Chuck Rainey

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For the former major league baseball player, see Chuck Rainey (baseball).
Chuck Rainey
Birth nameCharles Walter Rainey III
Born (1940-06-17) June 17, 1940 (age 81)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsBass guitar
Associated acts
Websitewww.chuckrainey.com

Charles Walter Rainey III (born June 17, 1940) is an American bass guitarist who has performed and recorded with many well-known acts, including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and Quincy Jones.[1] Rainey is credited for the bass line on more than 1,000 albums,[2]​ and is considered the most recorded bass player in the history of recorded music.[3]​[4]​

Early life[]

Rainey was born in Cleveland, Ohio on June 17, 1940, and grew up in Youngstown. His parents were both amateur pianists. He learned piano, violin, and trumpet as a child[5]​ and majored in brass instruments in college.[6]​ He attended Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee.[4]​ Rainey began playing bass guitar in the military.[5]​

Career[]

After leaving the military, Rainey joined a local band. His first big professional gig was playing with Big Jay McNeely. He then joined up with Sil Austin to tour Canada and New York.[5]​ In 1962, Rainey joined King Curtis and his All-Star band;[7]​ in 1965, they opened for The Beatles' 1965 US tour. He joined Quincy Jones's big band in 1972.[6]​ By the 1970s he had played with Jerome Richardson, Grady Tate, Mose Allison, Gato Barbieri, and Gene Ammons, as well as with Eddie Vinson at the 1971 Montreux Festival.[1]

Although much of his work was as a session player, Rainey recorded a solo album, The Chuck Rainey Coalition, in 1969. Other solo albums were Born Again (1982), Hangin' Out Right (1999),[8]​ Sing dr Dance (2001),[9]​ and Interpretations of a Groove (2012).[10]​

Rainey wrote the five-volume Complete Electric Bass Player instructional books, and filmed instructional videos. The early bass curriculum at Musicians Institute and the Dick Grove School of Music were created by Rainey. He also wrote columns for Bass Player magazine from 1990-1992.[5]​

On November 5, 2011, Rainey had a stroke[11] which paralyzed his left side. He spent four years receiving physical therapy and practicing meditation and Hatha yoga, and made a full recovery.[6]​

In 2014, Rainey and drummer John Anthony Martinez[12] cofounded Rhythm Intensive, which provides clinics, workshops, and master classes for aspiring rhythm section musicians.[13] Rainey and Martinez also co-authored The Tune of Success: Unmask Your Genius.[6]​

In an interview with Chris Jisi in April 2020, Rainey disclosed that he had retired as a bassist and turned his focus to writing his biography and working with Rhythm Intensive.[14]

A Rainey signature line of bass guitars are produced by Alvarez Guitars and Ken Smith Basses.[7]​

Discography[]

As leader[]

  • The Chuck Rainey Coalition (Skye, 1972)
  • Born Again (Hammer 'N Nails, 1981)
  • Coolin' 'N Groovin' (A Night at On-Air) with Bernard Purdie (Lexington, 1993)
  • Chuck Rainey/David T. Walker Band with David T. Walker (Bridge Gate/Toy's Factory, 1994)
  • Hangin' Out Right (CharWalt, 1998)
  • Sing & Dance (CharWalt, 1999)
  • Interpretations of a Groove (Vivid Sound, 2013)

As guest[]

With Louis Armstrong

  • Louis Armstrong and His Friends (Flying Dutchman/Amsterdam, 1970)

With Gato Barbieri

  • El Pampero (Flying Dutchman, 1972)
  • The Legend of Gato Barbieri (Flying Dutchman, 1973)
  • Bolivia (RCA, 1985)
  • The Third World Revisited (BMG, 1988)

With George Benson

  • Goodies (Verve, 1968)

With Donald Byrd

  • Black Byrd (Blue Note, 1973)
  • Street Lady (Blue Note, 1973)
  • Places and Spaces (Blue Note, 1975)
  • Stepping into Tomorrow (Blue Note, 1975)

With Joe Cocker

  • I Can Stand a Little Rain (A&M, 1974)
  • Jamaica Say You Will (A&M, 1975)
  • Luxury You Can Afford (Asylum, 1978)

With Larry Coryell

  • Coryell (Vanguard, 1969)
  • Fairyland (Mega, 1971)
  • Basics (Vanguard, 1976)

With the Crusaders

  • Hollywood (MoWest 1972)
  • Crusaders 1 (Blue Thumb, 1972)
  • The Golden Years (GRP, 1992)
  • The Crusaders' Finest Hour (Verve, 2000)

