John Pierce: The Allure Of The Bass

Cris: Why the bass guitar? What initially drew you to play the bass?

John Pierce (Huey Lewis & The News): Between the ages of 12 and 16, with our little band from the neighborhood, I was the singer. And I wrote, I guess, all of our stuff. And my favorite part of the whole process was the bass line. 

The other thing when I was little … remember that tune “Tighten Up”? Archie Bell. It had a great bass part. I'm 16 and I say that's it. I just became infatuated with everything about the bass. And I certainly didn't want to sing anymore. It turns out, that was probably a pretty smart move. 

So at 16 I just totally commit. And then two years later I'm at Berklee College of Music. 

Basically, I played enough instruments that I finally found the one that resonated. The sound of it. The whole vibe. What it does. How it affects the sound of the music. I just fell in love with it.