Online Poll

• According to votes cast in a 2010 "Music Radar" poll, Iron Maiden's Steve Harris was the fourth greatest electric bass player of all time. Harris was cited for the "galloping cavalry charge of his fingers." Slipknot's Paul Gray came in at No. 3. Geddy Lee of Rush scored 11 percent of the votes and came in second. The winner, with nearly 11,000 votes, was Dream Theater's John Myung. "Amazing perfect bass lines" and "powerful riffs" were two of the accolades about Myung.
  
  

"Rolling Stone" Poll

• Lee also ranked fourth in "Rolling Stone" magazine's 2011 poll. His ability to sing and play keyboards added to his ranking. Paul McCartney, whose talent for playing bass may be overlooked because of his songwriting ability, was third. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who was initially inspired by the 1980s Los Angeles punk scene, was second. The Who's late John Entwistle, known as Thunderfingers because of the power of his playing, won the top honor.
  
  

Fender

• In 2010, Fender celebrated 50 years of the jazz bass by pointing out the short list of bass players who had made an impressive contribution to music. Session musician Joe Osborn was on the list. Osborn played on Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" album, among many other records. Jack Casady, best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Noel Redding from The Jimi Hendrix Experience were also on the list.
  
  

"Bass Player" honorees

• "Bass Player" magazine awarded its 2010 Lifetime Achievement Awards to funk legend Bootsy Collins and jazz icon Alphonso Johnson. Collins came up in the '70s as a bassist first for James Brown and then Parliament-Funkadelic. His own group, Bootsy's Rubber Band, also had several hit albums in the '70s. Collins, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, was well known for his star-shaped instrument he called the "Space Bass." Johnson, who studied bass at the Philadelphia Music Academy, played with Weather Report, Phil Collins and Bob Weir among others. He also taught bass guitar at the University of Southern California.