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Covering All The Basses Trivia Quiz

A short quiz about those musicians who hold down the bottom-- the bass player. Mostly rock players, with a couple of curves throw in.

A multiple-choice quiz by EddieDrums. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
EddieDrums

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
342,515

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
202

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. A prolific studio musician, this Boston-born individual has played live and in the studio with Peter Gabriel, The Stick Men, Black Light Syndrome, Liquid Tension Experiment and others. In addition to bass and Chapman Stick, he also plays cello and keyboards-- who is he? Hint

Jeff Berlin

Tony Levin

Tim Harries

Trey Gunn

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Question 2 of 10

2. This Florida-born bassist got his start playing with Pat Metheny and then playing with other diverse acts such as Weather Report, Ian Hunter, Joni Mitchell and Flora Purim. Who is this man who redefined the bass guitar? Hint

Jeff Berlin

Jaco Pastorius

Stanley Clarke

Donald Dunn

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which bassist/vocalist had an unusual set-up in that his bass had only two strings on it, often tuned to the same note where he played it with a slide? (Hint: Another oddity with this man's trio was that the other two instruments were just drums and saxophone.) Hint

Mark Sandman

Mike Dirnt

Mark Hoppus

Robert DeLeo

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Question 4 of 10

4. This bass playing member of the jazz quartet "Fourplay" has also recorded with the likes of Eric Clapton, Toto, and Joe Satriani. He co-wrote the number one hit song "Easy Lover" with Phil Collins and Philip Bailey. Who is he? Hint

Bernard Edwards

Nathan East

Pino Palladino

Darryl Jones

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Question 5 of 10

5. Before he was well-known, which bass player cut his teeth in the late '60s playing with groups like The Syn and Mabel Greer's Toy Shop in Britain? Hint

Jack Bruce

Chris Squire

Peter Giles

Colin Hodgkinson

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Question 6 of 10

6. Another bassist who has been the one constant factor in his band since it's formation has a mascot that appears to be a zombie. He is the primary songwriter for his group, more so in the early days than now, penning such songs as "Prowler", "Innocent Exile" and "Invaders". He also sings backing vocals and play keyboards in the studio. Who is this person who plays galloping basslines? Hint

Dave Ellefson

Geezer Butler

Bob Daisley

Steve Harris

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Question 7 of 10

7. Before hitting the big time, this bassist played in obscure bands such as "The Grasshoppers", "Milkwood", and "Cap 'n' Swing". Who is this Boston-based musician? Hint

Tom Hamilton

Aimee Mann

Benjamin Orr

Fran Sheehan

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Question 8 of 10

8. While being mostly known as David Bowie's bass player since the mid 1990s, what studio musician has also toured with acts like Tears For Fears and Olivia Newton-John? Hint

Kim Gordon

Gail Ann Dorsey

Sara Lee

Tina Weyrmouth

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Question 9 of 10

9. Which musician is credited with the concept and implementation of a 12-string bass? Hint

Paul McCartney

Jeff Ament

Tom Petersson

Jeff Berlin

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Question 10 of 10

10. This bass player is considered one of the founders of the "Chicago blues" sound. As a songwriter, many artists have covered songs he wrote, including "Hoochie Coochie Man","Little Red Rooster", and "Back Door Man". Who is this native of Vicksburg, Mississippi? Hint

Willie Dixon

Otis Rush

Lowell Fulson

Howlin' Wolf

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Tony Levin

One of those "other" groups is King Crimson who he joined in 1981, not only playing bass, but also the Chapman Stick, which he helped popularize. He has been an in-demand studio musician for decades, playing bass and Stick on hundreds of recordings.

Answer: Jaco Pastorius

Born in 1951, his self-titled 1976 release, "Jaco Pastorious" is regarded as one of the finest bass recordings ever put out. His drug and alcohol use led to an increasingly erratic behavior in the early 80's. He'd also been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, but continued to play and record. Tragically, he died in 1987 after injuries sustained from a bouncer in a South Florida nightclub.

He had kicked in a glass door after being turned away and was severely beaten and left in a coma before passing away.

Answer: Mark Sandman

Mark formed Morphine in 1989 with saxophonist Dana Colley and drummer Jerome Dupree, later replaced by Billy Conway. He sometimes alternated the stringing of his instrument-opting to using two guitar strings with one bass string,and referring to this as a "basitar". Tragically, his career ended at the age of 46 after suffering a heart attack. Colley and Conway later continued working together as The Twinemen with singer/guitarist Laurie Sargent.

Answer: Nathan East

Nathan was born in Philadelphia, Pa, but raised in San Diego, CA.

5. Before he was well-known, which bass player cut his teeth in the late '60s playing with groups like The Syn and Mabel Greer's Toy Shop in Britain?

Answer: Chris Squire

Born in 1948, Chris Squire has the distinction of being the only member of the group Yes to appear on every single release. In 1981, after Yes had broken up, he and Yes drummer Alan White had played with Jimmy Page in a short-lived band called "XYZ" (ex-Yes & Zep). Robert Plant had showed up early on and briefly rehearsed with them.

The group never toured or recorded, but demos of some songs from their time together do exist.

Answer: Steve Harris

Steve Harris, born in London, formed Iron Maiden in late 1976. The early years saw a revolving cast of musicians come and go, with only Harris and guitarist Dave Murray appearing on every release.

7. Before hitting the big time, this bassist played in obscure bands such as "The Grasshoppers", "Milkwood", and "Cap 'n' Swing". Who is this Boston-based musician?

Answer: Benjamin Orr

Born in Ohio as Benjamin Orzechowski, he and Ric Ocasek first played together in the folk outfit Milkwood, then teamed up again in Cap 'n' Swing (this group included future Cars guitarist Elliot Easton), before hitting multi-platinum success with The Cars. Sadly, Ben succumbed to pancreatic cancer, passing away in 2000.

8. While being mostly known as David Bowie's bass player since the mid 1990s, what studio musician has also toured with acts like Tears For Fears and Olivia Newton-John?

Answer: Gail Ann Dorsey

Besides her impressive accomplishments on the bass, she is also a guitarist, clarinetist and vocalist, singing the Freddie Mercury lines in concert on "Under Pressure".

9. Which musician is credited with the concept and implementation of a 12-string bass?

Answer: Tom Petersson

Bassist Tom Petersson first met future Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen while playing in the band "Sick Man of Europe" in the early 1970's. The tuning for a 12 string bass is standard, but in groups of three's: EEE-AAA-DDD-GGG, although variations of this can exist.

Answer: Willie Dixon

Willie Dixon first started off as a promising boxer, due in part to his 6'6" height and 250 lb. figure. He quit after four professional fights when he discovered his manager had been ripping him off. Getting into music, first as a musician, then later multi-tasking at Chess Records working as a staff producer, songwriter, and session bassist.

Source: Author EddieDrums

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
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