Musician. Jamerson was born on January 29, 1936, in Charleston, the son of James and Elizabeth Jamerson. He demonstrated an aptitude for music at an early age, playing piano by age ten, studying trombone in elementary school, and soaking in jazz, gospel, and blues music from local radio stations.<\/p>\n
By 1954 Jamerson had moved to Detroit, where his mother had gone the previous year in search of employment. Enrolling in Detroit\u2019s Northwestern High School, he took up a new instrument: the upright bass. He began playing with local jazz and blues bands, quickly establishing himself as one of the hottest bassists in the Motor City. He was soon in demand by most of Detroit\u2019s recording labels. He then came to the attention of a songwriter and producer named Berry Gordy, the talented and ambitious owner of the fledgling Motown label. Jamerson began session work for Gordy around 1959. By the early 1960s, Jamerson had become \u201cMotown\u2019s premier groovemaster.\u201d As a cornerstone of Motown\u2019s renowned studio band, the \u201cFunk Brothers,\u201d Jamerson\u2019s skill and style on the bass became legendary. He played on almost every Motown record during its 1963\u20131968 heyday, providing the groove for such immortal records as \u201cBernadette,\u201d \u201cAin\u2019t To Proud To Beg,\u201d \u201cI Heard It Through The Grapevine,\u201d \u201cYou Can\u2019t Hurry Love,\u201d and Marvin Gaye\u2019s classic album What\u2019s Going On. <\/em>By some accounts, Jamerson played on more number one records than any musician in the history of rock and roll.<\/p>\n Despite his indisputable genius, Jamerson\u2019s increasingly erratic behavior and drinking problems had lowered his standing with Motown by the 1970s. He moved to Los Angeles in 1973 and for a time enjoyed a full schedule of session work, touring, and recording. Alcohol and emotional problems, however, gradually eroded demand for his declining talents. Jamerson died in Los Angeles on August 2, 1983. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.<\/p>\n Miller, Michael. \u201cFrom the Bottom to the Top, S.C. Bass Player Invented the Foundation of Motown Sound.\u201d Columbia State, <\/em>April 22, 2003, pp. D1, D3.<\/p>\n Slutsky, Allan. Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson. <\/em>Milwaukee, Wis.: Hal Leonard, 1991.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Musician. Jamerson was born on January 29, 1936, in Charleston, the son of James and Elizabeth Jamerson. He demonstrated an aptitude for music at an early age, playing piano by age ten, studying trombone in elementary school, and soaking in jazz, gospel, and blues music from local radio stations. By 1954 Jamerson had moved to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","class_list":["post-8568","entry","type-entry","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","ecms-a-z","ecms-african-americans","ecms-art","ecms-charleston-county","ecms-civil-rights-era-1955-1969","ecms-encyclopedia","ecms-great-depression-1930-1938","ecms-j","ecms-lowcountry","ecms-popular-culture","ecms-post-war-america-1946-1954","ecms-the-modern-state-1970-present","ecms-world-war-ii-1939-1945"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n