Geddy Lee's 5 Favourite Bassists Of All Time

In no particular order, the Rush legend picks 5 of the best

By Roger Newell, MusicRadar.com,June 26, 2012


In between speaking to Billy Corgan about the state of the music world today and much more, legendary Rush frontman Geddy Lee took the time out to talk bass with us.

In no particular order, what follows is a list of Geddy Lee's five favourite bassists of all time, and words from the man himself that explain his inclusions.

1. Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane)
"Back in the early days, Jack Casady. I thought he was probably one of the most inventive players I'd ever heard and was really the reason I fell in love with Jefferson Airplane."

2. Jack Bruce (Cream)
"Jack Bruce of course was my hero when I first started playing. Just him coming out with that bluesy, jazzy style on bass and he brought a kind of aggressive tone to the Cream."

3. Chris Squire (Yes)
"Chris Squire is incredibly inventive and imaginative writer of bass melodies. He'll always be a pinnacle of great bass players."

4. Jeff Berlin
"He's more of a jazz bass player now but he used to play kind of fusion, rock and jazz with Bill Bruford on Bill's solo records. Bruford was a fantastic band and Jeff is still among the top bass players out there, different calibre, he's just off the planet."

5. Les Claypool (Primus)
"We must not forget Les Claypool from Primus. A true style-seeking venture on bass, really original, an incredible player and he's influenced me with his attitude towards bass playing."