Bass Guitar Centered Bands Are The Best To Have And Why From Blues Guru Dee Curtis

Most bands grow if they continue to expand playing and writing wise. Keeping this in mind it can signal new growth and maturity. Lessons are mainly a joke, and it's more important to just play, than learn to play scales.


Dee Curtis is a blues artist who definitely isn't pigeon-holed and plays and composes hard rock,R&B and his own brand of textured blues. Dee also gives it with a brand of 60's blues/rock. Dee's music has evolved to the point it goes over what most blues guys can ever hope to do. Yet, he still thinks he's not that great a player.


There seems to be a bass bent to Dee's composing and club work. His blues seem to center or go around the bass. This way it leaves the phrasing and any virtuoso work on Dee's part plenty of room to improvise. Dee has been able to solo yet give bass and drums their fair share. Dee plays great songs and has given his fans the type of music that doesn't concentrate solely on guitar.

Dee's Gear:

Guitar: Fender Richie Sambora Signature Model

Amp: Gallien-Krueger GKML 250 Stereo Amp

Effects: Rocktron Vertical Vibe--Simulated speaker like a Leslie


Dee Curtis is a Hamilton,Ontario Canada based blues artist

You can email him at: deecurtis@rock.com

How To Become A Consummate Bass Session Player

By Mark Grove


Co-writer: Dee Curtis



Like the Detroit blues artist and regular contributor to Canadian Guitar Player Dee Curtis always says about bass players, All I ask for is a good timekeeper who supports my playing and the band's, nothing else.


You can play the bass with what is called "The Magic groove" and not play above the song or the band. Just use common sense. This bass basics interview should be done with a bass player. But I thought it should be done with a leader of a band, that being Dee Curtis of The Big Dee Curtis Trio.

By doing this interview with a front-man, bassist's can in-grain some insight from a veteran musician on how to play bass for certain types of music, and approach auditions for live work and sessions.


This interview is a must read to keep for future reference, for not just bass players, but guitarist's and drummers as well. This will help front men in all genres of music spot a suitable bass player who has the chops and the feel for live or studio work. Keeping time is great, but if you don't understand the textural aspect of music you are just "Keeping Time".


MG:Do you like a bass player who can play guitar parts without playing above you or the band's tempo for a certain song?


DC: As a singer-guitarist, I need a bass player who is a team player and can support me, and that means play the tempo and the groove. One who knows when to bring the volume of the groove up when I rock, or take the volume down so I can whisper,or shout the blues.


MG:Where should a bass player develop their bass line off of, the guitarist or drums?


DC: A bass player should play off the drummers bass drum, and be aware of the rhythm of the guitarist. By doing so he can support the unit and he will develop a style, by playing in and off the pocket of the groove the drummer lays down. And as James Brown says: "The drummer should be on the good foot". A light foot on the Bass drum and you will lose your bottom.

Remember today's music has a lot of bottom, so drummers-use that foot. Weak foot, weak groove.


MG:Any types of cues a bassist should use when developing the phrasing of the rhythm structure?



DC: Yes, the bass player should have cue's that he use's with the drummer, and the drummer will have cues that he use's to take the bass player into a change or out of a change. And the leader will have his cues to take the band where ever he wants them to go in a song. After the group has played together and able to jam, they will be able to go where ever the music within takes them. A cue could be a (Nod, raising or lowering of the guitar neck, or certain phrasing. You'll gel together or you won't, but work on those cues.



MG:Is it important for a bassist that's auditioning to do either live shows or sessions to have a live or studio feel in their playing?

DC: Yes it is, a Bass player should get as much live playing experience as he can, be it jam session or what ever. This will give him a chance to play and work out his style in a live situation. Studio playing is a whole other monster.

You have to be able to play quite well,and your chops have to be top notch to be able to play the music of the moment. Log as much studio time as you can playing by yourself and recording your solo playing, along with playing with local bands and submitting your material to local studios, to see if your playing is what studios want for session work.


This makes you a better and more employable Bass Player in the studio and out. This will eventually show when you audition, that you are in the pocket and able to keep the timing of a song fluid.



Dee: Remember, the Bass is the bottom of the groove.

When you get the gig your hard work will pay off."And as they say, the proof is in the pudding".




MG:When preparing for auditions is studying your cd's and practicing to those songs a must?



