# Ever Been A Succesful Pop/Rock Music Act With A Solo Bassist/Vocalist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132 "2010-11-10T02:04:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/1 "2010-11-10T02:04:55Z")
See OP title. I could think of a lot of one-guy-and-a-guitar/piano acts. But . . . ?? ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/2 "2010-11-10T02:14:43Z")
I saw a bass player put on an hour long solo set and keep a crowd totally enthralled. He was/is a big time jazz player but I’m blanking on the name. This would have been late 80s-early 90s. Not sure if it would go over mainstream. I saw him at a seminar at a guitar show. ---
**Author:** ![I-VI-ii-V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@I-VI-ii-V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I-VI-ii-V)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/3 "2010-11-10T02:57:20Z")
[Esperanza Spalding](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanza_Spalding) and [Jay Leonart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Leonhart) are the two that came to mind. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/4 "2010-11-10T03:01:01Z")
The closest I can think of was [Back Door](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_Door_(jazz_trio)), which was bass/vocalist, saxophone, and drums. Bassist Colin Hodgkinson was the frontman of the group. Not a solo bass, and no vocalist, but Gravity was an all-tuba jazz group. It was formed by Howard Johnson, the go-to guy for rock and roll tuba (and I don’t mean that as a joke – he played with The Band, Taj Mahal, and Levon Helm, as well as leading the band on **Saturday Night Live** for many years). I’d think that, overall, the bass needs other instruments to work. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/5 "2010-11-10T07:48:48Z")
Cream, with Jack Bruce. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/6 "2010-11-10T08:14:56Z")
Bobby McFerrin? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/7 "2010-11-10T09:00:30Z")
[Are you still Hungry (for Stan’s Ham)?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGDsW1owr24&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/8 "2010-11-10T09:04:06Z")
That one Sailing on a Sea of Green (cheeze) Jelly, 90’s, Pac-West Bassist, that can half muff, boink, slap, and plug the bass like no other. Sings some pretyy silly songs. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/9 "2010-11-10T09:14:24Z")
Not Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who is currently pursuing his degree in Music(ology) from USC. Probably a sophomore by now… He might could on graduation form a band to llok out for… long ago. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/10 "2010-11-10T09:18:44Z")
Actually, he’s probably into his 3rd. and 4th. year right now. Does he have the credits, did he graduate on something new and important to the continuance and teachings of the Sonic Sciences? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/11 "2010-11-10T09:31:14Z")
Man, you sound pretty good right now. What time is it where you are? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/12 "2010-11-10T09:52:00Z")
Why I sittin’ here at 5 in the mornin’? You come around like it’s livin’ for the pimpin’. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/13 "2010-11-10T09:56:47Z")
Not Pop/Rock, and no vocals, but Michael Manring, by a long way the best bass player I have ever seen, has managed to create solo albums of “New Age” bass playing although he doesn’t consider himself a genre artist. [Here he is](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY4Ra2KOyas&feature=related) playing in someone’s lounge room on the Hyperbass he helped to invent. [This](http://www.manthing.com/Manthing/home.html) is his website. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/14 "2010-11-10T10:27:01Z")
> [@Sam\_A.Robrin](#): > > Cream, with Jack Bruce. I’m pretty sure Cream had a guitarist. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/15 "2010-11-10T10:40:49Z")
I can’t say I’ve ever been one… no. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/16 "2010-11-10T10:48:07Z")
Primus ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/17 "2010-11-10T10:51:55Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > That one Sailing on a Sea of Green (cheeze) Jelly, 90’s, Pac-West Bassist, that can half muff, boink, slap, and plug the bass like no other. Sings some pretyy silly songs. > [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > Primus Oh, Yea. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/18 "2010-11-10T10:56:34Z")
Dare I say that English chap, Phil Collins… his guitarist went another way, and was never quite as popularly successful. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/19 "2010-11-10T11:01:36Z")
A bassist was the fucked-uppinesss behind the Fleetwood Mac Cult. ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132/20 "2010-11-10T11:13:43Z")
Rob Wright from the Canadian band Nomeansno used to perform as Mr. Wrong, playing bass and singing with no accompaniment. > **[Nomeansno](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomeansno#Side_projects)** > > Nomeansno (sometimes stylized as NoMeansNo or spelled No Means No) was a Canadian punk rock band formed in Victoria, British Columbia and later relocated to Vancouver. They issued 11 albums, including a collaborative album with Jello Biafra, as well as numerous EPs and singles. Critic Martin Popoff described their music as "the mightiest merger between the hateful aggression of punk and the discipline of heavy metal." Nomeansno's distinct hardcore punk sound, complex instrumentation, and Forme... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-a-succesful-pop-rock-music-act-with-a-solo-bassist-vocalist/560132.md?page=2)