Chords for Bob Babbitt Interview Part 1
Tempo:
116.35 bpm
Chords used:
G
A
E
F#
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Hi, my name's Bob Babbitt.
I play bass and feel fortunate, very fortunate, to be in the
situations and the places and to meet and work with the [N] people that I've
encountered in my musical journey.
I got locked into Detroit and started
getting a lot of work with the black artists.
Before Motown there was a lot of
other companies, a lot of people coming in and we're doing a lot of records
coming out there, but there was a core of guys, a couple [A] rhythm sections that were
doing the bass, the biggest majority of the records.
Something I'd just like to know from [G] you, for me, [E] when y'all were creating that music, you had to know you were creating something special.
[N] Well, I think a lot of the guys were just happy to be working,
bringing up families and never thinking that anything was gonna come out of it
that was gonna be
people would be talking about that, you know, years, 40, 50 years later.
Well, the one day that sticks out for me is the first day I got called to Motown.
I'd been working live with Stevie Wonder and some with Marvin Gaye and then Stevie
called me for a session and I remember the tune, it was a cover of the Beatles
We Can Work It Out, which was a pretty big hit for him.
[F#] That's
one of the highlight days of my career, I guess.
And I was a little nervous going over there because the original bass
player, James Jamerson, was doing just about all the work and there might have
been some earlier records, some real early records that he didn't do, but he
locked into where he was getting called for everything.
And again, it's that when
you're playing on hits for people, they don't want to change the formula, you
know.
And it was so successful and they had great writers, they had great
producers, the studio, the engineers were, I don't know, they were like ahead of
their time.
I heard a story not too long ago from one of the original engineers
that when they were looking to put an echo chamber in Motown, which they had,
in the attic of the house, and the very first house where the studio was, they
bought sides of airplanes, B-52 bombers or whatever there was in that day, B-50s,
B-52s, and they became the echo chambers, the side of the plane.
And then they
didn't have no compressors, so guess what they did?
They bought the airplane
compressor and used that.
That was their first compressor.
Pretty wild, yeah.
So
there were some guys over there that, they were, I don't know, they probably were from a
different planet.
Really?
I mean, you know, they, just when you can listen to some
of them records right now, they just bounce that and hit you in the face like,
you know, maybe they cut them so hot, I don't know how they came about it, but
they, there was a combination of all the right ingredients at that time.
In
Detroit, the couple tunes I played on from Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album,
Jameson played on What's Going On.
We got to get that straight because he played on
that, but there was a couple other hits, Mercy Mercy Me and Inner City Blues, yeah.
Well, I happened to do those, those couple tunes, and I'm kind of proud of that.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Stevie Wonder, War, Inland Star, Ball of Confusion, Diana Ross,
Touch Me in the Morning, but there was two songs I really locked into.
Gladys Knight
had left Motown and signed with Buda Records.
Motown was moving her whole
operations to California, so I decided to move.
There was producers coming in to
Detroit from the East Coast as well as from different places, and there was a
few of them that said, you know, if you ever think about moving, you should think
about moving to the East Coast.
[G] So, okay, so I made that move to the East Coast,
and after I'd been there a while, I played on Midnight Train to Georgia,
Gladys Knight.
[N] That's really, that song was the only song I played on that
actually won a Grammy, and I felt really good about that, but I just, to this day,
if I hear it, you know, it's just, it's good, it's a good feeling, you know.
It's definitely a highlight.
I play bass and feel fortunate, very fortunate, to be in the
situations and the places and to meet and work with the [N] people that I've
encountered in my musical journey.
I got locked into Detroit and started
getting a lot of work with the black artists.
Before Motown there was a lot of
other companies, a lot of people coming in and we're doing a lot of records
coming out there, but there was a core of guys, a couple [A] rhythm sections that were
doing the bass, the biggest majority of the records.
Something I'd just like to know from [G] you, for me, [E] when y'all were creating that music, you had to know you were creating something special.
[N] Well, I think a lot of the guys were just happy to be working,
bringing up families and never thinking that anything was gonna come out of it
that was gonna be
people would be talking about that, you know, years, 40, 50 years later.
Well, the one day that sticks out for me is the first day I got called to Motown.
I'd been working live with Stevie Wonder and some with Marvin Gaye and then Stevie
called me for a session and I remember the tune, it was a cover of the Beatles
We Can Work It Out, which was a pretty big hit for him.
[F#] That's
one of the highlight days of my career, I guess.
And I was a little nervous going over there because the original bass
player, James Jamerson, was doing just about all the work and there might have
been some earlier records, some real early records that he didn't do, but he
locked into where he was getting called for everything.
And again, it's that when
you're playing on hits for people, they don't want to change the formula, you
know.
