"Mr. Bass Man," Johnny Cymbal (1963)
A great song with an essential mystery
Peak: #16 on the Hot 100
Streams: 2 million
“Mr. Bass Man” thrills me for two reasons. One is visceral, and the other is historical.
Visceral first: This song is hot. It’s a cheeky ode to the bass singer in doo-wop groups, with Johnny Cymbal insisting he doesn’t give a rip about the Frankie Vallis and Frankie Lymons of the world. He only wants to hear the …
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Lost Songs Project to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.