DC: Yes, and I give all musicians a CD just so they have something to listen to and get a feel for what style of music I play. Depending on the musician it may take him on a 2 hour musical journey to Mars,The Moon and Mother Earth. And I love it when I can do that with a Bass Player.


MG: I've found that you've used quite a few bass players who've played mainly metal or rock and have had a hard time developing a solid bass time with the slower tracks than the faster, higher action ones. As a result of that do you have bass players audition with lower or higher tempo tracks first?



DC: First of all, I love playing with bass players from a metal or rock back ground. And yes, some have had a hard time playing the blues-R&B, soul, the slower songs. I use who ever can Groove to what I do. When they leave my school of groove, they are better players of all styles.


I have played with Bottom end players of funk,R&B and Soul. Some of them have a hard time with Metal and rock. So It's a two way street.

In my auditions I put the bass player to work. My job is to pull the best out of them. All I ask is that they stay in the pocket.




MG: Is studying set lists and previous bass players who've played with The Dee Curtis Trio essential for any bassist wanting to back you up?




DC: No, as my set list change's all the time. As I love to play originals and covers, I take a cover song and play it my way. I'm currently Looking for a killer bass player who can groove to tour with me in 2006.

Just listen to as much blues as you can, and any solo Cd's from Avante- Gard Producer and performer Bill Laswell who I played with. Greg Sanders (Jamnation CD)and anything by my former Band Thee Horizon, which I fronted in Canada.

Anything by James Brown, especially his Live at The Apollo release and any blues by Hendrix, and Band of Gypsies. Oh,and don't forget anything by Funkadelic of course.

Then e-mail me.


Dee Curtis is frontman for the band The Dee Curtis Trio,and a regular contributor and consultant for Canadian Guitar Player Magazine.Dee is based in Detroit,Michigan.


For further information please email Dee Curtis at:deecurtis@rock.com



Mark Grove-CGP


Dee Curtis-Co-Writer

Dee Curtis belts Out His Own Brand Of Blues In The USA

By Mark Grove

Back Catalog Article

Two Articles Combined




Good Friend and ex-Canadian based frontman for The Dee Curtis Trio has been honing his blues craft back home in Detroit for over the last two years. This singer/Guitarist as he likes to be known as, is going to finally come out with a CD of some brand new, and old material done with Musicians Dee has waited along time to play with.

This includes keyboardist and Dee's brother, Vincent. The first track "Red House” Mixdown" is belted out with a solid backing of walking bass lines and Dee's attention to taking his voice to new heights. The inclusion of Vincent on keyboard's adds a smooth harmonic element to Red House, and as a result gives it a new melodic twist.

"You been Had" is an instrumental taken from Dee's old days with, Thee Horizon in Canada. Dee has literally fused this track into an R&B track laced with definite Jazz leanings, and believe it or not, just a small presence of rock in this mix.

This last track "Carribia's Dream," is an electronic based Guitar instrumental, that I did like, but felt it would have gone over better with drums or bass included to hold the fort down on the rhythm. Look for Dee playing in Michigan and Southern Canada in the new year, along with a new CD to boot. As well, Dee will still be a senior adviser to Canadian Guitar Player.


Dee's guitar and amp rig will be in a future article.
Mark Grove-CGPM

Canadian Guitar Player Magazine—

Dee Curtis -- A Look Back at John Lee Hooker
By Mark Grove (A Back issue Article)

Dee Curtis is one of the USA’s strongest rhythm guitar players, and originally from Detroit. Dee is well known as an R&B artist when he was an up and coming touring musician in the 70’s and 80’s. One of Dee's closest friends and fellow musicians was one of John Lee Hookers son's and quite an accomplished keyboard player. His name is Robert Hooker, and Dee went to public school with Robert in Detroit. They were both in the same choir.

In 1968 when Dee was 16 he was asked by Robert to be a singer in his group. Now at this point John Lee Hooker was the last person on Dee's mind, and at this time in John Lee's career, he wasn't doing that much. He was mainly living off the records he had done in the 50's, and not playing on the club circuit in a big way at all.

Just shortly after Dee joined Robert in his band, Canned Heat came to town and watched John Lee play in a suburban Blues club in Detroit. Canned Heat's management liked John Lee's Blues style so much, he was asked to come out to California and open up on a regular basis for Canned Heat. Just opening up for Canned Heat was a moving force in John Lee's career and moved John closer to the Blues he loved dearly. Because at this point he was playing a lot of rock due to the movement away from your basic roots music and being with Canned Heat gave him that inspiration back to the Blues.

