Victor Wooten
Victor Wooten redefines the word musician. Regaled as the most influential … Read Full Bio ↴Victor Wooten redefines the word musician. Regaled as the most influential bassist since Jaco Pastorius, Victor is known for his solo recordings and tours, and as a member of the Grammy-winning supergroup, Bรฉla Fleck & The Flecktones. He is an innovator on the bass guitar, as well as a talented composer, arranger, producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. But those gifts only begin to tell the tale of this Tennessee titan.
Victor is the loving husband and devoted father of four; the youngest sibling of the amazing Wooten brothers (Regi, Roy, Rudy and Joseph), and the bassist in their famed family band; the student in the martial art of Wing Chun and the nature survival skill of Tracking; the teacher of dozens of Bass players at his acclaimed annual Bass & Nature camp; and the master magician.
Victor Lemonte Wooten got to music early, growing up in a military family in which his older brothers all played and sang. By the time he was 3, Victor was being taught bass by his oldest brother Regi, and at age 5 he was performing professionally with the Wooten Brothers Band. He recalls, "My parents and brothers were the foundation. They prepared me for anything by teaching me to keep my mind open and learn to adapt.โ Working their way east from Sacramento, the band played countless clubs and eventually opened concerts for Curtis Mayfield and War.
Victor was influenced by bass mentors, Stanley Clarke, Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins, while learning about the music business at a wildly accelerated pace. By the early '80s, with the family settled in Newport News, Virginia, the brothers became mainstays at Busch Gardens theme park in nearby Williamsburg, making numerous connections with musicians in Nashville and New York.
In 1988 Victor moved to Nashville, where he worked with singer Jonell Mosser and met New Grass Revival banjo ace Bela Fleck. A year later, Fleck enlisted Vic, his brother Roy (a.k.a. Future Man) and harmonica-playing keyboardist Howard Levy to perform with him, and the Flecktones were born. After three highly successful albums, Levy departed in 1993, and the band's new trio format enabled Victor to develop and display a staggering array of fingerboard skills that turned him into a bass hero of Pastorian-proportions and helped earn the band a Grammy.
With the Flecktones in full flight, Victor set his sights on a solo career, first forming Bass Extremes with fellow low-end lord Steve Bailey (leading to an instructional book/CD and two CDs, to date), and finally releasing his critically-acclaimed solo debut, A Show of Hands, in 1996. Soon after, Vic took his solo show on the road with drummer J.D. Blair. Momentum and accolades built with successive tours and the release of What Did He Say? in 1997, the Grammy-nominated Yin-Yang in 1999 and the double CD, Live In America in 2001.
Wooten won two Nashville Music Awards for Bassist Of The Year and is the only three-time winner of Bass Player magazine's Bass Player Of The Year. With the honors came sideman calls, leading to recordings and performances with artists like Branford Marsalis, Mike Stern, Bruce Hornsby, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews, Prince, Gov't Mule, Susan Tedeschi, Vital Tech Tones (with Scott Henderson and Steve Smith), the Jaco Pastorius Word Of Mouth Big Band, and the soundtrack of the Disney film Country Bears, not to mention the stellar work with guitarist Greg Howe and Dennis Chambers with the group Howe Wooten and Chambers.
Fresh off sold-out tours with the Flecktones and Bass Extremes (with Bailey, Watson and Oteil Burbridge) in 2004, Victor is re-focusing on his solo side in 2005 thanks to a remarkable new CD, his Vanguard Records debut, Soul Circus. A three-ring affair, the disc boasts such guests as the Wooten brothers, Bootsy Collins, Arrested Development rapper/vocalist Speech, Howard Levy, Dennis Chambers, Saundra Williams, J.D. Blair, Derico Watson, Flecktone Jeff Coffin, and a who's-who of bassists, including Bailey, Burbridge, Will Lee, Rhonda Smith, Christian McBride, T.M. Stevens, Bill Dickens and Gary Grainger.
