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List of Famous Bassists

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List of famous bassists, with photos, bios, and other information when available. Who are the top bassists in the world? This includes the most prominent bassists, living and dead, both in America and abroad. This list of notable bassists is ordered by their level of prominence, and can be sorted for various bits of information, such as where these historic bassists were born and what their nationality is. The people on this list are from different countries, but what they all have in common is that they're all renowned bassists.

Use every person on this list for yours, from Eddie Van Halen to Paul McCartney.

From reputable, prominent, and well known bassists to the lesser known bassists of today, these are some of the best professionals in the bassist field. If you want to answer the questions, "Who are the most famous bassists ever?" and "What are the names of famous bassists?" then you're in the right place. (1381 items)
Paul McCartney is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Sir James Paul McCartney MBE is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. With John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, he gained worldwide fame as a member of the ...more
Gene Simmons is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-born American rock bass guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, actor, and television personality. Known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the ...more
Jared Leto is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Jared Leto is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director. After starting his career with television appearances in the early 1990s, Leto achieved recognition for his role as Jordan ...more
Trent Reznor is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Michael Trent Reznor, known professionally as Trent Reznor, is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. As a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, he has led the industrial ...more
Flea is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Michael Peter Balzary, better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-born American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the ...more
Sid Vicious is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Sid Vicious, born John Simon Ritchie, later named John Beverley, was an English bass guitarist, drummer and vocalist, most famous as a member of the influential punk group the S** Pistols. ...more
Brian Wilson is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for being the multi-tasking leader and co-founder of the rock band the Beach Boys.
Joe Perry is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Anthony Joseph "Joe" Pereira is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He was ranked 84th in Rolling Stone's ...more
Dee Dee Ramone is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Douglas Glenn Colvin, known professionally as Dee Dee Ramone, was a German-American songwriter and musician, best known as founding member, songwriter and bassist for punk rock band the Ramones. ...more
Jermaine Jackson is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bass guitarist, composer, and occasional film director, best known as a member of The Jackson 5. He also produced and recorded duets with ...more
Pete Wentz is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Peter Lewis Kingston "Pete" Wentz III, known professionally as Pete Wentz, is an American musician best known for being the bassist, primary lyricist and backing vocalist for the ...more
John Entwistle is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list List of Famous Bassists
John Alec Entwistle was an English musician, songwriter, singer, film and music producer, who was best known as the bass guitarist for English rock band The Who. He was the only member of the ...more
Tony Ashwin Kanal is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Tony Ashwin Kanal is a British-American musician, record producer and songwriter. Kanal is the bassist for the American rock band No Doubt. His musical work outside of the band includes ...more
Bryan Adams is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Bryan Guy Adams, OC OBC is a Canadian singer, musician, producer, actor, social activist, and photographer. Adams has been one of the most successful figures of the world of rock music during ...more
Peter Steele is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Peter Thomas Ratajczyk, better known by his stage name Peter Steele, was the lead singer, bassist, and composer for the gothic metal band Type O Negative. Before forming Type O Negative, he had ...more
Arthur Kane is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Arthur Harold Kane Jr. was a musician best known as the bass guitarist for the pioneering glam rock band the New York Dolls. Kane was a founding member of the Dolls in 1971 and remained an ...more
Randy Jackson is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, former television music competition judge, singer, record producer, entrepreneur and television personality. He is best known ...more
Mike Starr is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Michael Christopher "Mike" Starr was an American musician, best known as the original bassist in Alice in Chains, which he played with from the band's formation in 1987 until 1993.
Ville Valo is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Ville Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer, songwriter, artist, and multi instrumentalist. He is the frontman of the Finnish rock band HIM. Valo has a baritone voice type and has maintained a wide ...more
Eddie Van Halen is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-born American musician, songwriter and producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist and co-founder of the hard rock band ...more
Nikki Sixx is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder, bassist, and primary songwriter of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming ...more
Joe Escalante is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Escalante is an American musician, record label owner, radio host, film and music video director, and amateur matador, as well as a former television executive and ...more
Roger Waters is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list List of Famous Bassists
George Roger Waters is an English musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd with drummer Nick Mason, ...more
Geddy Lee is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Geddy Lee Weinrib, OC, known professionally as Geddy Lee, is a Canadian musician and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Lee ...more
Patrick Stump is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list List of Famous Bassists
Patrick Martin Stumph, known professionally as Patrick Vaughn Stump, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, actor and music critic, best known as the lead vocalist, ...more