Then Jamerson comes out of nowhere, and then starts do [hums fast staccato pulsing Motown lick] do ba doopa doopa doopa do ba doopa da do do do. He completely invented the vocabulary of this new instrument, and made it a virtuoso position, instead of just a foundation position, with all those syncopations, and all this incredible feel that none of these other converted upright bassists had. He opened up the possibility of what the instrument could do to the rest of the world, and then all of a sudden, everybody's copying his lines, making hits, and they have no idea who this guy is.
And it ate him up--that's what killed him.
Aside from the Motown hits, he'd hear hits from other producers, other record companies, and they were using his bass lines, and his ideas. Not only did he not get anything for it, but nobody even knew it was him! And it just ate at him.
Ed: One thing I was really surprised at from reading your book, which I don't know if the film makes clear, is that Jamerson did play on some big sessions when he got in L.A.
Allan: Oh yeah. He went out there, and he was his worst enemy. He could have done a lot more than he did, but his drinking was out of control by that time, and the contractors didn't want to deal with him. He was very headstrong, and easily offended, and if you didn't like what he was doing, it was trouble.
His demise was a combination of a lot of things, but he had his moment, but its rewards weren't given to him in his lifetime.
Ed: Jamerson obviously changed the bass from its oompah background to a more melodic 8th and 16th note sound. How did he invent his style?
Allan: That's kind of like asking how Coltrane or Hendrix...you can point to stylistic things like his blues and jazz background, but there are people in the world who are just touched. Different people influence music in lots of ways. And there's a kind of a smooth curve where they take the music in a different direction. But every once in a while, you get a guy who's a sharp right angle, like Hendrix and Coltrane, and Jamerson. They're just touched by God, and with what they do, music completely makes a 90 degree turn.
What's Next?
Ed: What's next on your agenda?
Allan: Well, basically, just to tour with these guys for the next two years, let have some fun, let them make some money, and let them go out like winners. They were always winners in their heads, but it would be nice to let them be winners in their bank accounts.
Article comments
1 - Philip Walker
I read that Allan slutsky was writing a biography of Junior Walker - is this true.
Please let me know
Regards
2 - Mac Diva
Barry Gordy did work on a car assembly line in Detroit briefly. It was sometime between his prize fighting career and when he penned his first hit for good friend Jackie Wilson.
I think the Motown assembly line myth is somewhat cliched. There is too much variation in how Motown acts sound for it to be really true. Phil Spector's wall of sound is more formulaic. As was Philadelphia International Records' sound later. What Gordy did was organize. He made acts fit a fairly rigid schedule of recording and performing. Some of the best, such as Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, rebelled. They were not suited to regimentation.
The last word I had on the Funk Brothers was that they have fallen out with their 'discoverers,' i.e., the men who brought them out of obscurity. Litigation was in progress.
3 - Reg
Regardless of the location of the assembly line, there is no denying that Gordy created a sound that is still raved about today. How many of these fantastic artists would have remained undiscovered if it had not been for Gordy's business genius?