The Father of Disco Bass Playing: Ronnie Baker
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- Опубліковано 2 чер 2024
- #bass #basshistory #transcription #analysis #paulthompson
Digging into one of the great unsung bassists of Soul, Disco, and Popular music: Ronnie Baker. The longtime Philadelphia International Records bassist worked alongside Gamble & Huff, Thom Bell, and others to play bass on some of the most popular songs of the past 50 years, including music by The O'Jays, The Spinners, The Delfonics, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and many, many others.
In an amazing career that stretched across the 1970s, I'll pick my 10 favorite bass lines from his vast catalog, break down and play each one, and talk about why I think each one is great.
Don't miss this musical tribute and history lesson on one of the greatest bassists to play in the post-James Jamerson era!
00:00 Intro
01:53 #10 The O'Jays
02:37 #9 Cliff Nobles & Co.
03:24 #8 Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
04:21 #7 The Salsoul Orchestra
05:13 #6 The Trammps
06:17 #5 Billy Paul
07:31 #4 Wilson Pickett
08:35 #3 Motown?
09:34 #2 'Groove' Session
10:26 Honorable Mention
10:58 #1 The Spinners
12:08 Outro
Website: www.paulthompson.us
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Twitter @pdbass74
My father, Ed Cascarella, was a session Trombonist at Sigma sound in the late 60s/early 70’s and was in the Sal Soul Orchestra and MSFB. He was one of those “go to” musicians. I love this. Thank you for posting this video!
When I shared this video with my dad he exclaimed “Sugar Bear!” Apparently that was Ronnie’s nickname. Then he said “nice guy.”
Really engaging story! what's the meaning of "go to" musicians, refered to your father?
@@lorenzomanassero9199He was in the “house orchestra” of the recording studio that Sugar Bear called home. When there were recording sessions my dad and his colleagues were always used.
@@atonal_ascentI thought that Sugar Bear was the name of Michael Foreman, another Philly bass legend, who had some calls at Sigma Sound Studio.
Sal Soul Orchestra…that was my clickbait…👏🥂
You got me in tears bro. This is my generation of music. In researching this and other musicians, don't forget about the Philly/ Salsoul background singers; the Sweethearts of Sigma aka "the Sweeties. Carla Benson, Evette Benton and Barbara Ingram sang on almost every other song in the seventies for artist and groups both male and female. Including one of the most sampled songs;Keni Burkes Keep Risin' To The Top. They sang with just about every Philly and Salsoul artist. It's about time Ron Baker, Norman Harris, Earl Young and Bobbi Eli got their just due.
Thank you for your work bringing these gems to the foreground for our younger generation musicians. Many are about the flashy bussy licks and slap bass but dont know much about these groove and pocket geniuses.
that's why I subscribed to pdbass's channel....I hear A LOT of great music from places I never would have thought to looked
Extremely REAL TALK.
Exactly! I love funk, Larry Graham , Louis Johnson, but Bootsie Collins work with James Brown is outrageous! James Jameson , Duck Dunn and many more guys wrote the soundtrack to my youth. That’s bass playing.
Standing Ovation!!!. Imma just gonna start calling you Teacher, Giving these Giants their Flowers is the best. This is needed and much appreciated. Thank you!
One of my all time favorite bassists. The line in Bad Luck is just genius.
And not easy to play either.
Got a book "The R&B Bass Masters" by Ed Friedland with a cd. Baker is one of those profiled. Didn't know he was on so many grooves, vinyl singles I had as a kid. Great that you're giving him proper respects! Brilliant player. This is why History is so important. Thanks!
I totally agree. I was blessed to have played many of Ronnie Baker's basslines while Bassist for BILLY PAUL.....HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUENOTES.......SHARON PAIGE......& THE DELFONICS. The Late Great Ronnie Baker was ALWAYS one of my Bass Hero's. May he continue to Rest In Peace!
@@thegreatestbassistAppreciation. Proper Respects
Thank you, RONNIE BAKER for doing your part to help tame mankind with your gift and talent. Your bass discography and musical contributions will continue to be the background soundtrack of our lives. Your legacy is sealed.
The Disco Inferno groove could play 24/7 and not wear out.
