Showing posts with label Donald "Duck" Dunn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donald "Duck" Dunn. Show all posts

Sunday, 13 May 2012

Donald 'Duck' Dunn 1941 -2011

What a sad day for music.

Donald was an unsung hero- his beautiful, minimal, melodic Basslines pushed forward hundreds of classic Stax tunes and he's played with so many great musicians you'd be hard pressed to list them all. 

As a budding Bassist, I'd listen to those great lines he wrote and try to copy them - the patterns were simple, but getting them to groove and flow the way Duck did was pretty near impossible. As a Bass teacher a few years later, I'd always get my students to listen to his lines- no wasted notes, no 'party tricks', just rock solid, meaty and melodic playing. I'm still using him as the template for many of the things I do and I'm not alone. 

One of the greats.

"Time is Tight" by Booker T and The MGs featuring Duck and Al Jackson (Drums)