Charles Walter Rainey III (born June 17, 1940) is an American bass guitarist who has performed and recorded with many well-known acts, including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and Quincy Jones.[1] Rainey is credited for playing bass on more than 1,000 albums,[2] and is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of recorded music.[3][4]
Rainey was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 17, 1940, and grew up in Youngstown. His parents were both amateur pianists. He learned viola, piano, and trumpet as a child[5] and majored in brass instruments in college.[6] He attended Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee.[4] Rainey began playing bass guitar in the military.[5]
Although much of his work was as a session player, Rainey recorded a solo album, The Chuck Rainey Coalition, in 1969. Other solo albums were Born Again (1982), Hangin' Out Right (1999),[8]Sing & Dance (2001),[9] and Interpretations of a Groove (2012).[10]
Rainey wrote the five-volume Complete Electric Bass Player instructional books, and filmed instructional videos. The early bass curriculum at Musicians Institute and the Dick Grove School of Music were created by Rainey. He also wrote columns for Bass Player magazine from 1990-1992.[5]
On November 5, 2011, Rainey had a stroke[11] which paralyzed his left side. He spent four years receiving physical therapy and practicing meditation and Hatha yoga, and made a full recovery.[6]
In 2014, Rainey and drummer John Anthony Martinez[12] cofounded Rhythm Intensive, which provides clinics, workshops, and master classes for aspiring rhythm section musicians.[13] Rainey and Martinez also co-authored The Tune of Success: Unmask Your Genius.[6]
In an interview with Chris Jisi in April 2020, Rainey disclosed that he had retired as a bassist and turned his focus to writing his biography and working with Rhythm Intensive.[14]
A Rainey signature line of bass guitars are produced by Alvarez Guitars and Ken Smith Basses.[7]
Rainey received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music at a ceremony on May 7, 2022.[15]
Discographyedit
As leaderedit
The Chuck Rainey Coalition (Skye, 1969)
Albino Gorilla (Kama Sutra, 1971)
Born Again (Hammer 'N Nails, 1981)
Coolin' 'N Groovin' (A Night at On-Air) with Bernard Purdie (Lexington, 1993)
Chuck Rainey/David T. Walker Band with David T. Walker (Toy's Factory, 1994)
^Shuster, Fred (August 29, 2000). "RAINEY NIGHT IN HOLLYWOOD MUSICIAN, RECORDING SESSION LEGEND ON STAGE TONIGHT AT BAKED POTATO". Daily News. Los Angeles, Calif., United States. p. 5. ProQuest 281762179. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
^Koster, Rick (May 8, 2000). Texas Music. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-25425-4.
^ ab"Music Legend Chuck Rainey to Lecture, Perform at Tennessee State University". US Fed News Service, Including US State News. Washington, D.C., Iceland. September 13, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
^ abcdFriedland, Ed (2005). The R & B bass masters. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. pp. 15–22. OCLC 946460558.
^ abcd"The Heart of a Bass Legend: How Chuck Rainey Found His Groove". International Musician. Vol. 114, no. 10. October 2016. p. 20. ISSN 0020-8051. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
^ abFriedman, Josh Alan (2008). Tell the Truth Until They Bleed: Coming Clean in the Dirty World of Blues and Rock 'n' Roll. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 189–200. ISBN 978-0-87930-932-9.
^Jisi, Chris (1999). "Chuck Rainey: Hangin' Out Right". Bass Player. Vol. 10, no. 10. p. 70. ISSN 1050-785X. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
^Jisi, Chris (April 2001). "Chuck Rainey's sing & dance". Bass Player. Vol. 12, no. 4. p. 24. ISSN 1050-785X. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
^Jisi, Chris (July 2012). "Chuck Rainey Rocks Steady". Bass Player. Vol. 23, no. 7. p. 22. ISSN 1050-785X. ProQuest 1025748122. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
^"Bass Player Chuck Rainey Suffers Stroke". Billboard. November 7, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
^"The Tune of Success Live Comes to Dallas!". Dallas Weekly. June 6, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^"Rhythm Intensive". Rhythm Intensives. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
^Jisi, Chris (9 April 2020). "Bass Magazine Lockdown Check-In With Chuck Rainey". Bass Magazine - The Future of Bass. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
^Pesquerra, Daniel (May 7, 2022). "Berklee Honors Ringo Starr, Lalah Hathaway, James Newton Howard, and Chuck Rainey at Commencement | Berklee". Berklee. Retrieved May 8, 2022.