I’m from Phila Pa.. as a young songwriter I co-wrote Let’s Get it While it’s Hot..! recorded by Eddie Kendricks on Motown, Tamala lable..produced by Norman Harris… I’m confident Ronnie Baker played on that recording 1974-75..reggae feel via Philly Sound..
Man I would love to hear the stories about the sessions, the time put into making great music, how a riff from a guitar or bass is built into more great music, how the lyrics are developed, the engineering aspect all that! When you gonna get it for us?
HAIL!
Ronnie Baker was credited on both Eddie Kendricks Motown albums recorded in Philly!!
I always wanted to know who plays bass on 1977 Teddy Pendergras “The more I get, the more I want”. Is Ronnie the bass player on this track?
@@kctrade great question. The listed bass players on that album are Jimmy Williams and Sugar Bear Foreman. I don’t know which one played on that particular song!!
Years ago, Anthony Jackson wrote about Ronnie Baker in his column for Bass Player magazine. I was a teen during that era and played or, more accurately attempted to play many of these songs. Ronnie Baker was a genius level player who was as gifted as any other legend I can think of.
Golden! That intro to “Back Stabbers” alone is one of the greatest moments in music history.
Extremely powerful player who could also lay back and gently play with a light touch on ballads.
The Philly Soul era is a constant source of inspiration…
One of my all-time favorites. I took that music for granted at the time, assuming, I guess, that pop music would just keep getting better. At least we had it for a while, thank Gamble & Huff, yes, Ronnie Baker and all who contributed to that great sound and those good times.
One of my all time favorite fellow bassists. Bad Luck is my favorite track of his work. It’s so powerful and sonic.
I'm super glad that you made this video about Ronnie Baker.
The Baker, Harris, Young combination was sick!
I was blessed to have played many of Ronnie Baker's basslines while Bassist for BILLY PAUL.....HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUENOTES.......SHARON PAIGE......& THE DELFONICS. The Late Great Ronnie Baker was ALWAYS one of my Bass Hero's. May he continue to Rest In Peace!
For one bass player to another thank you so much 😢I I remember when I was in my teens trying to play all those bass lines especially I'll be there by The Spinners my favorite bass line may he rest in peace God bless him
Thank you for doing this tribute to Ronnie Baker. I danced to so many of these and other Baker songs as a teen in the 70s. He is definitely under-rated and under-appreciated.
Wow.. what a great legacy he left us. And only in his 40s when he passed away. I'm thankful for this guy, my life has had his soundtrack playing all through it. Respect to our brother who's gone on ahead.
One of my favorites of his is a track he did with the Salsoul Orchestra called "Tale of Two Cities." Plus he was also the second bass player behind Anthony Jackson on "For The Love Of Money."
At last !!!! A Ronnie Baker tribute !!! Thank you (I'm still struggling to play Bad Luck's bass intro decently !).
Everything Ronnie Baker made. And Baker, Harris, Young is best rhytm section ever. Almost 20 years I have heard their work regulary dayly on the radio stations,...
Wow. I used to hum the bass lines to Disco Inferno and I'll Be Around as a little kid in the 70s. Today I learned Ronnie Baker planted the first seed, my first influence to play bass
One of my all time favorites. He was truly innovative and his conviction is contagious.
Yep, Ronnie Baker. Remembering all those great tunes he played on. From MFSB to the Delfonics and beyond. Known about his bass playing since the 70's
Finally, a bass channel that is addressing Ronnie Baker... Needless to say, Ronnie Baker is my no.1 Best Bass player of all times... Blue Magic's The Oscar is one of my all time best bass playing on a ballad and other notable signers Lou Rawls, & Ronnie Dyson... And come to think of it, this morning, I went for a walk to the shop here in South Africa and (I tell you no lie), over a 100 meters, from where I was walking I could hear a bassline of song playing from one of the houses, of which, that's all I could hear of the song, and I immediately clicked, it was from 'Standing on the edge of a love affair'of Blue Magic (must have been the bridge part of the song at time I passed by) , and right there, God be my witness, I said to myself, like damn but Ronnie Baker was the baddest bass player ever...
SWEET STORY - People just ‘DON’T’ know…SMH
dude! I worked as a monitor engineer with most of these artists in the 90's, harold melvin(many timesand gamble/huff events) , spinners , o'jays all them,. Iwas house mon eng at philly's dell east. now just a bass player.
