# Let's list all of the Bass Player Lead Singers in Rock n' Roll? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 26, 2004, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214 "2004-10-26T08:47:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/1 "2004-10-26T08:47:21Z")
I’ll start the ball rolling. Off the top of my head I’ve got: [ul] [li]Paul McCartney[/li][li]Jack Bruce[/li][li]Nick Lowe[/li][li]Aimee Mann[/li][/ul] I’m sure I’ll come up with more, and I know I can count on you folks to fill out a complete list. ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/2 "2004-10-26T08:57:31Z")
Sting Justin Curry - Del Amitri Geddy Lee - Rush Lemmy - Motorhead Roger Waters - Pink Floyd Stu Ward - Persistence ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/3 "2004-10-26T09:01:04Z")
> [@Made in Macau](#): > > Sting :smack: D’oh! Don’t know how I missed that one! I’ll add: George Porter Jr. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/4 "2004-10-26T09:04:53Z")
Les Claypool - Primus _et al_ ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/5 "2004-10-26T09:44:08Z")
Tom Arrayo off Slayer Aimee Mann is a bassist? I thought she played guitar. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/6 "2004-10-26T09:58:44Z")
> [@paulberserker](#): > > Aimee Mann is a bassist? I thought she played guitar. Since she’s gone solo she alternates between Bass and Guitar. Each time I’ve seen her live she’s played Bass on about half the songs. On the albums it’s about the same. But she was definitely the Bass Player while she fronted Til Tuesay. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/7 "2004-10-26T10:07:54Z")
Greg Lake - Emerson, Lake and Palmer A whole slew for King Crimson: Greg Lake again, Boz Burrell (horrible), John Wetton and a couple of other less important ones. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/8 "2004-10-26T10:09:15Z")
Oh, and Lee Jackson from The Nice. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/9 "2004-10-26T10:22:01Z")
Phil Lynott - Thin Lizzy Mark King - Level 42 Er, my mind has gone blank, there are loads more. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/10 "2004-10-26T11:32:03Z")
Peter Cetera - Chicago ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/11 "2004-10-26T12:02:46Z")
Robbie Takac - Goo Goo Dolls ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/12 "2004-10-26T13:16:01Z")
Steve Kilbey (The Church) ---
**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/13 "2004-10-26T13:24:43Z")
Mike Mills of REM occasionaly sings lead vocals. Obviously he’s not _the_ lead singer, so I guess counting him is a bit iffy. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/14 "2004-10-26T13:26:16Z")
Most of the best ones have been listed already, but there’s still… Glenn Hughes (later version of Deep Purple, among other bands) Tony Lewis (the Outfield) Randy Meisner & Timothy B. Schmit (Eagles) Benjamin Orr (the Cars) Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) Kip Winger (Winger) I know that Brian WIlson played other instruments besides bass, and I know Meisner & Schmit shared vocal duties with several other guys… but I think they still count. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/15 "2004-10-26T13:28:03Z")
Oh, and Gene Simmons sings lead on a lot of Kiss songs. And Michael Steele provided some of the Bangles’ vocals. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/16 "2004-10-26T13:30:36Z")
Rats! Someone said Brian Wilson. He’s the reason my husband plays bass and the reason my son’s middle name is Wilson. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/17 "2004-10-26T14:44:42Z")
Michael Been of The Call That’s all I’ve got where **the** lead singer is the bass player, but if you’re counting bands whose bass player sings lead on some of the songs: John Lodge of The Moody Blues Colin Moulding of XTC Ben Orr of The Cars Michael Steele of The Bangles (oops—I see **astorian** beat me to it) John Munson of Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic ---
**Author:** ![AndyPolley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@AndyPolley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyPolley)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/18 "2004-10-26T15:19:16Z")
I’d like to add Doug Pennick of King’s X (He sings about 80% of the leads) and my favorite, the late great Mark Sandman of Morphine. Never heard of [Morphine?](http://www.morphine3.com/n_index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Sayid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jack\_Sayid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Sayid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/19 "2004-10-26T16:03:03Z")
Phil Lesh - The Grateful Dead Mike Gordon - Phish 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Sayid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jack\_Sayid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Sayid)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214/20 "2004-10-26T16:04:54Z")
Heh, just noticed that you were looking for _Lead_ singers. Oh well, they do sing…sometimes 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-list-all-of-the-bass-player-lead-singers-in-rock-n-roll/271214.md?page=2)