Photo of Lesh by Jay Blakesberg; photo of Porter by Dino Perrucci


Rolling Stone has unveiled their list of the 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time. “From funk masters to prog prodigies and beyond, we count down the players who have shaped our idea of the low-end theory,” the publication wrote to introduce the countdown.

The article continued: “Bassists are often overlooked and undervalued, even within their own bands. ‘It wasn’t the number-one job,’ McCartney once said, reflecting on the fateful moment when he took over the four-string after Stu Sutcliffe exited the Beatles. ‘Nobody wanted to play bass, they wanted to be up front.'”

According to the list, the top five bassists of all time are: Carol Kaye, Bootsy Collins, John Entwistle, Charles Mingus and James Jamerson. Other notable bassists on the list are Phil Lesh, coming in at number 11, George Porter Jr., who ranks 41st and Les Claypool at 36.

Some noteworthy omissions from the list include Victor Wooten, Mike Gordon and Christian McBride, along with countless other legendary low-end masters. With any list such as this, it is difficult to boil it down to a final count.

To read the full list, click here.