James Jamerson, as we said before, was part of the legendary Funk Brothers band that served as the in-studio band for Motown records. Unfortunately, this band did not get credited on almost all of the early Motown songs and they were basically faceless musicians that were considered employees and nothing else. But this group of musicians had a much bigger role in Motown’s success. They basically created the “Motown” sound with their unique approach to pop songs as proficient jazz musicians.
James Jamerson is considered a pioneer in bass playing. He was the first bass player who elevated the role of the bass in popular music. Before him, the bass was restricted to the background. Only playing simple root notes, and simple rhythms. Jamerson, being a jazz musician himself, was more familiar with music theory and he would add more substance to these simple bass lines. He would add more chromatic notes, chord inversions, and rhythmic syncopations. A key part of the “Motown” sound was James’s melodic bass playing.