On Soul Circus, Victor performs his usual high-wire act on a bevy of basses, but the real ringmaster here is his collection of songs: The poignant "Prayerโ and Prince-charged flipside "Nativesโ provide a thought-provoking look at our native Americans. The epic "Bass Tributeโ pays homage to great thumpers past and present. "On and Onโ is an instant soul classic. "Cell Phoneโ makes a chuckle-filled, cutting-edge connection. "Higher Lawโ stands as a stadium-ready, rock-funk protest anthem in the best Sly Stone tradition. "Back to Indiaโ currys up simmering musical flavors. And the hip hop/jazz title track marks the sonic coming-out of the long-rumored eight-armed character seen on the CD's cover and in the liner notes: Yes, Virginia (and the rest of the world), there is a funktopus!
Victor Wooten has the rare ability to continuously raise the bar, always growing as an artist, and he's excited to have joined the Vanguard roster with the release of Soul Circus.
Victor is the loving husband and devoted father of four; the youngest sibling of the amazing Wooten brothers (Regi, Roy, Rudy and Joseph), and the bassist in their famed family band; the student in the martial art of Wing Chun and the nature survival skill of Tracking; the teacher of dozens of Bass players at his acclaimed annual Bass & Nature camp; and the master magician.
Victor Lemonte Wooten got to music early, growing up in a military family in which his older brothers all played and sang. By the time he was 3, Victor was being taught bass by his oldest brother Regi, and at age 5 he was performing professionally with the Wooten Brothers Band. He recalls, "My parents and brothers were the foundation. They prepared me for anything by teaching me to keep my mind open and learn to adapt.โ Working their way east from Sacramento, the band played countless clubs and eventually opened concerts for Curtis Mayfield and War.
Victor was influenced by bass mentors, Stanley Clarke, Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins, while learning about the music business at a wildly accelerated pace. By the early '80s, with the family settled in Newport News, Virginia, the brothers became mainstays at Busch Gardens theme park in nearby Williamsburg, making numerous connections with musicians in Nashville and New York.
In 1988 Victor moved to Nashville, where he worked with singer Jonell Mosser and met New Grass Revival banjo ace Bela Fleck. A year later, Fleck enlisted Vic, his brother Roy (a.k.a. Future Man) and harmonica-playing keyboardist Howard Levy to perform with him, and the Flecktones were born. After three highly successful albums, Levy departed in 1993, and the band's new trio format enabled Victor to develop and display a staggering array of fingerboard skills that turned him into a bass hero of Pastorian-proportions and helped earn the band a Grammy.
With the Flecktones in full flight, Victor set his sights on a solo career, first forming Bass Extremes with fellow low-end lord Steve Bailey (leading to an instructional book/CD and two CDs, to date), and finally releasing his critically-acclaimed solo debut, A Show of Hands, in 1996. Soon after, Vic took his solo show on the road with drummer J.D. Blair. Momentum and accolades built with successive tours and the release of What Did He Say? in 1997, the Grammy-nominated Yin-Yang in 1999 and the double CD, Live In America in 2001.
Wooten won two Nashville Music Awards for Bassist Of The Year and is the only three-time winner of Bass Player magazine's Bass Player Of The Year. With the honors came sideman calls, leading to recordings and performances with artists like Branford Marsalis, Mike Stern, Bruce Hornsby, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews, Prince, Gov't Mule, Susan Tedeschi, Vital Tech Tones (with Scott Henderson and Steve Smith), the Jaco Pastorius Word Of Mouth Big Band, and the soundtrack of the Disney film Country Bears, not to mention the stellar work with guitarist Greg Howe and Dennis Chambers with the group Howe Wooten and Chambers.
Fresh off sold-out tours with the Flecktones and Bass Extremes (with Bailey, Watson and Oteil Burbridge) in 2004, Victor is re-focusing on his solo side in 2005 thanks to a remarkable new CD, his Vanguard Records debut, Soul Circus. A three-ring affair, the disc boasts such guests as the Wooten brothers, Bootsy Collins, Arrested Development rapper/vocalist Speech, Howard Levy, Dennis Chambers, Saundra Williams, J.D. Blair, Derico Watson, Flecktone Jeff Coffin, and a who's-who of bassists, including Bailey, Burbridge, Will Lee, Rhonda Smith, Christian McBride, T.M. Stevens, Bill Dickens and Gary Grainger.
