The most underrated member of a band is, almost without fault, the bass player. Then again, the reason why a band’s sound works or not will typically be the ability of the bass player.

Hidden behind the greater crowd-pleasers of a band, the singers, lead guitarists and drummers, the bassists are supposed to be the clear-headed ones who keep everything together. And, indeed, some of them belong to the conversation when mentioning the top musicians of all time.

But who are the greatest among them? Who are the bass players that deserve to be diligently studied, musicians hoping to reach the greatest heights?

I don’t claim that it was easy, and don’t suppose anyone will take it as gospel. However, after a lot of thinking, these are, in my view, the 100 greatest bassists of all time, the kings of the groove, the lords of swing. Here’s who made the list.

The Top 100 Greatest Bassists of All Time

1. John Entwistle (The Who)

John Entwistle always insisted that fans knew he was not a bassist, but a bass player. Why was the distinction so important? Well, I suppose, it was a badge of honour. The Who, after all, was peculiarly designed as a rock group where the bass guitar and the drums were, for the most part, the lead instruments.

Entwistle could certainly pull off amazing bass leads. However, even more importantly, he managed to integrate all of them within an incredible catalogue of songs, contributing a few of his own contributions along the way. John Entwistle was a one-of-a-kind bass guitarist.

2. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin)

In the dictionary, under the term “modest”, there ought to be a picture of John Paul Jones. A colossally capable musician, blessed with both skill and good taste, Jones nearly always accepted the role of “secret weapon.”

There’s a danger, however, in only speaking of John Paul Jones as an assistant to Jimmy Page’s composition. Turn your Zep albums over and glance at all of the songwriting credits Jones received. Listen to songs like “Stairway to Heaven” or “Bring It On Home” and try to strip them of the bass lines and keyboard parts and notice if they still make sense.

And, if you’re still not convinced of Jones’ greatness, just pick up a bass guitar and try to play through with most of Led Zeppelin’s early blues-rock numbers. I consider John Paul Jones to be one of the true bass guitar greats.

3. Flea (the Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Flea is to the bass guitar what Slash is to the lead guitar. He is the modern face of the instrument. It’s as simple as that.

What does one have to do to achieve that? Sure, a great image doesn’t hurt. Passion for the music plays a big part. But it’s Flea’s ability to know when to move from bone-crushing mayhem funk links to minimalist grooves that helps to set him apart.

4. Jaco Pastorius (Weather Report)

Serious bassists, those who study scales and love jazz, talk of Jaco Pastorius the way that Italians talk about saints. And, indeed, the man’s approach to the instrument was that of a poet trying to squeeze out beauty from every line.

It was his daringness, of course, along with incredible technique and almost supernatural ear for pitch and feel for groove, that had already made Pastorius a legend by the time of his tragic passing. His death, and the fact that there are only so many recordings of the man, have helped turn him into a bona fide myth.

5. Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

Most kids end up playing bass in their high-school band because they are the lousiest musicians of the bunch. For Paul McCartney, it was the complete opposite. He was the only one of the young Beatles, Liverpudlians playing Hamburg dive bars, who could play all of the instruments.

McCartney picked up the bass because nobody else in The Beatles could handle it. And, from Day 1, he never played the parts you’d expect to hear. Instead, on nearly every song, he’s been able to create melodic, groovy bass lines that enhance the power of each composition.

6. Chris Squire (Yes)

It was, I suppose, the very first time that I heard a bass guitar play leads and not be terrible at it. Listening to early Yes albums as a kid was a mind-blowing experience. And in that lies part of the magic of Squire’s and his band’s playing. While notorious for the ambitiousness of their compositions, the music of Yes managed to break through and be enjoyed even by non-musos.

His technique was faultless. But, I think, it’s the sounds that Squire managed to get out of the bass guitar that really set him apart. It’s no wonder that Les Claypool, in a recent interview, called the tone heard on “Roundabout” the greatest he has ever heard.

7. Bootsy Collins

There was always a suspicion, I would imagine, that the best rhythm-merchants were playing funk, R&B, disco and plain old dance music. But it was Bootsy Collins who proved it.

In fact, Collins was such a star, drawing the crowds’ attention both with his funky bass lines and his funky sense of style, that the likes of James Brown and George Clinton felt upstaged.

Yes, there are numerous ace players in funk music, but there’s only one Bootsy Collins.

8. Cliff Burton (Metallica)

Cliff Burton was a highly dedicated musician. How can you tell? Just find online tracks that isolate Burton’s bass on early Metallica tracks. Not only is the bass sound sticking out as much as both the lead guitars. And, not only are the techniques used highly complex. The songs are played with a manic intensity that few metal musicians have ever been able to match.

Burton’s sad passing in a road accident, and all of the recordings he didn’t get to make, only helped to create a standard for all heavy metal and hard rock musicians. I know that Burton deserves a place on the list of the greatest bassists of all time.

9. Carol Kaye

Carol Kaye, without much fuss or self-promotion, made some of the greatest contributions to recorded music across the past century. The great bass guitarists were the go-to session players for the likes of Phil Spector, Quincy Jones and, especially, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

All of this meant that Kaye’s name was not always featured on the records on which she played. But as students of pop music began asking questions, her name always popped up. Whoever wanted the best always knew to call Carol Kaye. That is why she deserves to be hailed as one of the greatest bass guitarists of all time.