While listening to Baker’s line on “I Was Born This Way,” I was struck by how much it reminded me of the monster groove on Joe Tex’s 1977 hit “I Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)”. Both lines emphasize the ninth of the chord in exactly the same way. Also, the “dead string” P-bass tone on Joe Tex’s song is unmistakably Baker’s, but it never occurred to me to put two and two together until I watched your video. Thanks for yet another great presentation and please keep ‘em coming! 🙏🏿🦁☀️
Thanks for this Bass history lesson. Now I have a name to go with those great bass lines!
Thanks for this! I've noticed that when it comes to "popularity", a lot depends on whether there is some video footage or a large number of photos of a certain bassist. I haven't found any footage where you can see Ronnie playing. He should be mentioned alongside Jamerson, Rainey, Duck and many others.
Yes indeed!
There aren't a lot of Jamerson vids. But them Motown records speak for themselves.
@@thescatman5029 Correct! But the videos that are available are viral. Every bass player has seen them. Even a metalhead who doesn't listen to soul music has come across them on social media and knows who Jamerson is.
I forgot just how much I love the song "I'll Be Around" Thank you for reminding me Paul
Ronnie Baker has an extensive soul and funk discography, so many hits and masterpiece basslines, wow it's insane. I'm a big fan of everything related to Sigma Sound and the 70s Philly soulful scene. A lot of people assume Ron Baker played on all B-H-Y productions, but there's another incredible bass player who was recording for the same kind of grooves that are often mistaken for Ron Baker's : Mister James Lee Williams. He's properly credited on many records but, as it was common with recording credits at this time there's some confusion with both. James Williams even played on B-H-Y own records which is quite interesting, as well as being both credited on many records like "Love Committee - Low And Order". I don't know all the secrets and who really recorded what, but Ron Baker and James Williams [James Williams (10) on discogs] really had the same kind of groove like "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". I guess James Williams would deserve his own Top 10 Basslines video :-) Thanks for the great video PDBass!
Discogs has his credits mixed up with Jimmy Williams from Double Exposure. Jimmy is often one of the more underrated of the Philly musicians, very pivotal on those PIR basslines after Baker left MFSB!!
@@lcchill Yeah that's interesting too! That's a big mess :-) It probably comes from the fact people were calling James as Jimmy too. Jimmy, James and Ronnie Baker all have that particular groovy P Bass flat wounds sound, they all were recording at Sigma for the same artists and labels, and it's sometimes hard to know who played what especially when 2 bass players were credited on the same record. Tom Moulton wrote on a YT Loleatta Holloway video that Ronnie mostly played the more laidback grooves and James was more into the boogie/disco/funk thing. We came to a point we would need to ITW them or their families. Anyway, they all are incredible bass masters!
Also don't forget Michael "Sugar Bear" Foreman.
Brazil by the Ritchie Family is another Monster among many and thank you for this, I grew up in Philly and this brings back so many memories.
Every regional sound during this great time of recorded music is noted for the signature bass guitar riffs that drove the tunes. Jamerson at Motown, Duck at Stax, Chuck and Jerry at Atlantic, and so many others. Ronnie Baker and Jimmy Williams at Philly Int.
Keep in mind, the electric bass didn't really hit its stride until around the mid sixties. It began to emerge as a melodic voice in the early hits of Motown (Think My Girl) and never looked back to being relegated to just an harmonic voice, simply outlining the chords for the other melodic instruments in the ensemble.
I liked Ronnie Baker's subtle but unmistakable bass work on Joe Simon's 1971 hit "Drowning In The Sea Of Love". I think of this song as the first song that sounded like what think of when someone mentions the "Philadelphia Sound".
This video brought back to me the time I saw Wilson Pickett in the 1990s, very late career for him. It was in a club in suburban NJ and I had seen a lot of "nostalgia" acts and I had no expectations. Man ... oh ... man. That was one of the highest-energy shows I've ever seen. I have a lot of love for that dude, one of the best.
PD, thank you so much for this. As an Australian kid who grew up in the early '70's on a diet of philly soul (very popular on radio here) and who later became a bass player, I've just realized that it was Ronnie who played on a lot of the hits I loved so much as a kid. That laid back unmistakable soul groove. He's the man.
