5 Most Inventive Rock Bassists
2. John Entwistle
As the rock scene was first breaking, The Who were the first to cultivate what would be known as hard rock. The brunt of those accolades were given due to their deafening volume and drum lunatic Keith Moon, but John Entwistle's trademark bass tone set the stage for what the four-string could really do.
Entwistle's musical knowledge behind the bass gave the Who the ability to experiment with many different song structures. Across operas like Tommy and Quadrophenia, John Entwistle turned in show stopping performances as he flew all over the fretboard with precision. His bass tone of using specific bass strings made for a completely original sound as well.
The Who also knew that Entwistle was the band's secret weapon. It's no accident that the classic single "My Generation" stuffs a bass solo into a 3 minute pop song. Entwistle's sturdiness in technique and in the Who's live shows garnered him the nickname of The Ox.
Sadly, we lost Entwitsle in 2002, leaving Pete Towshend and Roger Daltrey as the last surviving members of the Who. As the band continues on, the sound of the band is very different without the Ox's trademark bass lines.