Phil Lesh

I’m not a concert going kind of Deadhead…only saw them once, at Watkins Glen…but I love their records, and Workingman’s, American Beauty, and Blues For Allah are my faves.  Side 1 on BFA is genius level musicianship, and Phil was a big reason it.  He gave the band a lot of what made it great…a bassist with a rare melodic sense and ear.

Fare thee well, Phil. Like many, saw numerous shows in the 70s-90s. One night about ten rows back in the Phil Zone at the (old) Boston Garden, I thought those bass bombs would collapse my insides and turn me to mush. As @wharfy (good GD name) put it, may the four winds blow you home again ...

Since I heard he passed, I have watched as many videos of him with his 6 string bass. Genuinely fun to watch and hear.

RIP

Phil and Jack Bruce revolutionized rock bass playing, they weren’t shy about stepping out and playing an awesome solo taking the bass where it hadn't gone before. 

I've known some musicians who characterize that kind of playing as lead bass.

One of the best bassists I ever played with loved Phil, Jack Bruce and Casady, and Rick Danko.

The two "best" electric bassists I’ve heard live were John Entwislle (awesome tone) and Jerry Scheff (L.A. studios; Elvis, Roy Orbison, the doors, Dylan, Richard Thompson, Chris Hillman, T Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello). My appreciation of the bass playing of Leland Sklar has been growing greatly in the past few years.