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!
@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.
WHAT AN AMAZING PRIVILEGE IF THIS IS TRUE! THEY HAD THE TIGHTEST HORN SECTION IN MUSIC!! PUNCHING THE HITS LIKE " You're Just the Right Size" "Get Happy" "Magic Bird of Fire" "Salsoul Rainbow" "Chicago Bus Stop" I become electrified when I hear anything about them--the background ladies who also had there own cuts! THAT IS your Dad on the bridge of "Your're Just the Right Size"? He and the rest of them the most horribly under paid musicians on earth! Thank you for sharing your Pops with us for all those years!! INCREDIBLE!! Just go listen to "Tangerine" is that him back there? I used to poor through the liner notes of those albums over an over . What a privilege it must have been to play with such a talented group! ok I have landed, i will be ok.
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.
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!
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?
@@M4u_433ug4 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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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."
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.
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,...
Well that made my morning a little brighter. Love Bakers playing. The “butter story” is that he would coat the strings and let them sit on a spare bass for a year. He would say that “ they’re still a little bright but useable”. That fill at the end of the chorus of “I’ll Be Around” is so great. Some of these songs are new to me. Gonna have to make a playlist.
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
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.
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...
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!
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
thank you so much for your incredible work sir. i am a 29 year old musician and bassist and you introducing me to these phenomenal icons i never even heard about, that you dont find information on that easily really means the world to me. Kudos !!
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! 🙏🏿🦁☀️
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".
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.
Never could get enough of Ronnie Baker on The Trammps "(Feel Like I've Been Livin') On The Dark Side Of The Moon." It starts off with complete control as found in r&b/disco of the time but at the speed and chops you might expect on jazz record. Re-discovering BHY product is still a joy to this day and I was a teenager digging all of this when it was new in the '70s. Thanks so much for the review and analysis, brother!
Love Ronnie Baker, especially with the Trammps. We dance to it all the time with our little grand man Playin’ ‘air base’ with toy dagger swords. Can’t even stop grooving to that phenomenal jam. 💞🔥🔥🔥
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.
Paul. Ronnie Baker had a huge influence on my bass playing. Long before there was TH-cam or the internet, it was often a mystery “who played what.” In this case, we knew the playing but not the player. Guys would ask me to play like “that Philly guy” or like that “Spinner’s guy.” God bless Ronnie Baker. Thanks for your excellent TH-cam episodes. Keep up the good work.
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!
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!!!!
He's one of my biggest influence's on my bass playing, my favorite songs he played on was his MFSB session's love has no time or place and morning tears sunin and funin and really all the music he played on
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
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.
As a bassist since 1980, YOU always teach me something new or turn me onto yet another bass hero (new to me) in every one of your excellent videos!! Thank you!!
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!!! 🤘🏽
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!
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."
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!
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.
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!
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
Wow. How did I get to be 63 years old and not know Ronnie Baker?Thank you for your enthusiastic attention to so many incredible musicians and their genius bass lines!
Your comment is a great example of the unfairness of musicians not being credited for their recording work. And certainly not getting writing credits. I am a bassist from that era and it was always a frustration wondering "who is that cat on _____???"
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.👍🎶🎸
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!!
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
Your knowledge is awesome,i got educated reading them liner notes.I’m 62 years old,and that was part of listening to any album.A lot of these sessions musicians don’t get enough credit.Thanks for your awesome channel!
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.
It takes an hour or more to watch one of these videos. Over and over again it's either, "Damn that's a great song, haven't heard it in a while, I have to listen to it all the way through!" or "Damn, I don't know that song I have to go check it out..." and you're down some amazing rabbit hole!
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.
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 !!!!
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.
There's so much to say about the incredible talent in PIR - anchored by BHY. Ronnie had some thunderous bass lines that you didn't even realize were thunder until you found yourself panting from the brilliance. Thanks for this PIR forever. MFSB best house band ever.
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.”
@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…👏🥂
WHAT AN AMAZING PRIVILEGE IF THIS IS TRUE! THEY HAD THE TIGHTEST HORN SECTION IN MUSIC!! PUNCHING THE HITS LIKE " You're Just the Right Size" "Get Happy" "Magic Bird of Fire" "Salsoul Rainbow" "Chicago Bus Stop" I become electrified when I hear anything about them--the background ladies who also had there own cuts! THAT IS your Dad on the bridge of "Your're Just the Right Size"? He and the rest of them the most horribly under paid musicians on earth! Thank you for sharing your Pops with us for all those years!! INCREDIBLE!! Just go listen to "Tangerine" is that him back there? I used to poor through the liner notes of those albums over an over . What a privilege it must have been to play with such a talented group! ok I have landed, i will be ok.
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.
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!
“I’ll be around” is simply the best popular music tune ever. And it never resolves! Thanks Ronnie Baker, and Paul for another great lesson.
One of my all time favorite bassists. The line in Bad Luck is just genius.
And not easy to play either.
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?
@@M4u_433ug4 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.
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.
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.
Man…. all these tunes are classic diamonds… his bass playing was part of the soundtrack of my life growing up in the 70’s.
I presume he's playing on "Doctor Love" my favorite of all disco tracks. Changed my life. Long live Ronnie Baker
I'm super glad that you made this video about Ronnie Baker.
The Baker, Harris, Young combination was sick!
One of my all time favorite fellow bassists. Bad Luck is my favorite track of his work. It’s so powerful and sonic.
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.
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.
That was absolutely amazing that tribute to my uncle Ronnie was absolutely amazing
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.
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."
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.
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,...
Well that made my morning a little brighter. Love Bakers playing. The “butter story” is that he would coat the strings and let them sit on a spare bass for a year. He would say that “ they’re still a little bright but useable”. That fill at the end of the chorus of “I’ll Be Around” is so great. Some of these songs are new to me. Gonna have to make a playlist.
