Family members, friends and Motown fans are mourning the death of bassist James Jamerson Jr., who took inspiration from his gold-standard father to become a musical powerhouse in his own right.

When James Jamerson was laid to rest in Detroit in 1983, his gravesite was marked by a simple faceplate — as dictated by rules governing that section of Woodlawn Cemetery at the time.

James Jamerson Jr. attends the opening night of "Motown The Musical" at The Fisher Theatre on October 22, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan. Photo of Hank CROSBY and Larry VEEDER and Joe HUNTER and James ...

Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X He grooved for years in the Snake Pit at Motown Records laying down the bassline for hit after ...

Years later, none other than Sir Paul McCartney would single out the bass heart of that sound as an inspiration. "James Jamerson became just my hero, really", Macca once said, though he also revealed ...

After James Jamerson laid down all those funky bass lines in Detroit, helping to create 56 No. 1 R&B hits and 23 No. 1 pop hits, making Motown into a cultural juggernaut, popular music never has ...

The great Motown bass player James Jamerson didn't have a proper tombstone until Aug. 27, 2021. He died in 1983 at age 47 after a hard-drinking adult life in Detroit and Los Angeles. Jamerson ...

Few bass players have appeared on as many hit records as James Jamerson. Having cut his teeth performing nightly on the Detroit club scene, and working as a session bassist in local studios, James was ...

James Jamerson Jr. said he will strap on a bass Friday and play his father's part on "What's Going On," the Marvin Gaye hit that the elder Jamerson "always bragged about." He will play during the ...

Sitting at opposite ends of the board are Anthony Jackson and James Jamerson Jr., the world's foremost authorities on the ...

And one of the Funk Brothers, grew up in the Lowcountry. James Jamerson was born on Edisto Island in 1936. He died in 1983, but his work lives on. And a relative wants the Lowcountry to know the ...