The evolution of the electric blues is typically mapped through screaming guitar solos and soaring vocal wails. Yet, none of those historic melodies could survive without the unshakeable, driving low end holding the bandstand together. From the roadhouses of the Mississippi Delta to the studio booths of Chicago and Texas, these twenty-three bassists anchored the genre with a fierce, quiet brilliance that deserves far more credit than it received.
#1: Michael Rhodes
This beloved, prolific Nashville session icon spent decades serving as the absolute premier secret weapon for modern American roots music. Before his passing, Michael Rhodes became the definitive, long-standing studio and touring bass anchor for Joe Bonamassa, executing highly sophisticated, thunderous blues-rock patterns with effortless precision. His elite harmonic knowledge elevated modern blues arrangements into massive, stadium-sized musical statements.
