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“James Jamerson is one of the most revered bassists of all time. As a session player for the Motown label – Jamerson can be heard with a huge range of artists from the likes of Stevie Wonder to the Jackson 5. His prominence on the Motown label during the 1960’s and early 1970’s is such that in some quarters he’s believed to have played on 95% of all recordings - being favoured by Holland-Dozier production team. Whether 95% is accurate is open to debate Jamerson however did proceed to become one of the most influential bassists of all time and to this day is often cited as an influence by modern bassists.
At his most prolific during his time with Motown, his grooves and tone have a unique style attributed to Jamerson’s technique and love of syncopated rhythms and Jazz style melody. Jamerson’s technique was centered around his use of his right hand index finger (nicknamed the hook). His Motown contributions include the likes of “My Girl” by the Temptations, “What’s going on” by Marvin Gaye and “For once in my life” by Stevie Wonder. Jamerson’s grooves were at odds to the simpler bass lines prominent in popular music at the time which in later years has singled out his contribution during the period.
Gear wise Jamerson predominantly used his 1962 Fender Precision Bass (which he called the Funk Machine) and a Ampeg B-15 combo.
Sadly Jamerson died in 1983 at the age of 47 and it wasn’t until 2000 that he was formally recognized for his musical contribution by being inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame.”