Session Men: Will Lee on James Jamerson (Director Gil Baker)

CLICK "SUBSCRIBE" FOR MORE FROM THIS CHANNEL Bass legend Will Lee introduces The Motown Rhythm Section and demonstrates two lines that James Jamerson played on the same song. Cinematography Kevin Lombard. Sound Will Schillinger. Filmed at Pilot, NYC. Produced, directed and edited by Gil Baker.
THE SESSION MEN STORY
1965. At Western Studios in LA, a group of musicians (later known as The Wrecking Crew) are working on a song called Help Me Rhonda. They include Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel, Don Randi and Ms. Carol Kaye on bass. When Rhonda shoots to Number One, the Beach Boys are heralded for their brilliant musicianship. But their live shows don't sound like their records. And no wonder.
The Wrecking Crew performed on all of the big Beach Boys hits. Brian Wilson requested these players after hearing the magic they created for Phil Spector on productions like Be My Baby, Da Do Ron Ron and He's a Rebel. It's not widely known that Capitol's contract with The Beach Boys, who were signed by Nick Venet, stipulated that they hire studio musicians.
Wrecking Crew players also tracked hits for The Byrds (Mr Tambourine Man, Turn Turn Turn) Association (Never My Love, Cherish) Mamas & Papas (California Dreamin', Monday Monday) Grass Roots (Midnight Confessions, Sooner or Later) Carpenter's (Close To You, We've Only Just Begun) Fifth Dimension (Wedding Bell Blues, Marry Me Bill) Monkees (Mary Mary) Paul Revere's Raiders (Kicks, Steppin' Stone) Jay's American's (Cara Mia, Come a Little Bit Closer) Sonny & Cher (I Got You Babe, The Beat Goes On) Herb Alpert (Lonely Bull, This Guy) America (Ventura Highway, Horse with No Name) Frank (Strangers in The Night) and Nancy (Boots) to name just a few.
Crew member Larry Knechtel, who won a Grammy for his piano and arrangement of Bridge Over Troubled Water, is responsible for the organ on Never My Love, the bass on Mr Tambourine Man and that electric six-string solo on Bread's classic, The Guitar Man.
Through the 1950's, studio musicians were expected to show up on time and read the parts an arranger had written for them. But with folk and rock dominating radio in the 1960's, sheet music went out the window. Great records in these genres demanded session players who could figure out their own parts, and come up with an arrangement themselves. Recording acts, composers, producers, publishers all received royalties. But the session men were paid what amounted to an hourly wage for their invaluable contributions on huge hits. This inequity eventually lead the session men in LA to threaten a strike. But the Musician's Union settled for an increased hourly wage and some added benefits. Still no royalty of any kind for the session men. Not even a single percentage point to split between them.
The Wrecking Crew's counterpart in Alabama was the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Roger Hawkins, David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, Pete Carr, Spooner Oldham and Barry Beckett were kids when they began cutting classics like Mustang Sally, When A Man Loves a Woman, I'm Your Puppet, Kodachrome, My Little Town, Tonight's the Night, Old Time Rock & Roll and Aretha's signature, Respect. They also cut hits with The Osmond Brothers, Dr Hook and other major label acts.
As members of Nashville's A Team, Grady Martin, Bob Moore, Buddy Harman, Ray Edenton and Pig Robbins played on well over 15,000 sessions between 1957 and 1987, including the biggest country and crossover hits of all time. These legendary studio musicians created the instrumental magic behind Elvis, Patsy, Conway Twitty, Brenda Lee, Jerry Lee Lewis, Marty Robbins, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Tom T Hall, Crystal Gayle and literally hundreds of other stars.
The American Studios Band ruled in Memphis, where Reggie Young, Gene Chrisman, Bobby Wood, Bobby Emmon, Mike Leech and Tommy Cogbill pasted the groove on classics like Sweet Caroline, Drift Away, Son of A Preacher Man, Angel of The Morning, Hooked on A Feeling, You Were Always on My Mind, Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues, Suspicious Minds, In The Ghetto, Kentucky Rain, Funky Broadway, singles by The Box Tops (Cry Like A Baby, The Letter) and dozens of other hits.
After helping to invent The Sound of Philadelphia heard on hits like Love Train, Me & Mrs Jones, If You Don't Know Me By Now, Backstabbers and Elton's Philadelphia Freedom, the MFSB Rhythm Section players, led by Bobby Eli, Earl Young and Vince Montana, created a new 70's genre with dance tracks like Disco Inferno.
NYC studio greats Will Lee, Chuck Rainey, Paul Griffin, Vinny Bell, Herbie Lovelle, Hugh McCracken and David Spinozza discuss their careers and perform - with John Sebastian, (who played on dozens of sessions for other artists) providing commentary.
Along with profiles on the key players at Motown, Stax, Criteria and the studio scenes in Chicago and London - Session Men explodes some long standing myths, and celebrates these unsung heroes of popular music.
Gil Baker

[@WhiskerWhippers]

Will Lee is a phenomenal bass player as well. Very underrated outside of the music industry

[@Mindbodyandspirit240]

Indeed!

