Tim Drummond

For the baseball player, see Tim Drummond (baseball).

Tim Drummond (born Timothy Lee Drummond; 20 April 1941 in Canton, IL) is an American bass guitarist who has toured and recorded with many notable artists including Conway Twitty, Bob Dylan, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Ry Cooder, J. J. Cale, Lonnie Mack, Miles Davis, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, Albert Collins, Jewel, Essra Mohawk, and many others.

Drummond has co-written songs with many of the artists he has worked with, including: "Saved" (Bob Dylan), "Who's Talking" (J.J. Cale), and "Down In Hollywood" (Ry Cooder). Drummond often plays as part of the session rhythm duo Tim & Jim with drummer Jim Keltner.

Time with James Brown

Symbolic of the troubled times that ran parallel with his occupancy of the bass chair in James Brown's band, Tim Drummond's short tenure was filled with controversy and rancor. As the lone white face on James Brown's stage, Tim continued to be the focal point of threats and verbal abuse directed at him by racial and musical purists who liked their R&B black. Leaving the country didn't make matters any better. Dodging artillery fire during the Vietnam War with his boss, Tim came back to the States with a bad case of hepatitis, an illness that would knock him off the road before the end of the year.

Thankfully, the politics of race and his physical ailment did not affect his bass playing. A study in contrasts from his simple, bottom-heavy performance on "I Can't Stand Myself," Tim lays down a dynamic, high register bass ostinato in "Licking Stick" - a bass line that has humbled many aspiring funkaholics.