Yes Tina ‘The Burp’ from Talking Heads was born on this day in 1950 (does not seem possible that she is older than me…..).

A fine bass player who always exhibited the typical burp that many bass players display as they play.  She has produced the Happy Mondays, worked with The Gorillaz and others.  Her style that combined minimalist proto art punk with a funk feel contributed to no little extent to Talking Heads’ signature sound.

I often think that people overlook the importance of bass players.  I can not think of a great band that did not have a great bass player.  The rythm section of a band is its bed rock.  You can be the flashiest guitarist in the world, you can have a voice that make angels weep but without a rythm section holding it together you are on a road to nowhere.

Talking about bass players who exhibit The Burp brings me to (the sadly missed) Gary Thain who played with ‘my’ band, The Keef Hartley Band from the 60s.  I LOVED that band, followed them all over the place.  Blessed with a supreme singer/guitarist in Miller Anderson their sound was based on one of the best rythm sections in the 60s.  They had Keef on drums and Gary on bass.

I need little excuse to add a clip of the mighty Keef Hartley Band………