Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers

Subject: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: GUEST,Bill Amatneek
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 03:56 PM

I'm having trouble finding the names of string bassists who played behind Pete Seeger and/or The Weavers over the years.

Does anyone have information about this?

Best regards to all,
Bill Amatneek

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 04:27 PM

Did they use a bassist?

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 04:34 PM

Yes, of course they did. Shame on me!

Mark Murphy.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 05:33 PM

I remember that Bernie Krause played bass (among other instruments) on the Weavers 1963 Carnegie Hall reunion albums. However, other than backing up Pete Seeger on Guantanamera, he seemed to have no other audible presence on the albums.

Strange, because from what I've read, the concert was supposed to "introduce" Mr. Krause as the newest member of the group, replacing Frank Hamilton (our own Stringsinger).


Jay

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 08:36 PM

This was a question on Mudcat about a month back. It was answered by me but I forget what the answer was. Ask Stringsiner. He'd know. (My failing memory thinks the last name was lee.)

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: Elmore
Date: 08 Mar 14 - 08:46 PM

Saw The Weavers several times with Erik Darling, once or twice with Stringsinger, but don't recall them working live with a bass player. Apparently Bernie Krause played the role of Pete Seeger for part of 1964.

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 01:43 AM

GUEST - might you be thinking of Bill Lee (filmmaker Spike Lee's father)? I believe he played with some folk groups (usually uncredited) many years ago (The Limeliters come to mind), but I honestly have no knowledge if he ever worked with The Weavers.

Can anyone supply any additional info?


Jay

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: Mrrzy
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 02:54 PM

Bruce Langhorn?

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: Bettynh
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 04:04 PM

Willie Dixon recorded several sets with Pete and Memphis Slim for Folkways Records.

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: Elmore
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 07:26 PM

Mrzzy: I thought Bruce Langhorne was (and still is?) a guitar player, not a bass player.

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: GUEST,Tinker from Chicago
Date: 09 Mar 14 - 09:18 PM

Jay: the Limeliters didn't use a back-up man on bass because there was always a bass player IN the Limeliters. For most of their years it was Lou Gottlieb. But there's a Wikipedia page about bassist Bill Lee that says he backed up Cat Stevens, Harry Belafonte, the Chad Mitchell Trio, Gordon Lightfoot, Odetta, Simon & Garfunkel, Ian & Sylvia, Tom Rush, Peter, Paul and Mary, Arlo Guthrie, Tom Paxton, Carolyn Hester, John Lee Hooker, Josh White, Malvina Reynolds, Eric Bibb, The Clancy Brothers and Bob Dylan, among others.

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 10 Mar 14 - 12:13 AM

Aaargh! You are, of course, correct.

Chalk that one up to brain freeze.


Jay

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: Rasta
Date: 10 Mar 14 - 03:10 AM

used to know a guy who taught me guitar before jfk 63 by a few months
who claimed he played with Pete ,his name was Bill smith
his wife was a ballet dancer ,don't think hes around anymore

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: pdq
Date: 10 Mar 14 - 10:43 AM

"Mrzzy: I thought Bruce Langhorne was (and still is?) a guitar player, not a bass player."

There are few known string instruments the Bruce Langehorne cannot play. Yes, he plays bass, but that does not mean he played with Pete Seeger or the Weavers.

Bill Lee, Russ Savakus, Felix Pappalardi and others were on a short list of bass players Vanguard producers would call when they needed one. Bill Lee was evidently reliable which is why he got the call so many times.

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: Elmore
Date: 10 Mar 14 - 11:08 PM

BL used to play a large Turkish frame drum as well.

Subject: RE: Bassists w/ Pete Seeger and/or Weavers
From: Elmore
Date: 10 Mar 14 - 11:12 PM

Not BL the junkie. The other BL.