Born in the Bronx, New York in 1946 Jerry Jemmott was one of the preeminent session bassists of the late '60s and early '70s, working with an impressive cross-section of the era's finest soul, jazz, and blues artists.

One of the youngest of the many Jazz musicians to come out the Bronx, during the 1950’s, Jerry Jemmott  found his way to prominence when he switched from acoustic to electric bass in 1964  and shaped his skills to eventually join many of his heroes in the recording studios of New York City .
He got his big break when he was discovered by Rhythm 'n Blues/Jazz saxophonist King Curtis, and played on his first major recording sessions in 1965, including Nina Simone's 'The Blues' album. Thanks to his  Atlantic Records connection through Curtis  he subsequently became a key architect of the Atlantic Records and Muscle Shoals Sound.

Jerry has been a performer since the age of five, starting as a tap dancer with Mary Bruce’s Star Buds, in Harlem, where he  performed at Carnegie Hall in their annual review. He stands on the shoulders of the many musical geniuses of his time but owes his love of the bass to bassist Paul Chambers, whose rhythmic pulse and note selection captivated him and Charles Mingus who's harmonic propulsion and writing skills continue to motivated him. His mother Jessie insisted that he take lessons and after one year of upright bass lessons with Felix Mann, he started working professionally at the age of twelve in the many bars, night clubs and ballrooms in New York City with different bands, 3 to 4 nights a week, always learning more and often teaching, as he went along.

His body of work illuminates the times both then and now as he played on the recording of  Ain't Got No/ I Got Life” w/ Nina Simone, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” w/Gill Scott Heron, “People Got To Be Free” w/The Rascals, “The Universal Prisoner” w/ Les McCann & Eddie Harris, “Think” & “Eleanor Rigby ”w/ Aretha Franklin,  “Attica Blues” w/ Archie Shepp, “Why I Sing The Blues” & “The Thrill Is Gone” w/BB KIng plus a recent cameo solo performance in the film “Mitchellville”.

B.B. KING says: “He never does anything just because it’s right to do; he likes to do it because it feels good doing it. He would come up with things that fit…Quincy Jones has a way of working with people where he’ll get them together and say ‘Okay, get into something. Jerry was the same way….Jerry was very concerned.” *

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*Excerpt reprinted from Bass Player Magazine
"New York Soul Stew - The Legendary Jerry Jemmott”, by Chris Jisi (Oct.99)

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