Joe Gillis, Bass Guitar
| Joe Gillis believes his job is aptly summed up by bass man Duck Dunn of Booker T & the MGs: "If the bass and drums ain't happening, ain't nothing happening!" Joe, a Brooklyn (NY) native, discovered rock as a youngster. Being the sort who reads album credits, he kept encountering the name Willie Dixon as the writer of songs performed by Cream, Led Zeppelin and the Doors. The next step--deep exploration--led to Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Count Basie, and the electric blues of Otis Rush, Albert King, Elmore James and Muddy Waters. Bass was the instrument Joe was drawn to, and it pulled him in mightily. "I can't cop anyone else's style," says Joe. "I just work the deepest groove I can, paying close attention to the unique rhythmic character of each song." A few bass inspirations: Charles Mingus, Jimmy Blanton and Jaco Pastorius (jazz); James Jamerson and Bootsy Collins (funk); Jack Casady, Jack Bruce and Paul McCartney (rock); Louis Satterfield and Rod Ellicott (blues). "Holding down the bottom, allowing the rhythm to breathe, and supporting the other players make for a happy bassist.".
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