Best Female Bassists - Top 25

[Cestrian]

https://apple.news/AOHEB3XQfTnqmUyGae3fh_w

Any notable omissions? Suzi Quatro is surprisingly low down on the list, to my mind anyway. 

[casapete]

Gail Dorsey?

[Silvia Bluejay]

Epic fail on at least two levels.

1. Define 'best' - best chops, best playing for the song, best songwriting...? Get promptly mired in controversy.

2. Last time I checked, people don't play bass with their genitals, therefore 'female bassist' is as relevant as 'gay bassist' or 'black bassist.'

 

[Cestrian]

6 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Epic fail on at least two levels.

1. Define 'best' - best chops, best playing for the song, best songwriting...? Get promptly mired in controversy.

2. Last time I checked, people don't play bass with their genitals, therefore 'female bassist' is as relevant as 'gay bassist' or 'black bassist.'

 

Fair point, can’t argue with that. 

[HazBeen]

7 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Epic fail on at least two levels.

1. Define 'best' - best chops, best playing for the song, best songwriting...? Get promptly mired in controversy.

2. Last time I checked, people don't play bass with their genitals, therefore 'female bassist' is as relevant as 'gay bassist' or 'black bassist.'

 

Agreed, whilst “best” I can understand to a point (people love to label / put in boxes) I do not see how having certain appendages or not would influence your prowess on an instrument.

[HazBeen]

It is also (like most “best” lists) an absolute dog of a list..... I really shouldn’t have checked it.

[gjones]

15 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Epic fail on at least two levels.

1. Define 'best' - best chops, best playing for the song, best songwriting...? Get promptly mired in controversy.

2. Last time I checked, people don't play bass with their genitals, therefore 'female bassist' is as relevant as 'gay bassist' or 'black bassist.'

 

The only reason I can see for a 'Best female bassist' list, is to encourage women and girls to take up the instrument. 

[Silvia Bluejay]

11 minutes ago, gjones said:

The only reason I can see for a 'Best female bassist' list, is to encourage women and girls to take up the instrument. 

Or perhaps because it forces the reader's mind to move away from the obvious, most of whom tend to be male.

I would prefer to simply see a few more female names in 'normal' lists, as splitting lists by gender does have the effect of making you think along the lines of 'if it didn't specify that they have to be female, would any of these women be taken into consideration?' (Probably only a couple of household names would.) There have historically been fewer female bass players around, so, proportionally, there will have been fewer outstanding female bassists than male bassists. I don't think all-female lists are the solution, though.

Edited January 1, 2019 by Silvia Bluejay

[Happy Jack]

44 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

 

2. Last time I checked, people don't play bass with their genitals ...

 

Well that's a New Year's Resolution right there ...

[BreadBin]

Just now, Happy Jack said:

Well that's a New Year's Resolution right there ...

Challenge accepted?

[LeftyJ]

32 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Last time I checked, people don't play bass with their genitals

 

Men could, though 😅

But I agree, and there are definitely some names missing here. Yolanda Charles (Paul Weller ao), D'arcy Wretzky (Smashing Pumpkins), Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle, Pixies), Nik West, Ida Nielsen, Divinity Roxx and so many more. 

[BreadBin]

13 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

I don't think all-female lists are the solution, though.

I 100% agree with this - in the same vein I think the Formula W racing series is not the great leap forward some are suggesting it is. 

[stingrayPete1977]

I don't click on these click bait lists anymore. 

[stingrayPete1977]

50 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

or 'black bassist.'

 

That would be one hell of a cracking list though! 

[Al Krow]

21 minutes ago, gjones said:

The only reason I can see for a 'Best female bassist' list, is to encourage women and girls to take up the instrument. 

^^ That's a very good reason!! 

13 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Or perhaps because it forces the reader's mind to move away from the obvious, most of whom tend to be male.

I would prefer to simply see a few more female names in 'normal' lists, as splitting lists by gender does have the effect of making you think along the lines of 'if it didn't specify that they have to be female, would any of these women be taken into consideration?' (Probably only a couple of household names would.) There have historically been fewer female bass players around, so, proportionally, there will have been fewer outstanding female bassists than male bassists. I don't think all-female lists are the solution, though.

But similarly "best female chess player" - why have different lists for men and women here?

There is a deeper and (perhaps too) complex (for a bass-chat forum, unless we tread gently) discussion to be had about:

- ensuring equality of opportunity across the board;

- whilst recognising that men and women (and trans) can be objectively better at different things but are equal in value.

