MAY 2017 BUDDY 13 2017 TEXAS BASS TORNADOS The introduction of musical amplification added a special di- mension for the bassist: presence, that “oomph” you can feel as well as hear. No longer was the bassist consigned to the musical shad- ows. This new punch gave the bassist a way to cut through even the loudest hot-dogging guitarist. The guitarist might catch your ear, but the bassist can actually touch you. They can use that presence in many ways, from a teasing nudge to an irresistible groove, from a snaky walking bassline to a power- ful window-rattling roar. If the guitarist’s musical contributions are cerebral, those of the bassist are visceral. The power to generate a musical pulse gives the bass player a sensual role. Nonetheless, today’s bassist still labors in obscurity compared with their more glamorous six-stringed (or more) bandmates. Even BUDDY Texas Tornado honors, which be- gan in 1978, didn’t include bass- ists until 1981 (Dusty Hill and Steve Williams), and since then, most of our Texas Tornado induc- tions have had bassists and guitar- ists in the same issue. But just as we did in May 1998, BUDDY wants to recognize these bot- tom-line players in their own is- sue. The Lone Star State has pro- duced many notable bassists in every genre. Congratulations to the new crop of Buddy Texas Tornado inductees – may they spank their planks– ’til the cows come home. —Chuck Flores Jerry Abrams BORN IN KENTUCKY, JERRY Abrams can recall the exact date he moved to Texas, it was Au- gust 16, 1977. While the move itself might have been signifi- cant, it may be the fact that it was the same day Elvis died that etched it into his long-term memory. Abrams has been faith- fully holding down the bottom line for multiple artists over years in the Texas Music scene. Tommy Alverson — both on tour and in the studio; working on five albums and spending eight years on the road. He’s recorded and played with numerous Texas standouts including Ed Burleson, Houston Marchman, Terry Rasor and Amos Staggs. Since 2012, Abrams has been the bass player for Jason Eady, and worked on the April release of his self-titled album, Jason Eady. It’s the kind of music perfectly suited for Abrams’ playing style and a stand-up bass, which is as fluid, melodic and steady as anyone in the craft. In the atomic structure of a song, there’s a rhythm section con- tinuously holding the nucleus to- gether. When you start messing with the nucleus, things get really bad really quick. Accomplished bass players like Jerry Abrams have a nuanced understanding of their craft. Abrams explains, “I enjoy the creative part of supporting the song first and foremost, that’s the most important job of a rhythm section.” Asked to define his own style, Abrams describes it metaphysically, “I try to channel Bob Moore’s style of playing upright when it comes to country music. I also try to ap- proach the electric bass like I would an upright bass by using as many open notes and space to let the music breathe. Melodic musical bass lines are the most important in my book.” Abrams has a pretty stark set up for both his stage and studio work. Most notable is his 1960 blonde Kay upright bass; he also uses a custom Glendale “Dreamcaster” 1950’s style P-Bass; a 1973 Fender Blackguard Tele bass; and a silver sparkle Danelectro bass. The plugged-in lows are pushed out of an Ampeg classic 4x10 and an Ampeg B4 SVT head. Aram Doroff ARAM DOROFF PLAYED HIS first paying gig when he was 14. His bass guitar heroes were the classic studio bassists of the ’60s and ’70s – Carol Kaye, Joe Osborn, and of course, Chuck Rainey. The discipline and versatility of these legendary players illustrated to Aram that chops; however im- pressive, are never more important than the song itself. Thus, he de- scribed his playing approach — Always serve the song first; Sup- port the artist you’re backing; Lock in with the Drummer; Have big ears and listen to what being played around you, Be prepared, learn the material. The inspiration led him to ma- jor in music at Columbus State University and then to study at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA. As a touring musician he trav- eled much of the US and several countries. “He’s one of the most gifted bass players I’ve ever played with,” enthused head Stratoblaster and DIGF main man, Jimmy Wallace. “He is the “official bass player” of the Dallas International Guitar Fes- tival. He (along with Mike Gage, DIGF mainstay on drums) backs up everyone who comes in without their band, from Robben Ford Sonny Landruth, Derek St. Holmes, George Lynch, and on and on. He’s simply the best!” “Since becoming the house bassist for the DIGF, I’ve been able to play a wide variety of musical styles on the highest of levels.” Aram said. “It’s challenging and requires a lot of preparation. My skills as a chart writer have definitely improved, as has my ear.” His instruments of choice: Fender Jazz and Precision Basses, Music man Stingray bass and Vin- tage Bluesman basses. His endorse- ments are with Vintage Bluesman and Aguilar Amplification Ed Grundy ED GRUNDY’S MUSICAL CA- reer spans some 54 years and began in his seventh grade band playing snare drum. He soon took up 6-string guitar under the guidance of his cousin Nick Tay- lor and continued until he was as a bassist. In 1965 they became The Crowd. They also performed at “Teen A GoGo” and other KFJZ sponsored local events. The Crowd was signed by Capital Records and released “Mary Ann Regrets.” In 1967 the band added Lee Pickens and Stevie Hill. This line up continued until discovered by Grand Funk Railroad producer Terry Knight, became Bloodrock and signed by Capital Records. Bloodrock released seven stu- dio albums, a double live album, several compilation projects and 17 singles. The second album, Bloodrock II, contained the hit “DOA” and was certified Gold; sell- ing more than 500,000 copies. After the Live release, Jim Rutledge and Lee Pickens left to pursue solo careers. The group added Warren Ham to a line up consisting of Stevie Hill, Nick Tay- lor, Rick Cobb and Ed Grundy. The group recorded three more studio albums with Bill Ham and Matt Betton eventually replacing Taylor and Cobb. Grundy co-produced the last three Bloodrock albums along with Peter Granet and Bob Pickering. Grundy’s songwriting credits in- clude writing or co-writing 14 tracks on Bloodrock’s first 4 al- bums. After Bloodrock, Ed Grundy took a break from music to pursue a career as a registered respiratory therapist; eventually earning a Master’s degree and teaching at El Centro College. He never strayed far from mu- sic, playing bass in local bands or participating in jam sessions or benefits in DFW area clubs. In 2005 Bloodrock reunited for a reunion concert to benefit keyboardist Stevie Hill who was stricken with leuke- mia. For the past seven years Grundy was a member of Will O Creek. Grundy recently joined The Mark Ballew Band. The veteran lineup features Mark Ballew, Bobbie Epps, Shelley Hall, Mark Lawrence and Randy Rietz. The band is cur- rently in rehearsal preparing to support the release of Mark Ballew’s new CD Casual Glance, later this year. Grundy’s primary bass is a 4 string Schecter Stiletto. He also plays a Strenberger 6 string bass. His amp is Mark II Bass AMP with one 4x10 and one 1x15 cabs. He obtained one an Acoustic 360 rigs he played with Bloodrock and is in the process of restoring it now. “Cadillac” Johnson SINCE 1964, MICHAEL “Cadillac” Johnson has been lay- ing down the groove for some of the finest bands in Texas. Born in Houston, he began playing gui- tar at age 10, but at 14 switched to bass and began playing pro- fessionally. In 1969, he played bass for ZZ Top. It was his friend Billy Gibbons who bestowed his nickname by introducing him onstage as “The Cadillac of Bass Players”. Moving to Fort Worth in 1973, Cadillac joined Lou Ann Barton in her first band Rockola. He found a home of backing up Robert Ealey at his New Bluebird Nite Club. (He continued performing with Ealey until his death in 2006). At the Bluebird, he met Freddie Cisneros and they formed The Blasting Caps. In 2002, he was ordained and began a ministry focused on help- ing those battling addiction. In 2010 Johnson released a Gospel/ Blues CD with his band The Rev- elators titled Knee Bone Station Johnson has played for and shared stages with Lightnin’ Hopkins, Johnny Winter, Alan Haynes, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Kim Wilson, Doyle Bramhall Sr, Omar Dykes, Ray Sharpe, Holland K Smith, Buddy Whittington, Johnny Reno, Guthrie Kennard, Buddy Guy, BB King, Albert Collins, Cornell DuPree and many more. He currently plays for The Dylan Bishop Band. He remains a fixture of the DFW Blues scene. Not one to rest on the laurels of his extraordinary career, his motto remains “The Best Is Yet To Come.” Billy Gibbons said “Cadillac Johnson is part of our collective conscience of influences along with the Vaughan brothers Jimmy and Stevie, Doyle Bramhall I & II, Red Pharaoh, Doug Sahm, Johnny Win- ter, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and B.B. King.” Cadillac Johnson currently uses Genz Benz Streamliner 900 amp along with Aguilar 410 cabs. His electric basses are 