Stuart Hamm
Encyclopedia
Stuart "Stu" Hamm is an American
bass guitar
player, known for his session and live work with numerous artists as well for his unconventional playing style and solo recordings.
, where he studied bass and piano, played in the stage band at Champaign High School, and was selected to the Illinois All-State Band. Hamm graduated from Hanover High
in Hanover, New Hampshire
in 1978 while living in Norwich, Vermont
. Following high school, he attended the Berklee College of Music
in Boston
, where he met guitarist Steve Vai
and, through him, met Joe Satriani
. Hamm played bass on Vai's debut solo album, Flex-Able
, which was released in 1984.
Hamm has performed and recorded with Steve Vai
, Frank Gambale
, Joe Satriani
and many other well-respected guitarists. It was playing live on tour with Satriani that brought Hamm's skills to national attention. Subsequent recordings with Satriani and other rock/fusion artists, along with the release of his own solo recordings (featuring a.o. keyboard player Tommy Mars
), solidified his reputation as a bassist and performer.
, inspired by the Philip K. Dick
novel of the same name, was released in 1988. On it, Hamm demonstrated his abilities on a number of original compositions spanning a variety of genres including fusion, country, and classical. On solo pieces like "Country Music (A night in Hell)," he demonstrates his slapping
and two-handed tapping proficiency as well as the ability to make the bass imitate the sounds of a wide range of instruments; the piece has since become a popular live piece. On the same album, he performs an arrangement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
Early in his career, Hamm was associated with Philip Kubicki's Factor basses. Later, Fender musical instruments produced two signature model electric bass
es designed and endorsed by Hamm himself, the first artist exclusive model ever made by Fender
: the "Urge Bass" and the "Urge II Bass" upgrade with a D-Drop Tuner. Features include a sleek alder body, a graphite reinforced maple neck with a 2-octave rosewood fingerboard, a pair of dual-coil Ceramic Noiseless
Jazz Bass single-coils (neck/bridge), a custom-wound split-coil Precision Bass humbucking pickup (middle) and a 3-band active EQ with 18V power supply. These basses were discontinued in 2010. Hamm has his own Washburn
signature models since 2011, the AB40SH acoustic bass and the Hammer, featuring EMG pickups, Hipshot bridge/tuners and a 3-band active EQ.
Hamm's slapping, popping and two-handed tapping techniques are demonstrated on his solo recordings as well as in his instructional videos Slap, Pop & Tap For The Bass and Deeper Inside the Bass. A popular part of his live performance often includes a two-handed tapping arrangement of Vince Guaraldi
's "Linus and Lucy" (from the animated television special A Charlie Brown Christmas
).
Since mid-March 2011 Hamm has performed with "The Deadlies," houseband for KOFY-TV's "Creepy KOFY Movie Time."
In July 2011, Hamm accepted the position of Director of Bass Programs at Musician's Institute in Hollywood, CA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player, known for his session and live work with numerous artists as well for his unconventional playing style and solo recordings.
Beginning career
Born in New Orleans, Hamm spent his childhood and youth in Champaign, IllinoisChampaign, Illinois
Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...
, where he studied bass and piano, played in the stage band at Champaign High School, and was selected to the Illinois All-State Band. Hamm graduated from Hanover High
Hanover High School (New Hampshire)
Hanover High School is the only public high school in the Dresden School District, in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. In 1963 it became the first interstate high school in the country as part of a bill that was the last ever signed into action by John F. Kennedy. Today it accepts students from...
in Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
in 1978 while living in Norwich, Vermont
Norwich, Vermont
Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States, located along the Connecticut River opposite Hanover, New Hampshire. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census....
. Following high school, he attended the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where he met guitarist Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
and, through him, met Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
. Hamm played bass on Vai's debut solo album, Flex-Able
Flex-Able
Flex-Able is an album by Steve Vai. This was his first as a solo artist, and was created in Stucco Blue, a shed converted into a studio in Vai's old back garden. It is very different from many of his other albums, and is largely influenced by Frank Zappa...
