QUINCY JONES, MONK MONTGOMERY & THE ELECTRIC BASS

A #blackhistorymonth video

This video post on pioneering electric bassist Monk Montgomery is based on a section of my 1988 book, The Death of Rhythm & Blues, which is a narrative history of black popular music with an emphasis on the creation of R&B as a musical culture and commercial enterprise from after World War II into the mid-’80s. The seeds of decline were already apparent and the rise of hip hop was imminent when the book was published. The late Quincy Jones peeped me to the electric bass’s introduction and its initial impact. Below is a photo of Monk Montgomery with an early Fender Precision bass and an ad from the ‘50s for this new musical instrument.