Douglas Arthur Wimbish (born September 22, 1956) is an American bassist, primarily known for being a member of rock band
Living Colour and funk/dub/hip hop collective
Tackhead, and as a session musician with artists such as
Sugarhill Gang,
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster Flash, Kidd Creole (not to be confused with Kid Creole), Keef Cowboy, ...
,
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
,
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
,
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
,
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
,
Annie Lennox
Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart w ...
,
Tarja Turunen, and
Barrington Levy (as well as his
studio work for the
rap/hip hop label
Sugarhill Records and the experimental dub label
On-U Sound).
Biography and career
Born in
Hartford
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, Connecticut, Wimbish started playing guitar at the age of 12 and switched to bass guitar at the age of 14. In 1979 he was hired together with guitarist
Skip McDonald and drummer
Keith LeBlanc to form the house
rhythm section
A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band.
The rhythm ...
for
Sugarhill Records. Although they did not play on
the Sugarhill Gang's famous song "
Rapper's Delight" (the rhythm tracks for this song were played by the group
Positive Force), they did play on many other popular song tracks, including "
The Message" by
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster Flash, Kidd Creole (not to be confused with Kid Creole), Keef Cowboy, ...
, "
White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" by Grandmaster Flash and
Melle Mel
Melvin Glover (born May 15, 1961), better known by his stage name Grandmaster Melle Mel or simply Melle Mel (), is an American rapper who was the lead vocalist and songwriter of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
Career
Glover began per ...
, "New York City" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and "
Apache
The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...
" by the Sugarhill Gang.
Together with McDonald and LeBlanc, Wimbish headed to London in 1984 and started working with producer
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Maxwell Sherwood (born 20 January 1958) is an English record producer specialising in the genre of dub music. He has created a distinctive production style based on the application of dub effects and dub mixing techniques to other forms ...
and formed the group
Tackhead. Together with Tackhead and as a
session bassist, Wimbish found himself in demand as a bass player for many artists and was considered as a permanent sideman for the
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
after the departure of bassist
Bill Wyman in 1993, but lost the position to
Darryl Jones. In the late 1980s Wimbish began crossing paths with vocalist
Bernard Fowler, who collaborated with Tackhead and Little Axe. Both sang on records by the Rolling Stones, and Wimbish later played on the Stones' 1997 album ''
Bridges to Babylon''. Wimbish joined
Living Colour in 1992 (he replaced
Muzz Skillings, who left the band) to tour and record the album, ''Stain''.
Living Colour disbanded in 1995, and Wimbish joined his old Sugarhill Gang partners to play in
Little Axe, an ambient-dub project initiated by Skip 'Little Axe' MacDonald.
After Living Colour disbanded, Wimbish went back to London to continue his career as a studio bassist. In 1999 he formed the
drum and bass
Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...
group
Jungle Funk together with drummer
Will Calhoun and percussionist/vocalist
Vinx. Also in 1999, Wimbish solo album ''Trippy Notes for Bass'' was released. In 2000, Living Colour was re-formed and
toured in the United States, South America and Europe. In 2001 and 2002 Wimbish recorded and played with rapper
Mos Def
Yasiin Bey ( ; born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), formerly known as Mos Def ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A prominent figure in conscious hip hop, he is recognized for his use of wordplay and commentary on social an ...
in a band called BlackJack Johnson, which also featured members of P-Funk and Bad Brains in the lineup.
Wimbish also formed Head Fake, a
drum and bass
Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...
project with drummer
Will Calhoun. They released a CD, ''In The Area''. In 2005 they started recording new songs. The recording took place in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and was followed by an extensive European tour. The CD has never been released. A Head>>Fake DVD was released in 2008. It features a recording of a Head>>Fake concert in
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
.
In 2008 Wimbish, signed with
Enja Records, and released his second solo album, ''CinemaSonics''.
In 2009, Living Colour released and toured for the album "The Chair in the Doorway".
Wimbish was also featured on six
Little Axe albums with
Alan Glen on harmonica.
Gear
Wimbish has endorsed
Ibanez and
Spector bass guitars.
Discography
Solo albums
* ''
Trippy Notes for Bass
''Trippy Notes for Bass'' is the first solo album by bassist Doug Wimbish, released on August 24, 1999 by On-U Sound Records. On March 3, 2008, the album was re-issued as ''Trippy Notes for Bass & Remixes'' on Dude Records.
Track listing
...
