Stuart Hamm
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Stuart 'Stu' Hamm (born February 8, 1960) is a highly respected bass player, known for his session and live work with numerous artists as well for his virtuosic playing style and solo recordings. Hamm relocated to Virginia as a teenager. 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 solidified his reputation as a bassist and performer.
Hamm's first solo album, Radio Free Albemuth, 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 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 basses designed and endorsed by Hamm: the "Urge Bass" and the "Urge II Bass."
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 performace often includes a two-handed tapping arangement of Vince Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy" (from the animated television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas).
Hamm currently lives in San Francisco with his wife and daughter.
Partial Discography
Solo Albums
- Radio Free Albemuth (1988)
- Kings of Sleep (1989)
- The Urge (1991)
- Outbound (2000)
With Frank Gambale
- The Great Explorers (1990)
With Frank Gambale and Steve Smith
With Joe Satriani
- Dreaming #11 (1988) -- Tracks 1-3
- Flying in a Blue Dream (1989)
- Time Machine (1993)
- Crystal Planet (1998)
- Live in San Francisco (2001)
With Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and Steve Vai
- (1997) -- Tracks 1-3
With Steve Vai
- Flex-Able (1984)
- Passion and Warfare (1990)
- Fire Garden (1998) -- Track 3
With Other Artists
- Richie Kotzen, Richie Kotzen (1989)
- Michael Schenker Group, Arachnophobiac (2003)
Instructional Videos
- Slap, Pop & Tap For The Bass (1987)
- Deeper Inside the Bass (1988?)
External Links
- Homepage: http://stuarthamm.net
- Philip Kubicki Instruments: http://www.kubicki.com
- Discogs entry: http://www.discogs.com/artist/Stuart+Hamm
- Bio at mp3.com: http://www.mp3.com/stuart-hamm/artists/3776/biography.html
- Bio at Favored Nations Entertainment: http://www.favorednations.com/artists/sh/sh.html
- Fender Urge II Bass: http://fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0191500886
- YouTube Video Clip: http://youtube.com/watch?v=H8Q_J2fIKPI&search=stu%20hamm
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