Sorry, I'm Only the Bass Player Quiz

Answer: Geddy Lee

Born Gary Lee Weinrib in North York, Ontario, Canada on July 29, 1953, Geddy Lee joined the band Rush, led by his childhood friend Alex Lifeson, in 1968. Lee is known for his original and sometimes unorthodox technique on the bass, and was also the band's lead vocalist and keyboard player. The group officially disbanded in 2015.

Answer: Yes

Christopher Russell Edward Squire was born in London, England in 1948. He was a founding member of the band Yes in 1968, and was the bassist and only original member to appear on all of the band's albums until his death from leukemia in 2015.

Answer: The Who

John Entwistle was born in Middelsex, England in 1944. Both his parents played instruments, and Entwistle learned to play the piano and the trumpet as a youth. He formed the group The Detours, with Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend, in 1962, and after several name changes and the addition of drummer Keith Moon, the band became The Who in 1964. John Entwistle played bass and contributed songs for the band until his death in 2002.

Answer: Roger Waters

Born in Surrey, England in 1943, Roger Waters' father was killed at Anzio, Italy in 1943 when Roger was five months old. Raised by his schoolteacher mother in Cambridge, he met his future bandmates while attending architecture school. He and Syd Barret formed Pink Floyd, along with Nick Mason and Richard Wright, in 1965. Waters was the bassist, main songwriter, and sometime vocalist for the group until he departed in 1985 and embarked on a solo career.

Answer: Tom Hamilton

Born in Colorado in 1951, Tom Hamilton learned to play guitar as a youngster, switching to the bass when an opportunity came up to join a local band. In 1970, Hamilton, guitarist Joe Perry, singer Steven Tyler, and drummer Joey Kramer formed Aerosmith in Boston, Massachusetts, with Brad Whitford joining a year later. The band is still active into the 2020s.

Answer: Roger Glover

Born in Brecon, Wales in 1945, Roger Glover moved to London at age nine and began playing guitar at 13. Along with future Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan, Glover formed the band Episode Six in 1965. Both he and Gillan joined Deep Purple in 1969, staying until 1973. Glover joined former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore in the group Rainbow in 1979, remaining with that band until he rejoined a re-formed Deep Purple in 1984. Glover continued as the bassist for Deep Purple well into the 21st century.

Answer: "Dusty" Hill

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1949 as Joe Michael Hill, Hill played in local bands along with his brother, Rocky, from the age of thirteen. During this time, he met guitarist Billy Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard, and the three of them formed ZZ Top in 1968. The band stayed together until Hill's death in 2021.

Answer: Glenn Cornick

Born in Lancashire, England in 1947, Glenn Cornick played in local bands in the Blackpool area, one of which was called the John Evans Smash. In 1967, Cornick joined former Smash members Ian Anderson and Mick Abrahams, as well as drummer Clive Bunker, to form Jethro Tull. Cornick was with the group until 1970, when he was fired because of his penchant for the party lifestyle.
Cornick went on to form the band Wild Turkey, an off and on project from 1971-2006. Glenn Cornick died in 2014.

Answer: Berry Oakley

Raymond Berry Oakley III was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1948. Moving to Florida as a teenager, he formed the band Second Coming in 1967 with future Allman Brothers guitarist Dicky Betts. After three years with the Allman Brothers, Oakley was tragically killed while riding his motorcycle in Macon, Georgia on November 11, 1972, just three blocks away from where fellow band mate Duane Allman was killed in a similar accident one year earlier.

Answer: Terry "Geezer" Butler

Terry "Geezer" Butler was born in Birmingham, England in 1949. He was nicknamed "Geezer" by his older brother while still a child. Butler began playing guitar at 14 and started his first band in 1965. He joined vocalist John "Ozzy" Osbourne in a group called The Rare Breed in 1967.

After the group broke up, Butler and Osbourne, along with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, formed Earth. Since a band by that name already existed, Butler suggested the name Black Sabbath, after a horror movie title. Butler played in every incarnation of the band until their final tour ended in 2017.