Musician. He was an outstanding bass player regarded as the first virtuoso of the electric bass. In 1959, when Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in Detroit, Michigan, Jamerson became a founding member of Motown studio band known as "The Funk Brothers". His bass playing paired with Benny Benjamin's drumming proved to be a defining element of the Motown sound on such classics as "Reach Out I'll Be There" by the Four Tops, "Dancing in the Street" by Martha & the Vandellas, "I Was Made to Love Her" by Stevie Wonder, "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes and many more. In 1964, he stopped touring to devote himself exclusively to studio work at Motown's "Hitsville U.S.A." headquarters. When Berry Gordy moved Motown's headquarters to Los Angeles, California in 1973, the association between Motown and Jamerson ended. He died of pneumonia at the age of 47 in Los Angeles. In 2000, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame via the Sidemen category.
Musician. He was an outstanding bass player regarded as the first virtuoso of the electric bass. In 1959, when Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in Detroit, Michigan, Jamerson became a founding member of Motown studio band known as "The Funk Brothers". His bass playing paired with Benny Benjamin's drumming proved to be a defining element of the Motown sound on such classics as "Reach Out I'll Be There" by the Four Tops, "Dancing in the Street" by Martha & the Vandellas, "I Was Made to Love Her" by Stevie Wonder, "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes and many more. In 1964, he stopped touring to devote himself exclusively to studio work at Motown's "Hitsville U.S.A." headquarters. When Berry Gordy moved Motown's headquarters to Los Angeles, California in 1973, the association between Motown and Jamerson ended. He died of pneumonia at the age of 47 in Los Angeles. In 2000, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame via the Sidemen category.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
Inscription
LOVING HUSBAND,
FATHER, SON AND
MUSICIAN
IN LOVING MEMORY
Gravesite Details
Grace marker replaced with monument on Friday, August 27, 2021 at special ceremony. See https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2021/08/27/late-motown-bassist-james-jamerson-gets-bass-topped-headstone/5619866001/
Family Members
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See more Jamerson memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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