadows. LOL.

Who was that great looking and great playing female base player that was playing of the PBS Great performances "Crossroads" concert with Eric Clapton. She was playing with Jeff Beck. Is that her father? She was better than good- She solo-ed in the middle of a rather strange Jeff Beck composition.

That's the gal srh mentioned a few posts back, Tal Winkenfeld.

That's the gal srh mentioned a few posts back, Tal Winkenfeld.

Tal

Found this gal the other day.

It's happening. Women have been culturally oppressed (all my jokes aside...heck...jokesters these days are culturally oppressed ). More and more women are joining the once male dominated ranks of the best musicians in the world. They'll do it on bass, they'll do it on drums, on guitar, everything, except heavyweight boxing, and who knows? Maybe someday.....

Josephone Wiggs. She was the bass player in The Breeders for the splash album. In other words, she played bass on "Cannonball" - enuff said

Also, a few names not listed already spring to mind:
Donna Dresch (Team Dresch)
Jennifer Finch (L7)
Janis Tanaka (L7, Pink)

O.k, here goes..brand me a sexist pig. This thread is entitled "great"female bass players..I've yet to see one that fits the bill. {In other words not ONE that can compare with
GeddySquireEntwistleJacoBootsyFleaJonesMcartneyDunbar.

As far as "great" goes, you have to define great. I think it narrows the list down to one (maybe two):
Carol Kaye - being great doesn't mean being able to play super fast (like what we typically use as a gauge to consider "great guitarists"), but playing what's right for the part tastefully. Carol wins hands down on this category. And she's probably been on more recordings than anyone on your list of greats.

The second one I'd consider as great is a relative newcomer, Tal Wilkenfeld - who has been dropping jaws with her proficiency. She accompanied Jeff Beck at the 2007 Crossroads festival, and I think we'll be seeing and hearing a LOT more from her in the near future. And she can shred if she wants to.

+2.. Carol Kaye, no question, and all the bass greats we listed would probably agree. And that Tal is astonishing...can't wait to see what she will do as the years fly by.

And, I'd still include Missy and Meshell in that list.

Kind of you, Bob, but I'm nowhere near those guys, just a working stiff thumper.

Who's that tiny bald lady that plays with David Bowie?

She's fierce!

Tiny Bald Lady?

I know, there are so many tiny bald lady bass players, if Cozmicslop hadn't mentioned David Bowie, I'd have never figured out who he meant.

M'shell N'dege Ochello
(Did I spell that right?)

She pretty much kills.