10. Les Claypool (Primus)

Les Claypool specialised early on in two very rare things – highly eccentric lyrics and enormously expressive bass playing. This allowed Claypool and his band, Primus, to create a real niche for themselves.

It was just that once people started to get over the weirdness of the band’s lyrics, many opted to focus a whole lot more on Claypool’s playing and on the fact that few, if anyone, could truly copy it. A real gem of a player, Claypool is one of the true bass guitar greats.

11. Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath)

12. Geddy Lee (Rush)

13. Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)

14. Jack Bruce (Cream)

15. Ginger Baker (Cream)

16. Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead)

17. Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, David Lee Roth, The Winery Dogs)

18. Sting

19. Eric Avery (Jane’s Addiction,

20. James Jamerson

21. Tony Levin (John Lennon, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson)

22. John Deacon (Queen)

23. Larry Graham (Sly and the Family Stone)

24. Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)

25. Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order)

26. Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones)

27. John Taylor (Duran Duran)

28. Kim Deal (Pixies)

29. Roger Glover (Deep Purple)

30. Carlos Dengler (Interpol)

31. Mike Watt (The Minutemen)

32. Thundercat

33. Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads)

34. Dee Dee Ramone (Ramones)

35. Marcus Miller

36. Michael Anthony (Van Halen)

37. Charlie Haden (Ornette Coleman)

38. Charles Mingus

39. Donald “Duck” Dunn (Otis Redding, Booker T. & the M.G.’s)

40. Mike Dirnt (Green Day)

41. Bill Black (Elvis Presley)

42. David Hood (Muscle Shoals Studio session player)

43. Matt Freeman (Rancid)

44. Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave)

45. Mike Mills (R.E.M.)

46. Aston “Family Man” Barrett (Bob Marley & The Wailers)

47. Krist Novoselic (Nirvana)

48. Rex Brown (Pantera)

49. Paul Simonon (The Clash)

50. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)

51. Bob Moore (The Nashville A-Team, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison)

52. Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle)

53. John Myung (Dream Theater)

54. Darryl Jones (The Rolling Stones, Sting)

55. Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix Experience)

56. Bernard Edwards (Chic)

57. Leland Sklar

58. Joe Dart (Vulfpeck)

59. Dave Allen (Gang of Four)

60. Duff McKagan (Guns n’ Roses, Velvet Revolver)

61. Chuck Rainey

62. Justin Chancellor (TOOL)

63. John McVie (Fleetwood Mac)

64. Mick Karn (Japan)

65. Mike Porcaro (Toto)

66. Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire)

67. Paul Chambers (Miles Davis Quintet)

68. Victor Wooten (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones)

69. Doug Pinnick (King’s X)

70. Robert Trujillo (Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Suicidal Tendencies)

71. Ron Carter (Miles Davis Quintet)

72. Willie Dixon

73. Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze, Black Sabbath)

74. Stanley Clarke (Return to Forever)

75. Rutger Gunnarson (ABBA)

76. Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie)

77. Bruce Foxton (The Jam)

78. Paz Lenchantin (A Perfect Circle, Pixies)

79. Pino Palladino (Jeff Beck, The Who, John Mayer)

80. Phil Lesh (The Grateful Dead)

81. Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick)

82. Rick Danko (The Band)

83. Robbie Shakespeare (Sly and Robbie, Peter Tosh)

84. Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth)

85. Jerry Scheff (Elvis Presley, The Doors)

86. Tal Wilkenfeld (Jeff Beck, TOTO, Prince)

87. George Porter Jr. (The Meters)

88. Mike Starr (Alice in Chains)

89. Mark Brown (Prince and The Revolution)

90. Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preachers)

91. Steve Severin (Siouxsie and the Banshees)

92. B. B. Dickerson (War)

93. Rinus Gerritsen (Golden Earring)

94. Matt Bissonntte (Joe Satriani, Electric Light Orchestra, Ringo Starr)

95. Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree)

96. Mike Inez (Alice in Chains, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash’s Snakepit)

97. Barry Adamson (Magazine, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Visage)

98. Joe Lally (Fugazi)

99. Pete Farndon (The Pretenders)

100. Simon Gallup (The Cure)

Notable Mentions

Richard Davis (Van Morrison)

Anthony Jackson

Steve Garvey (Buzzcocks)

Roger Waters (Pink Floyd)

Louis Johnson (Michael Jackson)

Adam Yaunch (Beasie Boys)

Jean-Jacques Burnel (The Stranglers)

Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction, AC/DC, Alanis Morissette)

David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets)

Melissa Auf Der Mar

Laura Lee Ochoa (Khruangbin)

Scott Shriner (Weezer)

Benjamin Orr (The Cars)

Scott LaFaro (the Bill Evans Trio)

Oscar Alston (Rick James)

Alec John Such (Bon Jovi)

Bobby Valentin

John Illsley (Dire Straits)

Marshall “Rock” Jones (Ohio Players)

Brian Ritchie (Violent Femmes)

Bakithi Kumalo (Paul Simon)

Esperanza Spalding