Bob Babbitt
born on 26/11/1937 in Pittsburgh, PA, United States
died on 16/7/2012 in Nashville, TN, United States
Alias Bob Kreinar
Bob Babbitt
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Bob Babbitt (born Robert Kreinar; November 26, 1937 July 16, 2012) was an American bassist, most famous for his work as a member of Motown Records' studio band, the Funk Brothers, from 1966-1972, as well as his tenure as part of MFSB for Philadelphia International Records afterwards. Also in 1968-1970, with Mike Campbell, Ray Monette and Andrew Smith he formed the band Scorpion.[1] Babbitt traded off sessions with original Motown bassist James Jamerson.
The Pittsburgh-born Babbitt's most notable bass performances include "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" by Stevie Wonder, "War" by Edwin Starr, "The Tears of a Clown" by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "Inner City Blues" by Marvin Gaye, "Band Of Gold" by Freda Payne, "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)", and "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" by The Temptations.
He participated in hundreds of other hits, including "Little Town Flirt" by Del Shannon, "I Got a Name" by Jim Croce, "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips, "Scorpio" by Dennis Coffey & the Detroit Guitar Band, and "The Rubberband Man" by The Spinners. He played on the Jimi Hendrix album Crash Landing. He accepted an offer from Phil Collins to perform on his album of Motown and 1960s soul classics Going Back and also appears in Phil's Going Back - Live At Roseland Ballroom, NYC concert DVD. He appeared onstage in an episode of American Idol, backing up Jacob Lusk's performance of "You're All I Need To Get By" for AI's Motown Week in March 2011.
Death
Bob Babbitt died on July 16, 2012, aged 74, from brain cancer. He was survived by his wife, three children, and two grandchildren.[2]
Footnotes
- Scorpion (album, band). BadCat Records, Reston, VA, USA. Retrieved on July 2, 2011.
- Notice of death of Bob Babbitt
Sources
- General: Justman, Paul. (2002), Standing in the Shadows of Motown, Artisan Entertainment
External links
- Official website
- Bob Babbit Profile -Pittsburgh Music History
| The Funk Brothers | |
|---|---|
| Richard "Pistol" Allen · Jack Ashford · Bob Babbitt · Benny Benjamin · Eddie "Bongo" Brown · Johnny Griffith · Joe Hunter · James Jamerson · Uriel Jones · Joe Messina · Earl Van Dyke · Robert White · Eddie Willis | |
| #1 hit singles | 1961: "Please Mr. Postman" |
This article uses material from the article Bob Babbitt from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.