At this time in music, a number of well known artists such as Duane Allman, Eric Clapton and other artists with signature sounds were doing a lot of session work and doing a lot of Blues based work as well. This brought fans back to Blues but still had that hard edged rock appeal, mainly for whites. Dee Curtis was spending a lot of his time at John Lee's home on Anadon St.

In Detroit, practicing and doing sessions backing up John Lee's band as well. On weekends at Robert's it was one big jam session all day long, and John Lee's wife was known for putting out big spreads of food for the boys. This was quite a learning experience for Dee to say the least. Dee moved on in 70' and went into the armed forces for a stint. Dee hasn't seen Robert in many years since Dee went out to California and played with Horizon and the Hughes Corporation who came out with the song ("Don't Rock The Boat"). Robert is now a minister in California and doing his thing. Dee always said what a great keyboard player Robert was, and if things were different they may have done great things in music.



Dee did one thing though, on one of John Lee's albums in '69 which was a chart topping song regionally for a song called "Mr. Penguin". Dee played rhythm guitar on that track and John Lee did the main vocal line, which was, "Hello I'm Mr.Penguin". Now anyone who knows John Lee or his voice would automatically know it's his voice.

Mr. Penguin is mainly a funk based track where Dee got his affliction for being a funk master on guitar. The major R&B stations in and around Detroit were going nuts over that song because it was based on a dance called The Penguin. The major urban stations probably still have it somewhere in their catalogs. Dee Curtis is currently a solo artist in Detroit, with his Blues Band; The Dee Curtis Trio. Dee is working with drummer Paris, who is Dee’s brother, and has a revolving bass chair in his blues band.



Curtis has played with many top performers over the years including The Temptations Eddie Kendricks, avant-garde musician Bill Laswell, and many other fine blues artists while Dee was a blues artist in Canada up until 2004. Dee has high regard for those he played with in Canada, such as blues and classic rock bass player Vinny Trad who knew how to keep the rhythm section in the pocket Dee loved so, along with Rock session drummer Carlos LaTorre. Dee has a penchant for playing blues his way and always includes a proper dose of R&B along with his very tasteful rock blues tracks that take people back to a time in the 60’s when great blues was rare.


For more info on Dee or to ask a question: deecurtis@rock.com

To listen to Dee's Demos go to: http://www.myspace.com/vonlafayette

Are White Blues Artists Legitimate Bluesmen?

By Mark Grove



Not many white and black blues artists are legitimate in the sense that they have composed and play blues that is considered original. I’ve been to many jam sessions and blues shows. Recently, I went to a blues club reunion and saw less than a handful of blues guitarist’s who played with a real blues feel and sensibility.




One black blues artist Lil’ Ed, is well known In Southern Canada and the US north east blues scene. Ed played blues with lots of emotion and a party feel, yet doesn’t really put his own stamp on the blues. Most white blues musicians tend to copy blues of the masters and just noodle around--more than playing blues their own way.




One Canadian white blues artist that can play blues licks and chords his own way is Tim Woodcock (TW and the All-Stars). Tim plays a great style of Texas blues and can play a dirty, yet melodic blues intonation with chops like the greats, and creates it his own way.


I’ve seen many respectable white blues guitarist’s at Jams, who if they kept at it, would blow away the competition. If you listened to a blues jammer talk about blues they truly love it. But they never take it further. Most black and white bluesmen play blues note for note, and this tends to end up being a very regimented type of blues--like you’re acting in a theater rehearsal.




It’s great to play blues from 50 years ago or more, but you have to play it your way. If a blues artist at a club date or jam come up with something that puts a twist on an old blues number—-that at least shows creativity and innovation. So listen to blues, study it and learn to play it. Then change up parts of it so you’re playing with internal instinct that’s truly your own.



The top blues artists today tend to be obscure ones you never hear about, and have a laid back style on guitar that never gets heard because a front-man wants to hold center-stage. These blues artists never get to show why they love to play blues and have learned from the masters of real blues.

Here are some real Blues guitarist’s

Scott Holt
Dee Curtis
Tim Woodcock
Jimmy Vaughan
Derek Trucks