One of my favorite bass players.He worked magic at Mfsb,and salsoul
Interesting 🤔..
I never heard of him, until now.
But I have heard his work as a kid...
Thank you sir.
Wonderful wonderful. These Philly Soul musicians are my heroes. The melodic generosity is staggering and heartwarming.
Thank you for this information about Mr. Baker. I met him back in the day. Not many people know about him, but I did. He was one of my heroes. As a bassist his influence on my playing is in my playing just as much as Mr. Jamerson. Hands up to Ronnie Baker!
One of my absolute favourite bass players but hey let's not forget Jimmie Williams, how about a top ten of his best bass lines, love your work 🙂
I've NEVER heard of this guy. I'm ashamed, since I knew like half these bass lines. He was AWESOME!
One of my absolute favorite bass players, and some of my all-time favorite songs. The songs and grooves are as fresh as ever. What a legacy, yet so under appreciated and unknown to many. Thx for the great video.
BASS BASS BABY!!! It’s the main ingredient, think about it you don’t hear anyone say crank up the horns, nope it’s crank up THE BASS. And as MJ said don’t stop till you get enough!
Big fan of Philly soul here. Great when you shine a light on an unsung hero.
Your love of this fantastic music is contagious.
THANKS for your videos, greetings from France!
🙌🏾👏🏾🙌🏾👏🏾.....Thank u! Thank u! Thank u! Thank u! Bravo!
Love this! Glad to finally know the legendary bassist behind these incredible iconic songs - the peak of black music, loved by the world! Thank you for another incredible video!!! 🤘🏽
ONLY YOU could consistently out due your last video.. This is where highly entertaining meets exceedingly educational.. I left more informed than when I got here... Like I do every episode!!
I have alot of favorites but I’ll start off with “Bad Luck “! Every time i hear that bass line i want to start dancing. Paul thanks so much for sharing this highly valuable information regarding the genius of Mr. Ronnie Baker Rip!!
Also i wanted to mention that all of these enlightening music videos that has been presented are a soundtrack to my life. I’m 72 years old and i remember all of these songs that you have shared. You bring back good memories of when they were released.
Bless you Paul and take care ,love and peace to you and your family!!!!
One of the best bass player,all his bass lines are in the history now! MFSB and all the bands mentioned had such a great privilege to play with him.
You are so right! He deserves his place in history! Great video
Another great video. Baker’s work with the Salsoul Orchestra and related acts is where I first learned his name. Like many others have already mentioned, “Bad Luck” is at the top of list. Thank you for this video!
Ronnie, Norman, and Earl!!
He truly was one of the greats and he deserves so much more recognition, one of my favorite bass players ever..!
I danced and listened to all these tracks, over and over. I knew Baker played on some, but not all. Fabulous talent.
Once again another Banger from the Desk of Mr. Paul “PD Bass” Thompson!
All of these songs were on my parent’s turntable..Damn I had a real childhood!!
Bad Luck is my favorite..Hands Down
Bad Luck my all time favorite ❤
Ronnie Baker is definitely unsung.. and "Ten Percent" is one of my JAMS lol. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this rundown of Ronnie Baker. I’ve been a huge fan of the Philly Soul sound for ages and never appreciated his contributions until watching this video. What a legend and what a tragedy that he died so young.
Ronnie Baker played on two Eddie Kendricks Motown Albums. I think he also played on Motown Releases such as The Courtship such as "Love Ain't Love" and "It's The Same Old Love!!
Best era of American RnB… ❤️
I'm always the guy who read the album credits on who sang or played what on songs and albums. I simply love the history behind these undrrated greats ❤
That was absolutely amazing that tribute to my uncle Ronnie was absolutely amazing
Excellent, Paul! I know I’m not by myself when I say I wouldn’t have any idea who these great session bassists were if not for your diligent research. Thank you!
Wonderful to have a music educator (and bassist!) talk about music of this era. Fitting -- the bass lines couldn't be more prominent. Thank you!
I'm noticing a trend that after I see one of your lists that my iTunes library seems to grow by the same amount. Keep up the great work!