And it was so successful and they had great writers, they had great
producers, the studio, the engineers were, I don't know, they were like ahead of
their time.
I heard a story not too long ago from one of the original engineers
that when they were looking to put an echo chamber in Motown, which they had,
in the attic of the house, and the very first house where the studio was, they
bought sides of airplanes, B-52 bombers or whatever there was in that day, B-50s,
B-52s, and they became the echo chambers, the side of the plane.
And then they
didn't have no compressors, so guess what they did?
They bought the airplane
compressor and used that.
That was their first compressor.
Pretty wild, yeah.
So
there were some guys over there that, they were, I don't know, they probably were from a
different planet.
Really?
I mean, you know, they, just when you can listen to some
of them records right now, they just bounce that and hit you in the face like,
you know, maybe they cut them so hot, I don't know how they came about it, but
they, there was a combination of all the right ingredients at that time.
In
Detroit, the couple tunes I played on from Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album,
Jameson played on What's Going On.
We got to get that straight because he played on
that, but there was a couple other hits, Mercy Mercy Me and Inner City Blues, yeah.
Well, I happened to do those, those couple tunes, and I'm kind of proud of that.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Stevie Wonder, War, Inland Star, Ball of Confusion, Diana Ross,
Touch Me in the Morning, but there was two songs I really locked into.
Gladys Knight
had left Motown and signed with Buda Records.
Motown was moving her whole
operations to California, so I decided to move.
There was producers coming in to
Detroit from the East Coast as well as from different places, and there was a
few of them that said, you know, if you ever think about moving, you should think
about moving to the East Coast.
[G] So, okay, so I made that move to the East Coast,
and after I'd been there a while, I played on Midnight Train to Georgia,
Gladys Knight.
[N] That's really, that song was the only song I played on that
actually won a Grammy, and I felt really good about that, but I just, to this day,
if I hear it, you know, it's just, it's good, it's a good feeling, you know.
It's definitely a highlight.
Key:
G
A
E
F#
G
A
E
F#
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ Hi, my name's Bob Babbitt.
_ I play bass and feel fortunate, very fortunate, to be in the
situations and the places and to meet and work with the [N] people that I've
_ encountered in my musical journey.
_ I got locked into Detroit _ _ _ and started
getting a lot of work with the black artists.
_ _ Before Motown there was a lot of
other companies, a lot of people coming in and we're doing a lot of records
coming out there, but there was a core of guys, a couple [A] rhythm sections that were
doing the bass, the biggest majority of the records.
Something I'd just like to know from [G] you, for me, [E] when y'all were creating that music, you had to know you were creating something special. _
[N] _ Well, I think a lot of _ _ the guys were just happy to be working,
bringing up families and never thinking that anything was gonna come out of it
that was gonna be_
people would be talking about that, you know, years, 40, 50 years later. _ _
Well, the one day that sticks out for me is the first day I got called to Motown.
I'd been working live with Stevie Wonder and some with Marvin Gaye and then Stevie
called me for a session and _ I remember the tune, it was a cover of the Beatles
We Can Work It Out, which was a pretty big hit for him. _ _
_ _ _ [F#] _ _ That's
one of the highlight days of my career, I guess.
_ _ And I was a little nervous going over there because the original bass
player, James Jamerson, _ was doing just about all the work _ and _ there might have
been some earlier records, some real early records that he didn't do, but he
locked into where he was getting called for everything.
And again, it's that when
you're playing on hits for people, they don't want to change the formula, you
know.
And it was so successful and they had great writers, they had great
_ _ producers, the studio, the engineers were, I don't know, they were like ahead of
their time.
I heard a story not too long ago from one of the original engineers
_ _ _ that when they _ were looking to put an echo chamber in Motown, _ _ _ which they had,
in the attic of the house, _ and the very first house where the studio was, _ they _ _ _
_ bought sides of airplanes, B-52 bombers _ or whatever there was in that day, B-50s,
B-52s, and they became the echo chambers, the side of the plane.
And then they
didn't have no compressors, so guess what they did?
_ They bought the airplane
compressor and used that.
That was their first compressor.
_ _ Pretty wild, yeah.
_ So
there were some guys over there that, they were, _ I don't know, they probably were from a
different planet. _
_ _ Really?
_ I mean, you know, they, _ just when you can listen to some
of them records right now, they just bounce that and hit you in the face like,
_ you know, _ maybe they cut them so hot, I don't know how they came about it, but
they, _ there was a combination of all the right ingredients at that time.
_ In
Detroit, _ _ the couple tunes I played on from Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album,
Jameson played on What's Going On.
We got to get that straight because he played on
that, but there was a couple other hits, Mercy Mercy Me _ and Inner City Blues, yeah.