Thank you for letting me know about Ronny Baker; a masterful bass player.
Very true. Didn't know about Ronnie Baker, but I know his great basslines, and grew up with them in their great songs. He was a great bassist.
I forgot just how much I love the song "I'll Be Around" Thank you for reminding me Paul
Thanks for this Bass history lesson. Now I have a name to go with those great bass lines!
One of my favorite bass players.He worked magic at Mfsb,and salsoul
At last !!!! A Ronnie Baker tribute !!! Thank you (I'm still struggling to play Bad Luck's bass intro decently !).
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
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.
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
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!
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ I think this is one of thee Most Important music channels on TH-cam Ever. Thank you Bruh❤
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.
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.
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.
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.
ABSOLUTE *LEGEND!*
thank you so much for your incredible work sir. i am a 29 year old musician and bassist and you introducing me to these phenomenal icons i never even heard about, that you dont find information on that easily really means the world to me. Kudos !!
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! 🙏🏿🦁☀️
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".
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.
Wonderful wonderful. These Philly Soul musicians are my heroes. The melodic generosity is staggering and heartwarming.
Big fan of Philly soul here. Great when you shine a light on an unsung hero.
Never could get enough of Ronnie Baker on The Trammps "(Feel Like I've Been Livin') On The Dark Side Of The Moon." It starts off with complete control as found in r&b/disco of the time but at the speed and chops you might expect on jazz record. Re-discovering BHY product is still a joy to this day and I was a teenager digging all of this when it was new in the '70s. Thanks so much for the review and analysis, brother!
You are so right! He deserves his place in history! Great video
Love Ronnie Baker, especially with the Trammps. We dance to it all the time with our little grand man Playin’ ‘air base’ with toy dagger swords. Can’t even stop grooving to that phenomenal jam. 💞🔥🔥🔥
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.
I've NEVER heard of this guy. I'm ashamed, since I knew like half these bass lines. He was AWESOME!
Paul. Ronnie Baker had a huge influence on my bass playing. Long before there was TH-cam or the internet, it was often a mystery “who played what.”
In this case, we knew the playing but not the player. Guys would ask me to play like “that Philly guy” or like that “Spinner’s guy.”
God bless Ronnie Baker.
Thanks for your excellent TH-cam episodes. Keep up the good work.
Interesting 🤔..
I never heard of him, until now.
But I have heard his work as a kid...
Thank you sir.
Your love of this fantastic music is contagious.
THANKS for your videos, greetings from France!
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!
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!!!!
My uncle Alan Felder told me a song he wrote for Honey and the Bees was the first 12” single. He also wrote 10 Percent song as well.
Thumbs up straight away even before I saw the video. If someone asked me who my all-time favorite bass player was, I'd say Ronnie Baker!
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.
As always... Best bass channel on You Tube
I danced and listened to all these tracks, over and over. I knew Baker played on some, but not all. Fabulous talent.
He's one of my biggest influence's on my bass playing, my favorite songs he played on was his MFSB session's love has no time or place and morning tears sunin and funin and really all the music he played on
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
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!
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.
He truly was one of the greats and he deserves so much more recognition, one of my favorite bass players ever..!
As a bassist since 1980, YOU always teach me something new or turn me onto yet another bass hero (new to me) in every one of your excellent videos!! Thank you!!
Ronnie Baker is definitely unsung.. and "Ten Percent" is one of my JAMS lol. Thank you.
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!!! 🤘🏽
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!
Father is David Beasley from The Ebony’s. Love how Philly is getting shine on my algorithm as of recent. Shout out Camden!
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."
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!
Great Job !!! I Would Of Never Known About Ronnie Baker. I Subscribed !!!
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!
Love it, Bassman! ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ is featured in Priscilla Queen of the Desert the musical. Tremendously funky!
I never knew the name Ronnie Baker and back then I used to read the liner notes religiously. Thanks for the insight, brother👍🏾
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.
This channel is such an education. Thank you 🎸
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!
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
Wow. How did I get to be 63 years old and not know Ronnie Baker?Thank you for your enthusiastic attention to so many incredible musicians and their genius bass lines!
Your comment is a great example of the unfairness of musicians not being credited for their recording work. And certainly not getting writing credits. I am a bassist from that era and it was always a frustration wondering "who is that cat on _____???"
Never knew who he was until now, these are so great bass lines
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.👍🎶🎸
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!!
COLD, COLD, COLD dude on BASS, coming from a Mr. James Jameson fan, out of DETROIT.As usual man you're bringing MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE.
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
Your knowledge is awesome,i got educated reading them liner notes.I’m 62 years old,and that was part of listening to any album.A lot of these sessions musicians don’t get enough credit.Thanks for your awesome channel!
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.
Wow! Mr. Baker is a music hero!
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.
It takes an hour or more to watch one of these videos. Over and over again it's either, "Damn that's a great song, haven't heard it in a while, I have to listen to it all the way through!" or "Damn, I don't know that song I have to go check it out..." and you're down some amazing rabbit hole!
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.
One of my all time favourite . Bad Luck, Disco Inferno are part of me, thank you Paul always super fun and instructional
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 !!!!
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.
Appreciate very much this compendium of Baker's master lines.
Best video yet. So much amazing stuff cam out of PI and I had no idea how integral Ronnie was to that!
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'm with you, man. Give credit where credit is obviously due!
There's so much to say about the incredible talent in PIR - anchored by BHY. Ronnie had some thunderous bass lines that you didn't even realize were thunder until you found yourself panting from the brilliance. Thanks for this PIR forever. MFSB best house band ever.