1962 Kay Hol- low body and a 1992 Dan Electro Reissue both with black nylon strings, Fender 1951 Bass Reissue ( ’92 Jap) with LaBella James Jamerson Flatwound Strings, up- right Bass is a 1941 Kay M-1 with Lenzner Gut Strings, with Realist LifeLine pickup and a Fishman Pro Platinum EQ. Patrick Smith “MUSIC IS MY LIFE. I SPEND every day playing, teaching, do- ing studio work, rehearsing, or working on music in some other way. I have a bunch of cameras and I make videos for the bands that I play with and people hire me to work with their bands as well. I also play drums in a rock band named BadKid and we are currently working on an album.” Hardly the words of an under- achiever. Patrick Smith started out as gui- tar player, but after five frustrating years looking for the ‘right’ bass player, he took over the bass chair himself. “A lot of people that go from one instrument to the other say that the previous influenced the current. In my situation it was the opposite,” he explained. “The more I learned about bass the better I got at guitar. Bass came more naturally for me, and in turn it made the guitar make more sense.” After making the ‘switch,’ Patrick has kept himself busy, con- stantly exploring, learning and immersing himself in all things music. His is a combination of hu- mility, quiet confidence, a genuine passion for music and a seemingly boundless energy and joy. It’s not just his onstage appearance, the way he tosses his incredibly long locks back feverishly; it’s also the TRADITIONALLY, THE ROLE OF THE BASS- Tist has been to support and to glue together Tthe divergent elements of a musical group. Bridging the gap between beat and melody, the bassist reinforces the rhythmic underpinnings of the band’s sound, while at the same time fleshing out songs musically, whether by pushing the root of the chord, choosing the right harmonic voicing, or by coming up with the ideal bassline. Buddy Bass Texas Tornados announced Congratulations to the Class of 2017 Buddy Texas Tornados of Bass visceral approach to his job as bassman, attacking the blues forms with a more muscular, insistent groove. After an intense two-year stint with Lance Lopez, Patrick is now handlingthe blues chores as a full- time member of Jim Suhler & Mon- key Beat. They are currently book- ing a European tour for this Au- gust. Smith currently has three elec- tric basses (and an upright and two acoustic). His 1978 P Bass, a mid ’80s Japanese Squier Jazz Bass, and a 2014 Gibson EB Bass. He added that they all sound so different that sometimes uses a different one song to song. “My P Bass has a thick and heavy tone, the Jazz Bass is poppier and excellent for funky stuff, and the Gibson has a tone that allows it to just kind of stay out of the way of the other instruments. Also, the Gibson is a 5 string so it becomes my default for certain genres, like country music or playing at church.” Bill Whitbeck Bill Whitbeck was born in Wash- ington D.C. in 1956 but moved to La Porte, Texas in 1960. Bill started playing trombone in sixth grade, but switched to electric bass in eighth grade when all his buddies were playing six strings. He played in various bands around the Gulf Coast area until 1976 when he moved to San Marcos, Tx to play in a country dancehall band. Bill states that he learned a lot about music playing Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos and Gruene Hall. He also learned a lot hanging with the Ace in the Hole band, featuring George Strait. In 1995, he auditioned for a job playing bass for Robert Earl Keen and was hired for the job. His musical influences include McCartney, Jamerson, Jaco, Garry Tallent and many others. He sees his role in Robert Earl Keen’s band as support for the singer and the song and an alliance with the drum- mer. He’s played on all Keen’s records since then, starting with the #2 Live Dinner album. That would be a total of twelve albums. He’s mostly recorded with a 1983 Fender Pre- cision bass, 1966 Hofner and Englehardt upright. For live shows, he favors a Jerry Jones copy of a Danelectro Longhorn. Whitbeck has performed with Steve Marriott, John Lee Hooker, Flaco Jimenez, and George Strait. He has co-writ- ten with Robert Keen, Rodney Hayden, The Greencards, Fred Eaglesmith and others. A recent highlight for Bill Whitbeck, was playing in the Aus- tin City Limits house band during their Hall of Fame induction of Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson and B.B. King. ■ For many years, Abrams has been the steady bass presence for Jerry Abrams Aram Doroff Ed Grundy Bill Whitbeck Patrick Smith Cadillac Johnson