[@valdesyur]

Overrated? Every vid of him i watch people say how wonderful he is, personally i dont like his form, alot of hand movements when he can just place a finger in the right fret.

[@matiasarrala3447]

@@valdesyur Switching hand position like that has a lot to do with the muting and phrasing. The 1 finger per fret stuff is fine and dandy for legato playing.

[@valdesyur]

@@matiasarrala3447 I think sliding the hand fret to fret makes more legato than just releasing a finger and resting it on the same string spot. or maybe not, im not a bass player myself haha

[@M1st3rTee]

@@valdesyur how can you say Will Lee is overrated when you don’t even play yourself. Will Lee was a phenomenal bass player, hence the reason he was one of the most asked for studio players in the 70’s. Or look back to some video’s from the 80’s, when he was around Steve Gadd and Richard Tee quite frequently, he’s incredible.

[@danielmesery2904]

The FUNK BROTHERS were magic in the music world.... ☮️🎵MOTOWN ....👍

[@tocolormemucsic44]

when I was young and playing bass, I often wondered who the bassist were on the records, I knew one thing for sure, the motown groove had a guy that had it all together....thank you James Jamerson

[@aldito7586]

Will Lee. The man is on another level. And you and I are NOT on it!

[@DarrenAudioguy]

Will Lee! ZING!

[@luf4rall]

James Jamerson was the most important bassist ever.

[@alanpecherer5705]

It's too bad there isn't more footage of Jamerson playing. There aren't even that many still pictures.

[@musicmann1967]

Phenomenal

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

That should be a great film, finally giving exposure to the musicians behind the music that was the soundtrack to my life.

[@raybronson5539]

instaBlaster.

[@nurik]

Real gem right here. Hear Will Lee go all Jamerson on D'Angelo's Higher

[@robertoetojo5861]

Saw Will lee with DEODATO IN MELBOURNE LONG AGO HE WAS SOLID MOONLIGHT SERENADE.. RHAPSODY IN BLUE QND DAILY WILSON BIG BAND

[@taopagan]

Something I never noticed before - great breakdown!

[@recordguy4321]

When is this WHOLE movie going to be released on DVD???????

[@theproductioncompanyusa4547]

First, we have to finish digitally transferring 72,000 feet of negative (32 hours, plus audio) to HD. A DVD will then be released after the film has had a theatrical release, pay per view run, and been broadcast on TV. facebook.com/SESSIONMEN1

[@recordguy4321]

The Production Company USA thank you best of luck! It's a Winner!

[@theproductioncompanyusa4547]

Thanks! The Session Men page over on Facebook is worth a look - and maybe a like? facebook.com/SESSIONMEN1

[@mjo9000]

How ironic that the sound is so F'd up

[@rolandmiller5456]

James Jamerson was the MAIN bassist at Motown -his contribution is beyond category. You name a Motown hit he played bass on it along with Clarence Isbell

[@juliuscaesar7448]

Bob Babbitt, Wilton felder

[@sstrauss415]

Thanks for posting! Excellent stuff.

[@theproductioncompanyusa4547]

Glad you liked, Scott!

[@_Majoras]

william zabka is not only educated in motown he can sweep the bass

[@marklowe7431]

What a great observation.

[@susieaxym]

Wow, good looking!!!

[@guitarfend]

Pretty sure Gladys' version came out first.

[@stevewight6563]

That's correct, but it was first recorded by The Miracles, then Marvin Gaye, and finally by Gladys & The Ps.

[@martinrivera4493]

REALLY disappointed that Will didn't know that the Gladys session was few years earlier, AND JJ was really a jazz cat who played R&B, henceforth the imagination

[@dspreis]

You are incorrect. Marvin Gaye recorded this song starting 2/3/67 and ending on 4/10/67. Gladys Knight & The Pips recorded it on 6/17/67.