Pino Palladino

Early life

Born in Cardiff to an Italian father from Campobasso and a Welsh mother, Palladino began playing electric guitar at age 14 and bass guitar at 17. He bought his first fretless bass one year later, playing mostly R&B, funk, and reggae with a rock and roll backbeat.

Career

Palladino was drawn to Motown and jazz at an early age. He attended Catholic school and took classical guitar lessons. He liked Led Zeppelin and Yes and started a rock band.

In 1982, Palladino recorded with Gary Numan on the album I, Assassin. The producer of the album asked him to contribute to Paul Young's debut album. Young's cover version of "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" by Marvin Gaye became a hit in Europe, and Palladino received offers to record with Joan Armatrading, Go West, and David Gilmour. He cites as early influences James Jamerson, Danny Thompson, and Norman Watt-Roy and also admires Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham, Michael Henderson, Anthony Jackson, Marcus Miller, and Rocco Prestia.

In 1983, he joined The Law with Paul Rodgers, formerly of Bad Company, and drummer Kenney Jones, who succeeded Keith Moon in The Who after Moon died, and recorded the album The Law.

In the 1990s, Palladino alternated between fretless bass and fretted and 4-string and 6-string bass. He played with Melissa Etheridge, Richard Wright, Elton John, and Eric Clapton.

He played on Mike Lindup's first solo album, Changes with Dominic Miller on guitar and Manu Katché on drums.

In 1999, he began working with Richard Ashcroft of The Verve on Ashcroft's debut solo album, Alone With Everybody.

The Who's bassist John Entwistle died the night before the start of their first tour in two years. Palladino became the band's bass guitarist on tour. In 2006, he joined the remaining band members on their first album in twenty-four years, Endless Wire. He played with The Who at the Super Bowl XLIV half-time show in 2010 with Simon Townshend on guitar, Zak Starkey on drums, and John "Rabbit" Bundrick on keyboards. In 2012, he toured with The Who on their Quadrophenia revival.

Palladino met Steve Jordan in the mid-1980s while both were working as session musicians, which blossomed into a friendship. Jordan credits Palladino's apparent ability to "feel" changes in music, through melodies, basslines, and an embrace of genres of nearly every kind. According to Jordan, he had planned to meet up with John Mayer and Willie Weeks in January 2005 to perform Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope for victims of the tsunami that struck southeast Asia. Weeks was unable to make the performance, and Jordan suggested Palladino, who had heard some of Mayer's work and was willing to come. Beginning a set that included the Jimi Hendrix song "Bold as Love", the three found a chemistry together. They recorded an album and toured as a trio.

They released the album Try!, on 22 November 2005. The eleven-track live album includes cover versions of "Wait Until Tomorrow" by Jimi Hendrix and "I Got A Woman" by Ray Charles, two songs from Mayer's album Heavier Things, and new songs by Mayer. In addition, Mayer, Palladino, and Jordan are credited as songwriters on three songs: "Good Love Is on the Way", "Vultures", and "Try!". Palladino appeared on Mayer's third album Continuum and fourth album Battle Studies.

In March and April 2006, Palladino toured with Jeff Beck and played with J. J. Cale, and Eric Clapton on their 2006 album The Road to Escondido. In 2009, he formed a trio with keyboardist Philippe Saisse and Simon Phillips.

He played with Simon and Garfunkel on their Old Friends reunion tour.

In January 2011, he entered the studio with D'Angelo to finish recording Voodoo.

In 2013 he played on the Nine Inch Nails album Hesitation Marks and was a member of the touring band.

Technique

Palladino is noted for his use of the fretless bass on many 1980s albums. While it was typical for a bass guitar in a commercial track to have a rather generic sound and stay "playing the low notes", Palladino preferred a different sound, combining fretless tone with an octaver effect, and basslines that frequently added chords, lead lines, and counter melodies in the higher range of the instrument. Typical of this style was his playing on Paul Young's Wherever I Lay My Hat. His equipment at that time included a fretless Music Man StingRay Bass 1979 and Boss Octave pedal (OC-2).

Signature model

The Fender Pino Palladino Signature Precision Bass is modelled after two of Palladino's Fender Precision Basses. The body features faded fiesta red paint over desert sand paint, based on Palladino's 1961 Precision Bass, while the neck shape and round-lam rosewood fretboard are based on his 1963 sunburst Precision Bass.

Select discography

With Paul Young

With David Knopfler

With Don Henley

With Go West

With Elton John

With John Mayer

With Jeff Beck

With D'Angelo

With The Gaddabouts

With others