We recently referenced a list of rock 'n' roll's greatest bass players. How about the greatest bass player you never heard of?Maybe you knew of this cat. You'll certainly remember his first band and the No. 1 song they enjoyed in 1965. And you know the other musicians he played with: Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix. That's pretty good company. There may have been others.
But the name Randy Jo Hobbs doesn't show up on that list of the 100 greatest bass players, and information about him is pretty sketchy. We know he was born on this day in 1948 in Winchester, Indiana, and he died too young, at 44, on August 5, 1993. They found him in a hotel room in Dayton, Ohio. There's not much in between, except this highlight:
He was a 16-year-old bass player in the McCoys when "Hang On Sloopy" topped the charts. That classic is much more than the official rock song of the state of Ohio and its primary college institution. It's one of those instantly recognizable good vibe songs that cause a dance to break out wherever and whenever it's heard.
That's about all we have on Hobbs. Maybe he was a great one, maybe not. We'd sure like to know more, so if you have something please share it here at the Sanctuary.
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