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Encyclopedia of Soul Grooves: Donald “Duck” Dunn’s Classic Bass Lines By Rob Collier
Encyclopedia of Soul Grooves: Donald “Duck” Dunn’s Classic Bass Lines By Rob Collier… The bass world was saddened by the news that Donald “Duck” Dunn, best known as the bassist for Booker T. & the MG’s, died May 13, 2012 while on tour in Japan. The MG’s were the house band for Stax Records, a Memphis label which produced the likes of Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus Thomas, Eddie Floyd, and William Bell, among many others. Stax was often thought of as the southern counterpart to Detroit’s Motown Records. But where Motown was smooth and polished, Stax was gritty and gutsy.
With fellow MG’s Steve Cropper, Al Jackson Jr., and Booker T. Jones, Dunn provided the backbone for hundreds of hits in the 1960s and early 1970s. His playing style was never about being flashy, but always about providing the right groove. Dunn often played simple and repetitive lines, favoring one- and two-measure patterns that would repeat until the next chord change. Listening to a mid-60s Stax record is like being presented with an encyclopedia of soul grooves.
“Knock on Wood” by Eddie Floyd
The bass line on the verses of “Knock on Wood” (example 1) is, to me, the quintessential Duck Dunn bass line. It is simple and repetitive and it accents the off-beats. Dunn often accented off-beats to help propel a song forward, and he does it masterfully here. It is basically a one-measure groove without variation. It isn’t showy or virtuosic, but it is the perfect bass line for this song. Just try imagining the song without it.
“Eloise (Hang On In There)” by William Bell
The chorus in this 1967 William Bell hit has a very simple two-measure groove (example 2), but the subtle rhythmic difference between the two measures is a nice choice. Also, listen to the way Duck leaves space in the middle of the bar for Cropper’s rhythm guitar lick. These two parts work together seamlessly to form the groove.
“Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday” by William Bell
“Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday” was Bell’s follow-up single to “Eloise.” Duck plays a nice melodic line over this medium-tempo tune (example 3). He often leaves a little space on beats one and two, then plays 16th notes on beat four. This gives the line some movement without being too busy.
“My Baby Specializes” by Delaney & Bonnie
Duck lays down another great off-beat line on this recording from Delaney & Bonnie’s 1969 album, Home (example 4). He plays mostly on the off-beats in both the verse and the chorus. Notice how long Duck avoids the downbeat in the verses.
“Soul Man” by Sam and Dave
Classic Stax song, classic Duck Dunn bass line. The verse is just a one-measure groove that Dunn never varies (example 5). He gives the choruses more of a driving sound by playing straight eighth notes.
The bridge (example 6) is sort of a funkified two-beat.
“You Got Me Hummin’” by Sam and Dave
The outros of Stax songs were often the coolest parts of the recordings. The band always relaxed and just grooved once they got there because they knew it could be faded out. In the outro of “You Got Me Hummin’” (example 7), Duck plays another off-beat line doubled by Cropper’s guitar.
“Ninety Nine and a Half (Won’t Do)” by Wilson Pickett
Although this Wilson Pickett hit was released on Atlantic records, parts of the album were recorded at the Stax studio with Booker T. and the MG’s as the backing band. The bass line is basically a two-measure groove (example 8). Again, Duck rarely varies the pattern.
“Sister’s Got a Boyfriend” by Rufus Thomas
Rufus Thomas’ “Sister’s Got a Boyfriend” is a bit more obscure, but the groove is so good—it’s not just the bass line, but a whole band effort. It’s another off-beat, one-measure pattern (example 9).
“Hip Hug-Her” by Booker T. and the MG’s
Because Booker T. and the MG’s were an instrumental group, each member of the band carried an extra heavy load. Duck’s bass line on “Hip Hug-Her” is simple and repetitive, as was his trademark, but it also serves as a melodic hook. The main groove is a two-measure pattern (example 10). It is basically the same measure repeated, but the second measure has a little rhythmic hiccup that keeps the groove interesting.
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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