, which was released in 1984.
Hamm has performed and recorded with Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
, Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released eleven studio albums over a period of more than two decades, and is renowned for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques.-Recording career:...
, Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
and many other well-respected guitarists. It was playing live on tour with Satriani that brought Hamm's skills to national attention. Subsequent recordings with Satriani and other rock/fusion artists, along with the release of his own solo recordings (featuring a.o. keyboard player Tommy Mars
Tommy Mars
Tommy Mars is a keyboard player, best known for his work with Frank Zappa.Born in Connecticut, U.S.A., 26 October 1951 Mars began piano lessons at age eight, and later his instrument range expanded to various keyboards and synthesizers. Mars graduated in 1972 from the Hartt College of Music in...
), solidified his reputation as a bassist and performer.
Style
Hamm's first solo album, Radio Free AlbemuthRadio Free Albemuth (album)
Radio Free Albemuth is the debut solo album by virtuoso bassist Stuart Hamm, released in 1988 on Relativity Records. Hamm demonstrates his ability on the bass guitar and is backed up by famous guitarists Allan Holdsworth and Joe Satriani....
, inspired by the Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
novel of the same name, was released in 1988. On it, Hamm demonstrated his abilities on a number of original compositions spanning a variety of genres including fusion, country, and classical. On solo pieces like "Country Music (A night in Hell)," he demonstrates his slapping
Slapping
In music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the double bass and on the bass guitar.-Double bass:...
and two-handed tapping proficiency as well as the ability to make the bass imitate the sounds of a wide range of instruments; the piece has since become a popular live piece. On the same album, he performs an arrangement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
Early in his career, Hamm was associated with Philip Kubicki's Factor basses. Later, Fender musical instruments produced two signature model electric bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
es designed and endorsed by Hamm himself, the first artist exclusive model ever made by Fender
Fender
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, commonly referred to as simply Fender, of Scottsdale, Arizona is a manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers, such as solid-body electric guitars, including the Stratocaster and the Telecaster...
: the "Urge Bass" and the "Urge II Bass" upgrade with a D-Drop Tuner. Features include a sleek alder body, a graphite reinforced maple neck with a 2-octave rosewood fingerboard, a pair of dual-coil Ceramic Noiseless
Vintage Noiseless
The Vintage Noiseless series is a line of electric guitar pickups made by Fender. Introduced in 1998, they feature a stacked-coil design. The range includes models for electric guitars and basses. The Vintage Noiseless pickups were an original equipment material on the American Deluxe series...
Jazz Bass single-coils (neck/bridge), a custom-wound split-coil Precision Bass humbucking pickup (middle) and a 3-band active EQ with 18V power supply. These basses were discontinued in 2010. Hamm has his own Washburn
Washburn Guitars
Washburn Guitars is an American guitar manufacturer. It was established in 1883 in Chicago, Illinois. Washburn is a part of U.S. Music Corporation.- History :...
signature models since 2011, the AB40SH acoustic bass and the Hammer, featuring EMG pickups, Hipshot bridge/tuners and a 3-band active EQ.
Hamm's slapping, popping and two-handed tapping techniques are demonstrated on his solo recordings as well as in his instructional videos Slap, Pop & Tap For The Bass and Deeper Inside the Bass. A popular part of his live performance often includes a two-handed tapping arrangement of Vince Guaraldi
Vince Guaraldi
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Guaraldi was an Italian American jazz musician and pianist noted for his innovative compositions and arrangements and for composing music for animated adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip...
's "Linus and Lucy" (from the animated television special A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first prime-time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was produced and directed by former Warner Bros. and UPA animator Bill Melendez, who also supplied the voice for the character of Snoopy...
).
Since mid-March 2011 Hamm has performed with "The Deadlies," houseband for KOFY-TV's "Creepy KOFY Movie Time."
