5 Most Inventive Rock Bassists

When the Beatles first began, Paul McCartney was known as the pretty boy who played bass and sang the Beatles' ballads. Throughout the band's tenure, McCartney took the bass from the low-end support into a musical force to be reckoned with. Across the Beatles late period masterpieces, McCartney's work on the bass provided musical hooks such as the funk lines in "Taxman" or the subtle swing of "Dear Prudence."

His songwriting also became the template for rock and roll to come. McCartney branched out to a myriad of different instruments, from woodwinds to pianos to strings and everything in between. However when it came to the bass, Paul's expertise knew no boundaries.

With each passing tune, McCartney was defining how to provide the low end to rock songs. While many bassists in the 60's were content to hang in the back and peddle the root notes, Paul's basslines danced between the chords to create a sophisticated musical piece. He also created one of the grooviest bass showcases in the track "Come Together." By the time the Beatles had called it quits at the end of the 60's, McCartney had gone from a humble bass player into a true musical virtuoso.