With King Curtis

  • Live at Small's Paradise (ATCO, 1966)
  • Get Ready (ATCO, 1970)
  • Everybody's Talkin' (ATCO, 1972)
  • Instant Groove (Edsel, 1990)

With Aretha Franklin

  • Young, Gifted and Black (Atlantic, 1972)
  • With Everything I Feel in Me (Atlantic, 1974)
  • Let Me in Your Life (Atlantic, 1974)
  • Sweet Passion (Atlantic, 1977)

With Gene Harris

  • Astral Signal (Blue Note, 1974)
  • Nexus (Blue Note, 1975)
  • In a Special Way (Blue Note, 1976)
  • Tone Tantrum (Blue Note, 2001)

With Richard "Groove" Holmes

  • Comin' on Home, (Blue Note, 1971)
  • Six Million Dollar Man, (Flying Dutchman/RCA, 1975)

With Bobbi Humphrey

  • Blacks and Blues (Blue Note, 1973)
  • Satin Doll (Blue Note, 1974)
  • Fancy Dancer (Blue Note, 1975)

With Etta James

  • Etta James (Chess, 1973)
  • Come a Little Closer (Chess, 1974)
  • Deep in the Night (Warner Bros., 1978)

With Quincy Jones

  • Walking in Space (A&M, 1969)
  • Smackwater Jack (A&M, 1971)
  • Body Heat (A&M, 1974)
  • Mellow Madness (A&M, 1975)
  • I Heard That!! (A&M, 1976)
  • Roots (A&M, 1977)

With Yusef Lateef

With David "Fathead" Newman

With the Rascals

  • Groovin' (The Young Rascals album) (Atlantic, 1967)
  • Once Upon a Dream (Atlantic, 1968)
  • Freedom Suite (Atlantic, 1969)
  • See (Atlantic, 1969)
  • Peaceful World (Columbia, 1971)
  • Search and Nearness (Atlantic, 1971)

With Steely Dan

  • Pretzel Logic (ABC, 1974)
  • Katy Lied (ABC, 1975)
  • The Royal Scam (ABC, 1976)
  • Aja (ABC, 1977)
  • Gaucho (MCA 1980)

With Sadao Watanabe

  • My Dear Life (Flying Disk, 1977)
  • California Shower (Flying Disk, 1978)
  • Nice Shot! (Flying Disk, 1980)

With Ernie Wilkins

  • Blood, Sweat & Brass (Mainstream, 1970)
  • Hard Mother Blues (Mainstream, 1970)
  • Screaming Mothers (Mainstream, 1974)

With others

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Chuck Rainey | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  2. ^ Shuster, Fred (August 29, 2000). "RAINEY NIGHT IN HOLLYWOOD MUSICIAN, RECORDING SESSION LEGEND ON STAGE TONIGHT AT BAKED POTATO". Daily News. Los Angeles, Calif., United States. p. 5. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  3. ^ Koster, Rick (May 8, 2000). Texas Music. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-25425-4.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Music Legend Chuck Rainey to Lecture, Perform at Tennessee State University". US Fed News Service, Including US State News. Washington, D.C., Iceland. September 13, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Friedland, Ed (2005). The R & B bass masters. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. pp. 15–22. OCLC 946460558.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "The Heart of a Bass Legend: How Chuck Rainey Found His Groove". International Musician. 114 (10). October 2016. p. 20. ISSN 0020-8051. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Friedman, Josh Alan (2008). Tell the Truth Until They Bleed: Coming Clean in the Dirty World of Blues and Rock 'n' Roll. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 189–200. ISBN 978-0-87930-932-9.
  8. ^ Jisi, Chris (1999). "Chuck Rainey: Hangin' Out Right". Bass Player. 10 (10). p. 70. ISSN 1050-785X. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  9. ^ Jisi, Chris (April 2001). "Chuck Rainey's sing & dance". Bass Player. 12 (4). p. 24. ISSN 1050-785X. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  10. ^ Jisi, Chris (July 2012). "Chuck Rainey Rocks Steady". Bass Player. 23 (7). p. 22. ISSN 1050-785X. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "Bass Player Chuck Rainey Suffers Stroke". Billboard. November 7, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  12. ^ "The Tune of Success Live Comes to Dallas!". Dallas Weekly. June 6, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  13. ^ "Rhythm Intensive". Rhythm Intensives. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  14. ^ Jisi, Chris. "Bass Magazine Lockdown Check-In With Chuck Rainey". Bass Magazine - The Future of Bass. Retrieved May 22, 2020.


External links[]

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