In July 2011, Hamm accepted the position of Director of Bass Programs at Musician's Institute in Hollywood, CA.
Solo albums
- Radio Free AlbemuthRadio Free Albemuth (album)Radio Free Albemuth is the debut solo album by virtuoso bassist Stuart Hamm, released in 1988 on Relativity Records. Hamm demonstrates his ability on the bass guitar and is backed up by famous guitarists Allan Holdsworth and Joe Satriani....
(1988) - Kings of SleepKings of SleepKings of Sleep is the second solo album released by bassist Stuart Hamm. It was released on June 19, 1989 on Relativity Records.The title of the album and many of the songs were inspired by the novels and short stories of William Gibson, including the Neuromancer , Count Zero Kings of Sleep is the...
(1989) - The UrgeThe Urge (album)The Urge is the third solo album released by bassist Stuart Hamm, released in 1991. It was the first of Hamm's solo albums to feature vocals, and included guest appearances by guitarist Eric Johnson and Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe. The song "Quahogs Anyone?" was recorded live at Santa Barbara on...
(1991) - OutboundOutbound (Stuart Hamm album)Outbound is the fourth solo album by Stuart Hamm, an American bass player known for his playing style and work with artists such as Steve Vai.- Track listing :# Outbound# ...Remember# The Castro Hustle# Star Spangled Banner...
(2000) - Live Stu X 2 (2007)
- Just Outside of Normal (2010)
With Frank Gambale and Steve Smith
- Show Me What You Can Do (1998)
- The Light Beyond (2000)
- GHS3 (2003)
With Joe Satriani
- Dreaming #11Dreaming No. 11Dreaming #11 is an EP by Joe Satriani released in 1988 with three live tracks and one new studio track, The Crush of Love. Live tracks, taken from the Surfing With the Alien tour were recorded At The California Theater, San Diego, CA On June 11, 1988....
(1988) -- Ice 9, Memories and Hordes of Locusts - Flying in a Blue DreamFlying in a Blue DreamFlying in a Blue Dream is a 1989 album by instrumental rock solo artist Joe Satriani. It is his third studio album .-Album information:...
(1989) -- Strange and The Bells of Lal (Part Two) - Time MachineTime Machine (album)Time Machine is a double instrumental rock album released by Joe Satriani in 1993. The first CD comprises new, unreleased, and rare studio recordings, while the second one comprises live recordings pulled from tours in 1988 and 1992.The song "Speed of Light", an unused song from the sessions for...
(1993) -- Disc One: Time Machine, The Mighty Turtle Head and All Alone. Disc Two: Circles, Lords of Karma and Echo - Crystal PlanetCrystal PlanetCrystal Planet is a 1998 instrumental rock album from guitarist Joe Satriani. It is likened to his classic 1989 release Flying in a Blue Dream in terms of sonics and songwriting, and features his first recorded use of a 7-string guitar Crystal Planet is a 1998 instrumental rock album from...
(1998) -- All Tracks except Time and Z.Z.'s Song - Live in San Francisco (2001)
- Live In Paris: I Just Wanna RockLive in Paris: I Just Wanna RockLive In Paris: I Just Wanna Rock is the 4th live album by guitarist Joe Satriani, released in February 2010. It is a 2CD Live set of his live concert in Paris, France on 27 May 2008.-Disc 1:#"I Just Wanna Rock" - 3:53#"Overdriver" - 5:18...
(2010)
With Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and Steve Vai
- G3 Live in ConcertG3: Live in ConcertG3: Live in Concert is a live album and DVD by the G3 project, led by Joe Satriani. It was released in 1997 by Epic Records. This lineup of G3 includes Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson and Steve Vai...
(1997) -- Tracks 1-3
With Steve Vai
- Flex-AbleFlex-AbleFlex-Able is an album by Steve Vai. This was his first as a solo artist, and was created in Stucco Blue, a shed converted into a studio in Vai's old back garden. It is very different from many of his other albums, and is largely influenced by Frank Zappa...