Well, I happened to do those, those couple tunes, and I'm kind of proud of that. _ _ _ _
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Stevie Wonder, War, Inland Star, Ball of Confusion, Diana Ross,
Touch Me in the Morning, but there was two songs I really locked into.
Gladys Knight
had left Motown and signed with Buda Records.
Motown was moving her whole
operations to California, so I decided to move.
There was producers coming in to
_ _ _ _ _ Detroit from the East Coast as well as from different places, and _ _ there was a
few of them that said, you know, if you ever think about moving, you should think
about moving to the East Coast.
[G] So, okay, so I made that move to the East Coast, _ _ _ _ _
_ and after I'd been there a while, I played on Midnight Train to Georgia,
Gladys Knight. _
[N] That's _ really, _ that song _ was the only song I played on that
actually won a Grammy, and I felt really good about that, but I just, _ to this day,
if I hear it, you know, it's just, it's good, it's a good feeling, you know.
It's definitely a highlight. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ Hi, my name's Bob Babbitt.
_ I play bass and feel fortunate, very fortunate, to be in the
situations and the places and to meet and work with the [N] people that I've
_ encountered in my musical journey.
_ I got locked into Detroit _ _ _ and started
getting a lot of work with the black artists.
_ _ Before Motown there was a lot of
other companies, a lot of people coming in and we're doing a lot of records
coming out there, but there was a core of guys, a couple [A] rhythm sections that were
doing the bass, the biggest majority of the records.
Something I'd just like to know from [G] you, for me, [E] when y'all were creating that music, you had to know you were creating something special. _
[N] _ Well, I think a lot of _ _ the guys were just happy to be working,
bringing up families and never thinking that anything was gonna come out of it
that was gonna be_
people would be talking about that, you know, years, 40, 50 years later. _ _
Well, the one day that sticks out for me is the first day I got called to Motown.
I'd been working live with Stevie Wonder and some with Marvin Gaye and then Stevie
called me for a session and _ I remember the tune, it was a cover of the Beatles
We Can Work It Out, which was a pretty big hit for him. _ _
_ _ _ [F#] _ _ That's
one of the highlight days of my career, I guess.
_ _ And I was a little nervous going over there because the original bass
player, James Jamerson, _ was doing just about all the work _ and _ there might have
been some earlier records, some real early records that he didn't do, but he
locked into where he was getting called for everything.
And again, it's that when
you're playing on hits for people, they don't want to change the formula, you
know.
And it was so successful and they had great writers, they had great
_ _ producers, the studio, the engineers were, I don't know, they were like ahead of
their time.
I heard a story not too long ago from one of the original engineers
_ _ _ that when they _ were looking to put an echo chamber in Motown, _ _ _ which they had,
in the attic of the house, _ and the very first house where the studio was, _ they _ _ _
_ bought sides of airplanes, B-52 bombers _ or whatever there was in that day, B-50s,
B-52s, and they became the echo chambers, the side of the plane.
And then they
didn't have no compressors, so guess what they did?
_ They bought the airplane
compressor and used that.
That was their first compressor.
_ _ Pretty wild, yeah.
_ So
there were some guys over there that, they were, _ I don't know, they probably were from a
different planet. _
_ _ Really?
_ I mean, you know, they, _ just when you can listen to some
of them records right now, they just bounce that and hit you in the face like,
_ you know, _ maybe they cut them so hot, I don't know how they came about it, but
they, _ there was a combination of all the right ingredients at that time.
_ In
Detroit, _ _ the couple tunes I played on from Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album,
Jameson played on What's Going On.
We got to get that straight because he played on
that, but there was a couple other hits, Mercy Mercy Me _ and Inner City Blues, yeah.
Well, I happened to do those, those couple tunes, and I'm kind of proud of that. _ _ _ _
Signed, Sealed, Delivered, Stevie Wonder, War, Inland Star, Ball of Confusion, Diana Ross,
Touch Me in the Morning, but there was two songs I really locked into.
Gladys Knight
had left Motown and signed with Buda Records.
Motown was moving her whole
operations to California, so I decided to move.
There was producers coming in to
_ _ _ _ _ Detroit from the East Coast as well as from different places, and _ _ there was a
few of them that said, you know, if you ever think about moving, you should think
about moving to the East Coast.
[G] So, okay, so I made that move to the East Coast, _ _ _ _ _
_ and after I'd been there a while, I played on Midnight Train to Georgia,
Gladys Knight. _
[N] That's _ really, _ that song _ was the only song I played on that
actually won a Grammy, and I felt really good about that, but I just, _ to this day,
if I hear it, you know, it's just, it's good, it's a good feeling, you know.
It's definitely a highlight. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _