Chuck Rainey

Biography

Rainey's youthful pursuits included violin, piano and trumpet. Later, while attending Lane College in Tennessee, Rainey switched to baritone horn to join the school's travelling brass ensemble. While on active military duty, Rainey learned rhythm guitar and began playing professionally with local bands. His lack of improvisational skills on guitar led him to pick up the bass, and soon Rainey found himself working steadily as a studio bassist in New York City, recording or touring with many of the greatest acts of that time.

By the 1970s he had played with Jerome Richardson, Grady Tate, Mose Allison, Gato Barbieri, and Gene Ammons, as well as with Eddie Vinson at the 1971 Montreux Festival.

As a member of The King Curtis All-Stars, he toured with the Beatles on their second run across the United States. By the beginning of the 1970s, Rainey had firmly established his place as one of New York City's first call session bass guitarists.

In 1972, he released his first solo album The Chuck Rainey Coalition on Skye Records. The coalition consists of notable session musicians Richard Tee, Warren Smith, Specs Powell, Eric Gale, Bernard Purdie, Herb Lovelle, Cornell Dupree and Billy Butler.

Moving to Los Angeles in 1972, his work with Quincy Jones continued as a member of Jones' big band, and Rainey continued to work as a studio musician on others albums like, Betty Davis' famously shelved session from 1976 or Tim Buckley's Greetings from L.A. About this time, he bumped into friend and Steely Dan producer Gary Katz, which led to performing on tracks for Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan. His relationship with Steely Dan continued through Katy Lied; The Royal Scam, Aja, where he performs on every track except "Deacon Blues" (Walter Becker played bass for that track); and Gaucho.

Rainey's style has always been to provide a rhythmic and melodic bottom that works with the drummer for the benefit of the song. His books on bass study refer to a "sensitivity to music" and a dedication to studying the fundamentals of music theory. While his "sideman" philosophy of bass has not brought him the level of recognition of star players such as Jaco Pastorius, Rainey is by far more recorded than his more famous contemporaries.

As leader

The Chuck Rainey Coalition (1972, Skye)

Born Again (1981, Hammer 'N Nails)

Hangin Out Right (1996, CharWalt)

Sing and Dance (1998, CharWalt)

As session player

1965: Red Holloway – Red Soul (Prestige)

1967: Phil Upchurch – Feeling Blue (Milestone)

1968: Hubert Laws – Laws' Cause (Atlantic)

1968: David Newman – Bigger & Better (Atlantic), The Many Facets of David Newman (Atlantic)

1968: Cal Tjader – Solar Heat

1968: Laura Nyro – Eli and the Thirteenth Confession

1968: J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding – Betwixt & Between (A&M/CTI)

1968: Eddie Harris – Plug Me In (Atlantic)

1968: Willie Bobo – A New Dimension (Verve)

1968: George Benson – Goodies (Verve)

1969: The Rascals – Freedom Suite

1969: Gary McFarland – America the Beautiful

1969: Hank Crawford – Mr. Blues Plays Lady Soul (Atlantic)

1969: Yusef Lateef – Yusef Lateef's Detroit (Atlantic)

1969: Quincy Jones – Walking in Space (CTI)

1969: Lena Horne and Gábor Szabó – Lena & Gabor (Skye)

1969: Dizzy Gillespie – Cornucopia (Solid State)

1969: Gary Burton – Good Vibes (Atlantic)

1969: Al Kooper – You Never Know Who Your Friends Are

1969: Jimmy McGriff – Electric Funk

1970: Johnny Pate – Outrageous

1970: Junior Mance – With a Lotta Help from My Friends (Atlantic)

1970: Shirley Scott – Something (Atlantic)

1970: Billy Butler: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (Prestige)

1970: Yusef Lateef – Suite 16 (Atlantic)

1970: Ray Bryant – MCMLXX (Atlantic)

1970: Roberta Flack – Chapter Two

1970: Laura Nyro – Christmas and the Beads of Sweat

1970: Lonnie Smith – Drives

1971: Hank Crawford – It's a Funky Thing to Do (Cotillion)

