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.” 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 "Prayer” and Prince-charged flipside "Natives” provide a thought-provoking look at our native Americans. The epic "Bass Tribute” pays homage to great thumpers past and present. "On and On” is an instant soul classic. "Cell Phone” makes a chuckle-filled, cutting-edge connection. "Higher Law” stands as a stadium-ready, rock-funk protest anthem in the best Sly Stone tradition. "Back to India” 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.
On and On
Victor Wooten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you feel it too easy to describe
My heart is open wide and I send praises to the sky
Sometimes I just don't know what to do with myself
Yes, I've been carrying on and you know why
The love you give me takes my spirit so high
And my senses come alive
you got me on this roller coaster ride that I don't ever want to
I love you since the moment that we met. There's a spark in me and
I will never forget
you lit a fire inside of me and there's no place I'd rather be
Sometimes I just don't know what to do with myself
Love, I'll be there for you whenever you call. Baby, you've got my
Soul, my heart, you've got it all
Until the sun ceases to shine and there's no moon up in the sky,
I'm gonna be right here.
So, let's keep this love.
Going on and on and on and on. Baby U're good for me. I'm
Feeling the good in U
So, let's keep going on and on and on and on and on
I know that this is how it feels to be loved
So, let's keep going on and on and on and on and on
Baby you're good for me. I'm feeling the good in you
So, let's keep going on and on and on and on and on
I know that this is how it feels to be loved
We both made vows to be one for the infinite now we in it,
Under dogs, least likely to take the pennant
Who are we now deep in the mix of our second child
And our life meter teeters and varies contained too wild
And true indeed sometimes it's over my head and hard to breath,
To suffer is all I see and light at the end is hard to conceive
Yo, but the story keeps going and flowing and so,
We gotta keep on knowing and showing that we here to stay
Nothing can steal our love away so we moving on and ah, moving
On and ah
The lyrics of Victor Wooten's song On and On express the depth of love and devotion the singer feels towards his beloved. He speaks of the indescribable connection they share, with his heart open wide and praises sent to the sky. The love he receives takes his spirit so high and his senses come alive as if he is on a never-ending rollercoaster ride. Even though at times, he doesn't know what to do with himself, he assures his partner that he will be there for her whenever she calls. He vows to be with her until the end of time, through all the highs and lows of life, and they both keep the love going on and on.
The song is a beautiful tribute to love that takes its listeners on a journey, starting with the initial spark of attraction, to the deep connection and commitment to one another. The lyrics, while expressing profound emotion, are simple yet effective in conveying the feelings associated with being in love. The song's rhythm is upbeat, adding to the overall positivity of the lyrics, and the repetition of the phrase "going on and on" reinforces the idea that love is continuous and never-ending.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got this thing for you stay on mind
Ever since I fell in love with you, I constantly think about you
I know you feel it too easy to describe
I'm sure you reciprocate the feelings I have for you, but it's hard to put into words
My heart is open wide and I send praises to the sky
I am grateful for the love you give me, it fills my heart and soul with joy
Sometimes I just don't know what to do with myself
My love for you is so overwhelming that I don't know how to express it sometimes
Yes, I've been carrying on and you know why
I have been obsessed with you because of the way you make me feel
The love you give me takes my spirit so high
Your love makes me feel alive and happy
And my senses come alive
You awaken all my senses and make me feel alive
you got me on this roller coaster ride that I don't ever want to End
I love being with you and don't want this feeling to ever end
I love you since the moment that we met. There's a spark in me and I will never forget
I fell in love with you the moment I met you and that feeling will never go away
you lit a fire inside of me and there's no place I'd rather be
You ignited a passionate flame inside of me and being with you is where I want to be
Love, I'll be there for you whenever you call. Baby, you've got my Soul, my heart, you've got it all
I will always be there for you no matter what, you have my heart and soul
Until the sun ceases to shine and there's no moon up in the sky, I'm gonna be right here.
I will always be by your side, even when the world seems to fall apart
So, let's keep this love.
Let's continue to nurture our love and make it last forever
Going on and on and on and on. Baby U're good for me. I'm Feeling the good in U
Our love will continue to thrive and you make me better with each passing day
I know that this is how it feels to be loved
Being loved by you is the most amazing feeling in the world
We both made vows to be one for the infinite now we in it, Under dogs, least likely to take the pennant
We made a commitment to be together forever and even though we may not be seen as the perfect match, we make it work
Who are we now deep in the mix of our second child And our life meter teeters and varies contained too wild
We are a family now and although life may be chaotic, we are happy to have each other
And true indeed sometimes it's over my head and hard to breath, To suffer is all I see and light at the end is hard to conceive
Sometimes life gets overwhelming and I feel like I'm drowning, but I know that we can make it through anything together
Yo, but the story keeps going and flowing and so, We gotta keep on knowing and showing that we here to stay
Our love story is still being written and we need to keep reminding each other that we are in it for the long haul
Nothing can steal our love away so we moving on and ah, moving On and ah
Our love is unbreakable and we will continue to move forward together
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Saundra Williams, Todd Thomas, Victor Wooten
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind