“When you gonna be a frontman, I like frontmen that play guitars, not bass”: Super-producer Raphael Saadiq on why it’s challenging to be a lead singer and dig in on bass at the same time
Nowadays, Raphael Saadiq is known as a multi-instrumental Grammy Award-winning producer for the likes of Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige. But in his early years, he made his mark as a bassist, most notably fronting and playing bass in the group Tony! Toni! Toné! However, he recently admitted that being the lead vocalist while playing bass can be tricky – which was one of the reasons he decided to switch to guitar.
“When you gonna be a frontman, I like frontmen that play guitars, not bass,” he says on the Broken Record Podcast. “I mean, I love Larry [Graham], he plays bass, but it’s hard to play bass and sing, [like] Bootsy [Collins], Level 42, Rush.”
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49
