Livewire 2014: Stu Hamm

Through his innovative work as a solo artist and his contributions as a sideman to Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, Stuart Hamm has firmly established himself as one of the most influential electric bassists of the past half-century.

Extending the non-traditional function of the electric bass previously revolutionized by Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke in the 1970s, Hamm helped to reshape the contemporary concept of the bass guitar as an unaccompanied instrument with the utilization of polyphonic, two-handed tapping, slapping and popping techniques, chords, and harmonics.
He was also the first bassist to have a Signature Model Electric Bass with Fender, and has helped design amps and instruments for the Hartke, Washburn and Korg musical corporations.

As one of today's leading bassists, Hamm has released five critically-acclaimed studio recordings and has enjoyed recording and touring stints with guitar icons Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Frank Gambale.

His long-time associations with Vai and Satriani garnered him award-winning recognition on a global scale, and as a result, Hamm has received an extensive list of accolades such as being voted "Best Jazz Bassist" and "Best Rock Bassist" multiple times in magazine polls conducted by several major print publications.

For more info about Stu, visit www.stuarthamm.net.