On Soul Circus, Victor performs his usual high-wire act on a bevy of basses, but the real ringmaster here is his collection of songs: The poignant "Prayerโ and Prince-charged flipside "Nativesโ provide a thought-provoking look at our native Americans. The epic "Bass Tributeโ pays homage to great thumpers past and present. "On and Onโ is an instant soul classic. "Cell Phoneโ makes a chuckle-filled, cutting-edge connection. "Higher Lawโ stands as a stadium-ready, rock-funk protest anthem in the best Sly Stone tradition. "Back to Indiaโ currys up simmering musical flavors. And the hip hop/jazz title track marks the sonic coming-out of the long-rumored eight-armed character seen on the CD's cover and in the liner notes: Yes, Virginia (and the rest of the world), there is a funktopus!
Victor Wooten has the rare ability to continuously raise the bar, always growing as an artist, and he's excited to have joined the Vanguard roster with the release of Soul Circus.
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Victor Wooten Lyrics
"Yo Victa" Yo Victa Yeah JD If you don't do nothing else... groove…
Back To India Back to India There's times I lay and close my eyes There's…
Bass Tribute Bass Tribute (T.M.) U gotta have something on the bottom if…
Bass Tribute (reprise) Gotta have something on the bottom if you wanna have…
Cell Phone Well I just got paid it's Friday Night. Feeling real…
Go Girl Go Go girl go. U're free now. Free of the ties,…
Heaven Is Where the Heart Is Close your eyes, my son Bow your head down There is not…
Hero There's a riot going on And there's hunger in our midst. Som…
Higher Law If I was your leader I would do my best To…
Hormones in the Headphones (I'm) workin' like a robot. I'm plugged into the groove. Cut…
Intro: Adam My name is Adam but my dad's name is Victa. I play…
Justice Here we go talk about justice Hush this we're not supposed…
Keep Chargin' I give it my life I give it my all I think…
Live for Peace How many of us actually live for peace May we have…
Lotta Stuffis? La La La, La La La. Victors Child: Tell you wut. Victo…
Me & My Bass Guitar My name is Vic i'm gonna do a little trick I'm…
Me and My Bass Guitar My name is vic i'm gonna do a lil trick i'm…
More Love We need to love each other our aidren Hey Victa man Give…
My Life Gonna buy me a pickle and eat it all by…
Natives Once upon a time there were some relatives of yours…
Norwegian Wood I once had a girl Or should I say she…
On And On I've got this thing for you stay on mind I know…
One U are me and I am U. I love u for…
Overjoyed Over time, I've been building My castle of love Just for t…
Prayer I remember back years ago I lived my life without…
Pretty Little Lady Come on in and take a seat, hear what I…
Singing My Song Walking down the street People that I see Turn around and …
Stay Stay Send me 'round to the back door. Front won't let…
Take U There There's a little place I know A secret place I like…
The Loneliest Monk The loneliest Monk Walks the street at night The lonelie…
The Lonliest Monk Lyrics to The Loneliest Monk: The loneliest Monk Walks the…
The Sojourn of Arjuna So Arjuna and Krishna you know they're hanging out on…
Think About That Yeah, I mean, I know. It's a scary thought though.…
U Can't Hold No Groove Yo Victa Yeah JD Whasen ever you do I want you to…
U Can't Hold No Groove... Yo Victor Yeah JD Whatsoever you do I want you to remember…
Victa My name is Victa, and I'm a winner and I…
What Crime is It (Vic, let's make it thick. Vic...make it thick, Vic, gonna…
What Crime Is It? (Vic, let's make it thick. Vic…make it thick, Vic, gonn…
What Did He Say I once had a girl, Or should I say She once had…
What You Won't Do for Love I guess you wonder where I've been I searched to find…
Yinin' and Yangin' / Hey Girl I can be right, I can be wrong I will be…
Yo Victa Yo Victa Yeah JD If you don't do nothing else...groove…