'' (1999)
* ''
CinemaSonics'' (2008)
With
Michael Bolton
* ''
The Hunger'' (Columbia Records, 1987)
With
Naomi Campbell
* ''
Baby Woman'' (Epic Records, 1994)
With Chris Catena
* ''
Freak Out!'' (Frontiers, 2003)
With
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
* ''
Ultra'' (Mute, 1997)
With
Will Downing
Wilfred "Will" Downing (born November 29, 1963) is an American R&B, soul, neo soul, and jazz singer and songwriter. He has released 22 studio albums.
Biography Early life
Downing was born and raised to a working-class family in Bedford-Stuy ...
* ''Will Downing'' (Island Records, 1988)
* ''Come Together as One'' (Island Records, 1989)
* ''A Dream Fulfilled'' (Island Records, 1991)
With
Sheena Easton
Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress who achieved recognition in an episode of the reality television series ''The Big Time (TV series), The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to gain a ...
* ''
No Sound But a Heart'' (EMI, 1987)
With
Bernard Fowler
* ''Friends With Privileges'' (Sony, 2006)
* ''The Bura'' (MRI, 2016)
With
Gary Go
* ''
Gary Go'' (Decca Records, 2009)
With
Al Green
* ''
Don't Look Back'' (BMG, 1993)
* ''
Your Heart's in Good Hands'' (MCA Records, 1995)
With
Nona Hendryx
* ''The Heat'' (RCA Records, 1985)
With
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
* ''
Primitive Cool'' (Columbia Records, 1987)
* ''
Wandering Spirit'' (Atlantic Records, 1993)
With
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...
* ''
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting said to focus on a combination of "low-life and high tech". It features futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyberwa ...
'' (Chrysalis Records, 1993)
With
Annie Lennox
Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart w ...
* ''
Diva'' (Arista Records, 1992)
* ''
Medusa
In Greek mythology, Medusa (; ), also called Gorgo () or the Gorgon, was one of the three Gorgons. Medusa is generally described as a woman with living snakes in place of hair; her appearance was so hideous that anyone who looked upon her wa ...
'' (Arista Records, 1995)
With
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
* ''
Erotica
Erotica is art, literature or photography that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erot ...
'' (Warner Bros. Records, 1992)
With
Melba Moore
Beatrice Melba Smith (born October 29, 1945) known by her stage name Melba Moore, is an American singer and actress.
Biography Early life and education
Moore was born Beatrice Melba Smith on October 29, 1945, in New York City to Gertrude Melba ...
* ''
I'm in Love'' (Capitol Records, 1988)
With
Nicole Renée
* ''
Nicole Renée'' (Atlantic Records, 1998)
With
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
* ''
Bridges to Babylon'' (Virgin Records, 1997)
With
Joe Satriani
Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". ''AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American rock music, rock guitarist, composer, and songwriter. Early in hi ...
* ''
The Extremist'' (Relativity Records, 1992)
* ''
Time Machine'' (Relativity Records, 1993)
With
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...
* ''
Spoiled Girl'' (Epic Records, 1985)
* ''
Letters Never Sent'' (Arista Records, 1994)
With
Brenda K. Starr
* ''
I Want Your Love'' (Mirage, 1985)
With
Candi Staton
Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 cover of Tammy Wynette's " Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper " Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...
* ''Nightlites'' (Sugar Hill Records, 1982)
With
Tarja Turunen
* ''
My Winter Storm'' (
Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records is a British record company. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by Universal Music Group#B ...
, 2007)
* ''
What Lies Beneath'' (Vertigo Records, 2010)
* ''
Colours in the Dark'' (
earMUSIC, 2013)
* ''
The Shadow Self'' (earMUSIC, 2016)
* ''
In the Raw'' (earMUSIC, 2019)
With
Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared i ...
* ''
Freedom – No Compromise'' (EMI, 1987)
With
Peter Wolf
Peter Wolf (born March 7, 1946) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of The J. Geils Band from 1967 to 1983 and as a solo artist.
Early life and education
Wolf was born Peter Walter Blankfield on March 7, 1946, in the Bronx ...
* ''
Come As You Are'' (EMI, 1987)
With
Ronnie Wood
* ''
Slide on This'' (Continuum Records, 1992)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wimbish, Doug
1956 births
Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut
American session musicians
Living people
African-American rock musicians
American heavy metal bass guitarists
American funk bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
Living Colour members
Tackhead members
Alternative metal bass guitarists
Guitarists from Connecticut
American male guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
Fats Comet members
African-American guitarists