Its dam was built at the meeting place of Lindley Creek and Pomme de Terre River. The lake’s name, “Pomme de Terre,” means the “apple of the earth,” which reigns true with its unspoiled nature and host of wildlife. Head to Springfield for Mercy Hospital, Branson-Springfield National Airport, Battlefield Mall, or Missouri State University. ![]() We did the craziest thing once – we were doing a live TV show in France, and he didn’t tell us up front what we were going to play, so every song was called on the spot.Pomme de Terre Lake is located 30 minutes from Bolivar and about an hour from Springfield.īolivar is convenient for typical city establishments like schools, banks, supermarkets, and restaurants. “Some of it could be on the spot in the show he would say ‘Watch me’ and direct stuff. There might be a whole new arrangement at soundcheck, and then that would be the version we would play that night. Prince used to modify songs on a daily basis, and changes happened very quickly. It was training, just like everything else is training. “In the beginning, I would write everything down and keep it – but then I amazed myself at how quickly I was able to learn, remember and recall quickly. That was a lot of work! But at a certain point, I got to a place where I was able to learn really fast and remember stuff clearly. ![]() There was no quick route other than sitting down and learning the songs, and I was joining a band that was already there, so I had a month to catch up which added some pressure. “When I joined Prince’s band 3rdeyegirl in 2010, I thought I knew a lot of his songs, but we were just getting started. Worked with Prince 2010-16 appears on Plectrumelectrum (2014). I have high respect for the overhand style of playing, and when I see a player pull that thumb back, it’s another of my bass children right there.” “Over time, I became more aware of players playing like me – players in other genres started thumping and plucking. There weren’t lots of videos of my stuff around, so people couldn’t see what I was doing, but as we did more TV shows, people realized they had to play like me, especially in covers bands playing the tunes I’d played on. I went through a long period of time where I didn’t realize my influence on other bassists. “Bass players are always aware of other bassists. And Prince and I play bass – and again it works, even though it’s different.” When Stanley Clarke and I work, he plays piccolo bass, and they don’t clash as his choice of part is different. For example, Marcus Miller and I work well as he plays his lines like a vocalist. “There are some bassists that I’ve played with, where we can play at the same time and complement each other. He was from that Willie Weeks kind of school, where he could take two notes and do a solo with them, and make you go, ‘What?’” ![]() It’s not about how fast he could play or whatever, it was his feel, which was phenomenal. “That guy could play some bass, you can believe it – and it was all about the feel. But that, to my mind, was part of the sound that he got. He used different techniques: in fact, he used a lot of hybrid stuff that from an educational standpoint was bad technique, and wrong, and you’d think that he shouldn’t have played like that. That guy could play some bass, you can believe it – and it was all about the feel It was the most amazing musical experience that I have ever had. I was thinking, ‘What? I must have done something right.’ So there’s a lot of special moments there. That was his own composition, a very beautiful ballad – and he asked me to take a solo on it, with the fretless. “One was I Can’t Make U Love Me, which was a version of a Bonnie Raitt song, and the other one was Dreamin’ About U. I guess he liked the instrument – he asked me to play the fretless on two songs. When I first met him, I brought a fretless bass down to the audition with me, because at that time in the '90s a lot of people were using keyboard samples. “I auditioned for him quite a while before I got the gig, because he was not quick about making a decision like that. At the time it was the biggest thing that I had ever walked into, and it changed the trajectory of my life. ![]() It was on and off sometimes, and then we’d get back together, because we had a relationship where we needed to get separated, you know – so we’d get back together and then separate again, haha! But it was really amazing to be part of his experience. There were lots of ups and downs, but it was a relationship that spanned from 1996 to 2010, when I joined Jeff Beck. “The years that I spent with Prince were absolutely incredible. Worked with Prince 1996-2010 appears on Emancipation (1996), Crystal Ball (1998), Rave In2 The Joy Fantastic (2001), One Nite Alone. (Image credit: Steve Thorne/Redferns via Getty Images)
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