The Unsung Genius of James Jamerson: Motown’s Quiet Thunder

Daniel Holland
Jul 13
5 min read

Updated: Jul 20

Man playing bass guitar, seated with a cigarette. Vibrant, multicolored background featuring repeated images of him playing creates a dynamic effect. — James Jamerson in the studio

There are bass players, and then there’s James Jamerson.

You might not know his name off the top of your head, but chances are you’ve danced, swayed, or sobbed to his work. From the irresistible snap of “I Was Made to Love Her” to the bottomless groove of “What’s Going On,” Jamerson’s playing formed the foundation of the Motown sound, one of the most enduring forces in 20th-century popular music. He was, in many ways, the secret sauce. The glue. The heartbeat.

And that’s not just our opinion. Sir Paul McCartney — yes, that McCartney — once named Jamerson his bass-playing hero. High praise from the man who penned the bass for “Come Together” and “Something,” both celebrated for their fluid, melodic basslines. But even McCartney tipped his hat to the man behind the curtain in Hitsville U.S.A.

So who was James Jamerson, and why does he matter so much?

Jamerson Bass line for Aint No Mountain High Enough

James Jamerson is the Schoenberg of getting from the I chord to the IV chord. He’s algorithmically generating a new pattern every phrase…[He] belongs with Bach, Debussy and Mozart.

- Jack Stratton

From South Carolina to Studio A

Born in 1936 in Edisto Island, South Carolina, Jamerson moved to Detroit in his teens and fell in love with the upright bass. He studied music formally at high school and the local conservatory, first gigging in jazz clubs around Detroit. His roots were deeply in bebop, and this sensibility never really left him. When Berry Gordy founded Motown Records and needed session musicians, Jamerson was quickly snapped up as a regular.

Jamerson became one of the core members of the Funk Brothers, the in-house Motown band who, from the early ’60s to the early ’70s, played on more number one hits than The Beatles, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys combined. And yet, for years, they remained uncredited.

In Studio A at 2648 West Grand Boulevard (affectionately known as the “Snakepit”), Jamerson laid down the basslines for a jaw-dropping array of hits: “My Girl,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Dancing in the Street,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” and countless others.

Jamerson's Bass line on I was Made To Love Her

The Sound of One Finger

Famously, Jamerson played with just one finger of his right hand, which he nicknamed “The Hook.” Using a 1962 Fender Precision Bass with heavy flatwound strings and string action so high most players would wince, he created a sound that was warm, woody, and endlessly expressive. He didn’t slap or pop — he walked, slid, danced. His lines were thick with ghost notes, syncopations, and unexpected chromatic runs. And they swung.

A devout reader of chord charts — but rarely sight-reading note-for-note — Jamerson would often embellish and improvise, sometimes going completely off script. And thank God he did.

Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On is arguably the finest illustration of his unchained genius. On the title track, his bassline curls around Gaye’s vocals like ivy up a wall, playful, mournful and grounded, defiant. It’s more than accompaniment; it’s part counterpoint, part co-lead.

A visual of James Jamerson's bass work

Ashford & Simpson, Peaks & Valleys

Modern musicians have not forgotten him. Jack Stratton, the eccentric genius behind Vulfpeck, reveres Jamerson like a prophet. In a playful side project, Stratton plotted out visual “topographies” of Jamerson’s most sinuous basslines — turning audio into eye candy. The line from “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell’s rendition) becomes a jagged range of sonic peaks and valleys. No surprise, really — it feels like a mountain hike just listening to it.

That particular track remains the most-listened-to isolated bassline on No Treble, the online magazine for bassists. If you’ve never listened to Jamerson’s part in isolation, it’s well worth your time. Take away the lush Motown production and vocals, and what’s left is still magic. Pure, pulsing, melodic soul.

Stratton’s chart for “I Was Made to Love Her” is equally hypnotic. Jamerson never phones it in — even in upbeat pop numbers, he carves out space for invention. His bassline on Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life” is practically athletic — bounding up and down the fretboard, never losing that Motown bounce.

Jamerson's amazing bass lines on Bernadette

The Holy Trinity of Groove

For Stratton, Jamerson is one point of the “Holy Trinity of Bass,” alongside Bernard Edwards of Chic and Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone. And it’s not hard to see why. Where Graham invented the slap technique that would define funk, and Edwards locked down disco’s tightest grooves, Jamerson played with the sophistication of a jazz soloist, the rhythmic drive of a soul drummer, and the instinct of a gospel singer.

It’s telling that Vulfpeck’s own bassist, Joe Dart, known for his slick, punchy lines and impressive chops, owes a clear debt to Jamerson. You can hear echoes of the Motown master in the fluidity of Dart’s playing, especially in songs like “Dean Town” or “Back Pocket.” Jamerson’s fingerprints are everywhere.

Quiet Legacy, Loud Influence

In the end, Jamerson’s story is also one of anonymity. He played on dozens of chart-toppers, yet his name was left off most album sleeves. He struggled in later life with health issues and alcoholism, dying in relative obscurity in 1983 at the age of 47.

Only posthumously has he received some of the credit he deserved. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002), based on the book by Allan Slutsky, finally gave Jamerson and the Funk Brothers their due.

The isolated bass of James Jamerson playing Reach Out I'll Be There

But maybe his most lasting tribute is less formal — it’s the hundreds of thousands of bassists, producers, and music lovers who feel his presence every time they hear that thick, mellow groove rolling underneath a classic Motown hit.

James Jamerson didn’t just play bass, he elevated it. He made it sing, swing, strut, and cry. He reminded us that, sometimes, the most important voice in the room is the one rumbling just below the surface.

If You Want To Explore More…

Listen to:
“What’s Going On” – Marvin Gaye
“I Was Made to Love Her” – Stevie Wonder
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
“Bernadette” – The Four Tops (his line is ferocious)
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – The Supremes
Read:
Standing in the Shadows of Motown by Dr. Licks (Allan Slutsky)
Explore:
Isolated bass tracks on www.notreble.com