Wow! You brought back so many memories from my younger years. I had most of these albums and I remember always reading the album credits and seeing his name on many of them. Bad Luck is my favorite bass line as it is instantly recognizable. Gotta share this one.👍🎶🎸
Again this is the soundtrack of my youth...I advocate we call him Ronnie "Butter Bass" Baker !!
Thanks for another great episode: i knew many of those tunes but didn't know that one bass player was behind all those great basslines.
Yes! YEs! YES! Ronnie Baker! His grooves are LEGENDARY! Thanks PD as always, your taste is impeccable!
Thank you thank you thank you for “(Get Me Back On Time) Engine Number 9” - I could not “hear” those notes for love nor money. Of course, thank you as well for the transcriptions of all the bass lines in this video. And thanks, as always, for the history lessons and exposure of unsung heroes of bass from my wheelhouse, 1961 through 1979 and beyond.
pdbass, you done it again. Awesome tribute to this iconic bassist. There's so many great basslines Ronnie created, but one of my favorites is Jerry Butler's " Never Gonna Give You Up."
I never knew the name Ronnie Baker and back then I used to read the liner notes religiously. Thanks for the insight, brother👍🏾
Wow! Mr. Baker is a music hero!
My main influence, on bass, as well as (among many others); Bernard Edwards, Jamerson, Duck Dunn, Chuck Rainey (I love his work w/the Mizell Bros!) and Tyrone Brown (another Philly cat; Grover Washington, Jr's Locksmith band plus Max Roach!)
1. MFSB: 'Love is the Message.' In Brooklyn, NY, this joint ruled! This was THE Anthem!
2. Harold Melvin: 'Bad Luck' (you explained it!)
3. Ecstacy, Passion & Pain: 'Touch and Go' ("You claim to be my man, but you see me, when you can.....!")
4. The Whispers: "You're Only As Good As You Think You Are' (Earl Young was know for triplet drum licks on ballads. Baker, here, does the triplet bass intro!)
5. Double Exposure: 'My Love Is Free' (Best 4-on-4 bass/drum locking, ever!)
6. Loleatta Holloway: 'Hit And Run' (see 'My Love is Free'!)
7. Double Exposure: 'Ten Percent' (check the very end of this record. He lays a that dominant arpeggio that's the blueprint for Jimmy Williams's bassline, "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" intro)
8. Love Committee: 'Just As Long As I Got You' (this will get any deep house music party jumping!)
9. Harold Melvin: 'The Love I Lost' (Baker drives the song, backing up Mr. Teddy!)
10. Ojays: 'I Love Music' (The way Baker bursts into the song after Larry Washington's conga intro, with a bottom-heavy Fm groove!)
11. Harold Melvin: 'Don't Leave Me The Way' (you explained it!)
12. Robert Upchurch: 'The Devil Made Me Do It' (bass line is like a jazz scat!)
13. MFSB: 'Sexy' (Looks like this song was written around the bass. Sounds like another 'jazz scat' on bass!)
14. Ojay's: 'Time to Get Down' ("We'll take two chicken pot pies! LOL!)
15: Ojays: 'Put Your Hands Together' (Tell this generation of Fred Hammond fans to check the original! LOL!)
16. The Fantastic Johnny C: 'Waiting for the Rain' (Yeah, it's recorded 'out of tune,' and sounds 'dragged,' but who cares?)
Ballads:
Delfonics, 'Hey, Love' (One of Earl Young's first-triplet drum licks, with Baker locking with him)
Grady Tate, 'Let's Fall in Love Again' (triplet bass licks!)
Stylistics, 'Stop, Look, Listen' (Man, just a solid line! But check that 32nd-note lick before the verse!)
Major Harris: 'Love Won't Let Me Wait'
The whole freekin' Ojay's ballad list from the Back Stabbers, Ship Ahoy, Survival and Family Reunion albums
The mainstream: Disco Inferno and Love Train
Pardon the excessive list. I'll chop it down, if requested.....!
I've enjoyed your channel for a long time now. Bass is the best!
Another banger!, had me snapping my neck the whole way through. Appreciate you man!!!
Great video as usual mate. One of my fave bass lines is "Let's groove", on the Arche Bell & the Drells album "Dance your trobles away",, also...check out the album he recorded in 1974 with bass giant Monk Montgomery " Reality". It's a masterpiece, you need it. Stay classy, ciao.
