Bass Musician Magazine - SPECIAL August 2014 Female Bassist Issue | Page 168

Later, some major inspirations on bass were Todd
Phillips, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Roy Huskey,
Jr., Ray Brown, Christian McBride. Also on bass
early on, Ruth McLain.

were made better by the women before me, and
so on.

Musical inspirations other than bass include Bill
Monroe, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, David Grisman,
Joe Jackson, Shelby Lynne, Lucinda Williams
and The Beatles.

1) Just not being taken as seriously as a man
counterpart. 2) Not getting certain work in
male bands because of a “No woman allowed
on the bus,” policy. 3) Processing information
and reacting differently within a band setting as
opposed to some men, has caused a gender gap
on how band issues are resolved.

In an industry dominated by male
musicians, do you find that this hinders
or helps your opportunities?
I think it has both hindered and helped in
ways. It’s made me stronger and perhaps more
‘tuff skinned’ because I’ve been around mostly
men, in a professional sense. But it’s probably
hindered me as well because I’ve (sometimes)
been afraid to be myself, more so when I was
younger. Today, I’m confident with who I am and
don’t think much about the gender issue at all.

The challenges, whether then or now included:

What is your opinion of the image of female
bassists in today’s music industry?
I think it’s stronger than ever. With women like
Esperanza Spalding and many others, the profile
for strong women musicians couldn’t be better.
What, if anything, would you do to change
the industry for female bassists?
Just encourage younger women to continue to
pursue excellence. We can’t change how people
think or perceive us, but we can affect change by
pursuing our dreams and not allowing industry
precedents to get in our way.
What specific challenges do you face as
a female bassist?
I’ve been doing this for 20+ years, and so the
challenges I faced early on are nearly (but
not completely) gone now, which is a sign of
progress. And those battles I fought early on
Photo: Missy Raines & The New Hip

What do you feel are the advantages?
I’ll start with one of the same answers as
the question above, it applies to both.... 3)
Processing information and reacting differently
within a band setting as