Bob Babbit (1937-2012)

Bob Babbitt, bassist for The Funk Brothers and later with MFSB, passed away after a brief illness. He was 74.

A Pittsburgh native, Babbitt played on several recordings with Del Shannon before joining the Motown family. He initially brought in when primary bassist James Jamerson was either doing other sessions or not available, but as time went on, he became more of a go to player. Some of his most notable recordings include ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’, ‘War’, ‘Tears Of A Clown’ and ‘Inner City Blues’ among many others.

After The Funk Brothers were disbanded, Babbitt went on to work with Philly International Records as part of their studio group MFSB. He also played on hits by Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Spinners, Denice Williams, and The Manhattans.

The 2002 documentary Standing In The Shadows Of Motown introduced The Funk Brothers to a new generation of fans and emphasized their importance to The Motown Sound.

Replacing and supplementing someone as important and influential as James Jamerson was no easy task, yet Babbitt did it flawlessly. At one point, the tipping point on whether or not bass players got work in the Detroit area was if they could play Babbitt’s solo from the 1971 Dennis Coffey hit ‘Scorpio’.

Loved and respected by peers and fans alike, Bob Babbitt will be sorely missed.

Check out some of his work here.