I love your enthusiasm.
More gold standard education on those great, great players. What they do!
And the icing on the cake is your playing!
I've played music for a living for almost 30 years and every video I watch from this cat just shows me how uneducated I am haha. Love it. More power to you.
Love it, Bassman! ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ is featured in Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical. Tremendously funky!
Paul, your videos are absolute gems. So many of these amazing session musicians were ignored on credits and never got the limelight they deserved during their lives. I thought the reason I wanted to play bass was because of Jamerson (and it was definitely one reason, I grew up on Motown), but there are so many incredible lines from musicians like Ronnie and I just never knew their names. Thank you for passing on the torch and sharing their stories!
Bravo!! Great hommage to Ronnie Baker! He had that Precision flatwound thump that drove those sometimes simplistic eighth note patterns with such urgency! When he threw in a little syncopation, it was just ridiculous as you said. The Sound Of Philadelphia theme by MFSB is all that. He could`ve played a lot more but he stuck to that unmistakable, driving eighth note pattern.
Wow. Thank you for this. I was aware of Mr. Baker, and Harris and Young as producers, collectively and individually. Also there work with MFSB and Salsoul and Philly in general, but had no idea he had that much input. I always presumed that they where following precise direction of the producer and arranger.
Thank you for this
GREAT VIDEO !! I FIRST LEARNED OF BAKER IN AN OLD (AND TOO SHORT LIVED) ANTHONY JACKSON ARTICLE IN ONE OF THE EARLY BASS PLAYER MAGAZINES. IT'S OBVIOUS THAT JACKSON HAD ENORMOUS ADMIRATION AND RESPECT FOR BAKER. JACKSON WAS WITH BILLY PAUL WHEN HEY FIRST MET. HE WAS A FAN FROM THE GET-GO. IT'S OBVIOUS FROM THIS VIDEO WHY THIS WAS SO !!! THANKS, PAUL !!!!
Mr Baker was truly ahead of his time. Bad luck I’ll be around disco Inferno, my favorites. Miss you, Mr. Baker. God bless you.
Hey pd. Awesome video again. I have played and cherished that I’ll be around song for many decades now. It’s one of my favorite songs. I never knew it was from baker. Thank you for this information. Now I know why I love the sound of my p bass with flats so much because of these song. It’s a name I won’t forget now. Greetings
I swear I think my mom and dad had another kid they never told me about because you are my musical soul brother. Great job again and thanks for what you create PT ❤
My man 🙏🏽
My favorite bass player! Unfortunately gone too soon, but Ronnie Baker recorded so many great songs with so many wonderful artists that his legacy is probably incomparable except I think to James Jamerson's. Thank you for posting this video! I was just playing along with some of my Trammps fave songs when Inthought I'd do a little aeatch on the man and came across this. It had to be you, brother. Thank you indeed.
Thank you!!! Awesome job here as always!!!
I still have the "T.S.O.P" box set. Ronnie was cutting up. It was before my time but it was some of the best music I was listening to during the summer of 1999.
Ronnie Baker was a beast🎸🔥
Thank you so much. It took me over an hour to work through this video as I stopped to learn each piece. Keep ‘em coming.
Awesome presentation 👏!
I'm so glad you brought this excellent musician's work to the light for all to see.
One of my favorites is K-Jee. So simple but so groovin'. Thank you for spotlighting a player I should'a known all along.
as smokin as K-Jee is you can't even single out on instrument. Everyone was cookin on that song right down to lenny pakula on the organ fade out...
@@gtizzle7606I totally agree. They work so well together. I love the whole album Universal Love, and another great tune off that album is Sexy
My Mood is smoothed out in all its loveliness. You can't go wrong with the legendary (RIP) Sigma Sound engineer Joe Tarsia behind the boards@@DaddyBooneDon
@@gtizzle7606 yeah, I love My Mood too
Thank you 🙏🏿 very informative.
Great video ! Thanks for sharing! Do a video on Scott Edwards of Stevie wonders band and later bassist for so many amazing records. He’s even lesser known than Ronnie baker
❤ Damn I thought I had heard of all the greats this guy's playing was amazing.