Megadeth bassist James LoMenzo recently named the 15 bassists that helped him shape his current sound. The rocker appeared on Guitar World and named many bassists, from Geezer Butler to Paul McCartney, but only one made it to the first place. LoMenzo told how big of an influence the bassist had on him throughout his career. Revealing the name, he said:
“I can’t say enough about what a massive influence John Entwistle has had on me. As far as my choices for what kinds of basses I play, the kind of tonality I would use, and the type of aggression I would employ throughout a rock song, John is everything.”
The Who bassist was the rocker’s one of the reasons for his excitement to start learning to play the bass:
“To me, he’s like the whole package of what first excited me to pick up the bass when I was growing up. So, he has to be at the top of the list for that reason alone. There’s never really been a player like him before or after, which definitely counts for something.”
Even though the Megadeth bassist made his name known with his contribution to thrash metal musicians, he started his music career with a rock band with the hints of jazz, named Empty Sky. His current Buzzard bass resembles the one Entwistle used, who also used Buzzard basses.
Additionally, the two had something else in common more than bass: They both played the French horn.
In an earlier interview, LoMenzo shared that Entwistle caught his attention when he listened to him playing the French horn, which eventually led him to form a seven-piece band with horns and cover the Who and Chicago songs.
You can find the list here and see what other bassists LoMenzo picked.
