She was a singer's singer: As noted above, you don't wade into the deep end with Barbara Streisand unless you're packing serious heat, and she did. She had moved to the Nashville area and lived here for quite a few years, until relocating to FL a while back, though she still owned the home here. Like so many great singers, she learned it in church, and never quite reconciled that upbringing with being the 'Queen of Disco', a title she never liked. She could sing anything and sell it.
I had just begun gigging in the late 70's, and at that time, with the coming of synths/sequencers (there were suddenly synth-bass records, MiniMoogs did a fabulous bass), we all wondered if bass and guitar days were numbered, particularly bass. A lot of guys fail to grasp that disco pushed bass (and drums) right up front, so I can never complain about disco.
What I can complain about were sooooo many of those tunes had those eighth-note octave up/down parts (think Donna's 'Hot Stuff'), and that was a WHOLE LOTTA BASS for someone just starting out in the bands, my hands would cramp and lock up, and my hands were built up from years of playing piano. Gee whiz . . . . . But it was a great time to come into bass playing with so many big parts under that stuff. Was a HUGE fan of Bernard Edwards' work (with Tony Thompson, both gone too soon, as well) with Chic.
J o e y