1971: Gato Barbieri – El Pampero (Flying Dutchman)

1971: Donny Hathaway – Donny Hathaway

1971: Yusef Lateef – The Gentle Giant (Atlantic)

1971: Grant Green – Visions

1971: Gene Ammons – My Way (Prestige), Free Again (Prestige)

1971: Bernard Purdie Stand By Me (Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get) (Mega)

1971: Roberta Flack – Quiet Fire

1971: Mose Allison – Western Man (Atlantic)

1972: The Crusaders – Hollywood

1972: The Crusaders – 1

1972: Hampton Hawes – Universe (Prestige)

1972: Joe Walsh – Barnstorm

1972: Phil Upchurch – Darkness, Darkness

1972: Delaney, Bonnie & Friends – D&B Together

1972: Charles Kynard – Woga (Mainstream)

1972: Aretha Franklin – Amazing Grace

1972: Tim Buckley – Greetings from L.A.

1973: Donald Byrd – Black Byrd

1973: Dave Mason – It's Like You Never Left

1973: Margie Joseph – Margie Joseph

1973: Afrique – Soul Makossa

1973: David Newman – The Weapon (Atlantic)

1973: Charles Kynard – Your Mama Don't Dance (Mainstream)

1973: Mary McCreary – Butterflies In Heaven

1973: Bobbi Humphrey – Blacks and Blues

1973: David Clayton-Thomas – David Clayton–Thomas

1973: Lightnin' Rod – Hustlers Convention

1973: Donald Byrd – Street Lady

1973: Aretha Franklin – With Everything I Feel in Me

1973: Bette Midler – Bette Midler

1973: Sammy Johns – Sammy Johns

1974: Maggie Bell – Queen Of The Night

1974: Donald Byrd – Stepping into Tomorrow

1974: Bobbi Humphrey – Satin Doll

1974: Marlena Shaw – Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?

1974: Les McCann – Another Beginning

1974: Peggy Lee – Let's Love

1974: Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic

1975: Donald Byrd – Places and Spaces

1975: Johnny Hammond – Gears

1975: Bobby Hutcherson – Linger Lane

1975: Gene Harris – Nexus

1975: Bobbi Humphrey – Fancy Dancer

1975: Harvey Mason – Marching In The Street

1975: Steely Dan – Katy Lied

1976: John Handy – Hard Work (ABC/Impulse)

1976: Robert Palmer – Some People Can Do What They Like

1976: Nils Lofgren – Cry Tough

1976: Patti Austin – End of a Rainbow (CTI)

1976: Gene Harris – In a Special Way

1976: Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '77 – Homecooking

1976: Steely Dan – The Royal Scam

1976: David T. Walker – On Love

1976: Jackson Browne – The Pretender

1976: King Errisson – The Magic Man

1976: Marvin Gaye – I Want You

1976: Betty Davis – Hangin' Out In Hollywood / Crashin' From Passion

1977: Minnie Riperton – Stay in Love

1977: Lara Saint Paul – Saffo Music

1977: Tom Scott – Blow It Out

1977: Steely Dan – Aja

1977: Terence Boylan - Terence Boylan

1978: Dusty Springfield – It Begins Again

1978: Jiro Inagaki & Chuck Rainey Rhythm Section – Blockbuster

1978: Leo Sayer – Leo Sayer

1978: Frankie Valli– Valli is the Word

1978: Tavares – Future Bound

1978: D.C. LaRue – Confessions

1978: Cheryl Lynn – Cheryl Lynn

1979: Lowell George – Thanks, I'll Eat It Here

1979: Leo Sayer – Here

1979: Minnie Riperton – Minnie

1980: Steely Dan – Gaucho

1981: Rickie Lee Jones – Pirates

1982: Larry Coryell – Fairyland

1982: Ry Cooder – The Slide Area

1982: Eye to Eye – Eye to Eye

1982: Donald Fagen – The Nightfly

1997: Andrés Calamaro – Alta suciedad