(1984) - Passion and WarfarePassion and WarfarePassion and Warfare is a 1990 instrumental album from guitarist Steve Vai. It has been certified Gold by the RIAA. It was written based on a series of dream sequences that Vai had when he was younger, and in the guitar music book of the album, Vai sums it up as 'Jimi Hendrix meets Jesus Christ at a...
(1990) - Fire GardenFire GardenFire Garden is a 1996 album from guitarist Steve Vai. This is his fourth solo album, as Alien Love Secrets is an EP.Fire Garden is divided into two "phases"...
(1996) -- Track 3
With other artists
- Richie KotzenRichie KotzenRichie Kotzen is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.At a young age, Richie Kotzen was taken by music and first began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven he was inspired by the band KISS to learn the electric guitar...
, Richie KotzenRichie Kotzen (album)Richie Kotzen is the self-titled first studio album by guitarist Richie Kotzen, released in 1989 through Shrapnel Records.-Track listing:-Personnel:*Richie Kotzen – electric guitar, keyboard*Steve Smith – drums*Stuart Hamm – bass guitar...
(1989) - Michael Schenker GroupMichael Schenker GroupThe Michael Schenker Group is a guitar-oriented hard rock band formed in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist, Michael Schenker. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Schenker Group, which lasted until 1992. After that, the Michael Schenker Group was reformed.The...
, Arachnophobiac (2003) - Working Man, a RushRush (band)Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
tribute album, tracks #7, #10, #11 (1996) - Yngwie Malmsteen, Ronnie James DioRonnie James DioRonald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
, for Not The Same Old Song and Dance, an AerosmithAerosmithAerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
tribute album, track #6, "Dream On" (1999) - George Lynch, Gregg Bissonette, and Vince Neil, for Bat Head Soup, an Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
tribute album, track #9, "Paranoid" (2006) - CaifanesCaifanesCaifanes is a Spanish-language rock band from Mexico City formed in 1987. They achieved fame throughout the late 80’s and early 90’s. The original lineup consisted of Saúl Hernández , Sabo Romo , Alfonso André and Diego Herrera . Argentine guitarist Alejandro Marcovich joined in 1989...
(band) on the El nervio del volcánEl nervio del volcán-Caifanes:*Saúl Hernández - vocals, 2nd rhythm guitar on "El año del dragón"*Alejandro Marcovich - electric and acoustic guitars, violin on "Miedo" and "La Llorona"*Alfonso André - drums, percussion, drum programming on "Hasta que dejes de respirar"-Guests:...
(album) on track #8 Quisiera Ser Alcohol. - Adrian LeggAdrian LeggAdrian Legg is an English guitar player who has been called "impossible to categorize". He plays custom guitars that are a hybrid of electric and acoustic, and his fingerstyle picking technique has been acknowledged by the readers of Guitar Player who voted Legg the "best acoustic fingerstyle"...
, Mrs. Crowe's Blue Waltz (1992) - Bill Lonero, "Slather" (2004)
- David Stockden, "Reflections of Themes" (2009)
- Thomas Tomsen, "Sunflickers" (2010)
Instructional videos
- Slap, Pop & Tap for the Bass (1987)
- "Deeper Inside the Bass" (1993)
- "Bass Basics" (2008)
- "Fretboard Fitness" (2010)
External links
- Hamm's website
- Philip Kubicki Instruments
- Bass Guitar Magazine Stu Hamm front cover artist Issue 27
- Discogs
- mp.3 bio
- Bio at Favored Nations Entertainment
- Fender Urge II bass
- Youtube video
- Interview with Stu Hamm..., 10/01/2009
- Interview with Stuart Hamm at AltGuitarBass.com
- Interview with Stuart Hamm at GuitarVideoChannel.com