 

 

[Linus27]

I liked how one of the tabs on the right was the 50 best drummers 😂 Not 25 best female drummers but just 50 best drummers. Wonder why they didn't do the 50 best bassist and include the females bassist in that.

[Bassassin]

Speaking as a man (of sorts), I can say with confidence that I am far, far better than any, and I mean ANY woman, at urinating whilst standing up.

And... er... that's it.

[lownote]

A not irrelevant skill, involving as it does, dexterous digital manipulation in the aforesaid position.

[Barking Spiders]

Ah good oh, another best of list to start the new year and an 'essential' one so we're told. Basically think of the first 25 female bass players that come into your head and job done .

[lownote]

As most who know me will attest,  the words 'Lownote' and 'correctness' or 'snowflake' have no history of contiguity.  But even I take exception to every valedictory comment in that list talking of 'female bassists' not 'bassists'   'One of the best female bassists', like they're a totally discrete sub class of musicians. Having seen Yolanda Charles absolutely nail an extended and very fast funk solo despite the hangover from hell at the 2017 LBS, I have no trouble doffing my normally misogynistic cap.

[Dem Jolie-blues]

1 hour ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Epic fail on at least two levels.

1. Define 'best' - best chops, best playing for the song, best songwriting...? Get promptly mired in controversy.

2. Last time I checked, people don't play bass with their genitals, therefore 'female bassist' is as relevant as 'gay bassist' or 'black bassist.'

 

Mmm, Jim Hendrix used his teeth to play sometimes,  never tried the genital thing yet,  could be an interesting gig

[arthurhenry]

1 hour ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Last time I checked, people don't play bass with their genitals

That would be one way to end the pick vs fingers debate.

[Dad3353]

From the same source, here's their list of top bass players ...

50. Kim Gordon 
49. Leland Sklar 
48. Mike Rutherford 
47. Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn 
46. JJ Burnel 
45. Bill Wyman 
44. Nathan East 
43. Louis Johnson 
42. Roger Glover 
41. Berry Oakley 
40. Ray Brown 
39. Verdine White 
38. Sting 
37. Willie Dixon 
36. Tina Weymouth 
35. Carol Kaye 
34. Bernard Edwards 
33. John Deacon 
32. Marcus Miller 
31. Phil Lesh 
30. Simon Gallup 
29. Duff McKagan 
28. Carl Radle 
27. Pino Palladino 
26. Larry Graham Jr 
25. Mark King 
24. Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett 
23. Tony Levin 
22. Billy Sheehan 
21. Chris Wolstenholme 
20. Lemmy 
19. James Jamerson 
18. Bootsy Collins 
17. Stanley Clarke 
16. Chris Squire 
15. Charles Mingus 
14. Phil Lynott 
13. Roger Waters 
12. Jaco Pastorius 
11. Geezer Butler

... and top drummers, for good measure ...

50. Jeff Porcaro
49. Gene Krupa
48. Steve Smith
47. Hal Blaine
46. Max Roach
45. Topper Headon
44. Steve Gadd
43. Art Blakey
42. Benny Banjamin
41. Travis Barker
40. Nicko McBain
39. Alan White
38. Simon Phillips
37. Billy Cobham
36. Josh Freese
35. Vinnie Paul
34. Chad Smith
33. Cozy Powell
32. Vinnie Colaiuta
31. Charlie Watts
30. ?uestlove
29. Ansley Dunbar
28. Janet Weiss
27. Carmine Appice
26. Clyde Stubblefield
25. Matt Cemeron
24. Michael Shrieve
23. Bill Ward
22. Roger Taylor
21. Sheila E
20. Lars Ulrich
19. Tommy Aldridge
18. Mike Portnoy
17. Alex Van Halen
16. Ian Paice
15. Bill Bruford
14. Carl Palmer
13. Mitch Mitchell
12. Phil Collins
11. Ringo Starr
10. Terry Bozzio

One could argue the relative positions, and/or exclusions, but the ladies are present, and not simply as 'tokens'. What's the fuss..?

[ahpook]

49 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

Well that's a New Year's Resolution right there ...

We do NOT want to see any 'double thumbing' videos

[Bobthedog]

1 hour ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

2. Last time I checked, people don't play bass with their genitals, therefore 'female bassist' is as relevant as 'gay bassist' or 'black bassist.'

 

Agreed to both points one and two from a serious view.

Less seriously, however, my playing could sometimes be referred to as a load of balls. Does that count?

Edited January 1, 2019 by Bobthedog