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This is the archive for 29 January 2007

Monday, January 29, 2007

James Jamerson (January 29, 1936 - August 2, 1983) was an American musician. He was the uncredited bassist on most of Motown Records' hits in the 1960s and early 1970s, and he has become regarded as one of the most influential electric bass players in modern music history. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

Biography
A native of Edisto Island (near Charleston), South Carolina, Jamerson moved with his mother to Detroit, Michigan in 1954. He learned to play the double bass at Northwestern High School, and he soon began playing in Detroit area blues and jazz clubs.

Watch James Jamerson play bass with Marvin Gaye on the songs What's Goin' On and What's Happening Brother?, free from youtube.com.