Leroy Vinnegar

Leroy Vinnegar (July 13, 1928 – August 3, 1999) was an American jazz bassist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, the self-taught Vinnegar established his reputation in Los Angeles, California, during the 1950s and 1960s. His trademark was the rhythmic "walking" bass line, a steady series of ascending or descending notes, and it brought him the nickname "The Walker". Besides his jazz work, he also appeared on a number of soundtracks and pop albums, notably Van Morrison's 1972 album, Saint Dominic's Preview.

Music career
He recorded extensively as both a leader and sideman. He came to public attention in the 1950s as a result of recording with Lee Konitz, André Previn, Stan Getz, Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker, Shelly Manne, Joe Castro and Serge Chaloff.

He played bass on Previn and Manne's My Fair Lady album, one of the most successful jazz records ever produced. He also performed on another of jazz's biggest hit albums, Eddie Harris and Les McCann's Swiss Movement, released in 1969. Vinnegar also performed at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, California, and Diggers in East Los Angeles in the late 1950s, with drummer and pianist Don Joham along with other musicians. He moved to Portland, Oregon in 1986. In 1995, the Oregon State Legislature honored him by proclaiming May 1 Leroy Vinnegar Day.

Vinnegar died of a heart attack, at the age of 71, on August 3, 1999, in a hospital in Portland.

As leader

 * Leroy Walks! (Contemporary, 1958)
 * Leroy Walks Again!! (Contemporary, 1963)
 * Jazz's Great "Walker"  (Vee Jay, 1964)
 * Glass of Water (Legend, 1973)
 * The Kid (PBR, 1974; Q-Tape, 2005)
 * Walkin' the Basses (Contemporary, 1992)

As sideman
With Pepper Adams With Stan Getz and Lionel Hampton With Chet Baker With Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan With Conte Candoli With Benny Carter With Joe Castro With Serge Chaloff With Dolo Coker With Buddy Collette With Sonny Criss With The Doors With Barbara Dane & Earl Hines With Kenny Dorham With Kenny Drew With Harry Edison With Teddy Edwards With Victor Feldman With Red Garland With Stan Getz With Dexter Gordon With Eddie Harris and Les McCann With Hampton Hawes With Elmo Hope With The Jazz Crusaders With Fred Katz With Barney Kessel With Eric Kloss With Harold Land With Gordon Lee With Shelly Manne With Les McCann With Howard McGhee With Frank Morgan With Van Morrison With Gerry Mulligan and Ben Webster With Phineas Newborn, Jr. With Art Pepper With Carl Perkins With Randy Porter With Sonny Rollins With Shorty Rogers With Jimmy Smith With Sonny Stitt With Cedar Walton With Tut Taylor With Jessica Williams With Don Wilkerson With Gerald Wilson With Jack Wilson
 * Pepper Adams Quintet (Mode, 1956)
 * Hamp and Getz (Norgran, 1955)
 * Quartet: Russ Freeman/Chet Baker (Pacific Jazz, 1956)
 * Who Drank My Beer? (Kicking Mule, 1983)
 * Bloodshot Eyes (Flying Fish, 1986)
 * West Coast Wailers (Atlantic, 1955) with Lou Levy
 * Little Band Big Jazz (Crown, 1960)
 * Jazz Giant (Contemporary, 1958)
 * Swingin' the '20s (Contemporary, 1958)
 * Sax ala Carter! (United Artists, 1960)
 * BBB & Co. (Swingville, 1962) with Ben Webster and Barney Bigard
 * Live at Falcon's Lair! (Pablo, 1956)
 * Groove Funk Soul (Atlantic, 1959)
 * At Falcon's Lair with Joe Castro (1959)
 * Blue Serge (Capitol, 1956)
 * Dolo! (Xanadu, 1976)
 * California Hard (Xanadu, 1977)
 * Third Down (Xanadu, 1977)
 * Xanadu in Africa (Xanadu, 1980) with Al Cohn, Billy Mitchell and Frank Butler
 * Night Flight to Dakar (Xanadu, 1980) with Al Cohn, Billy Mitchell and Frank Butler
 * Nice Day with Buddy Collette (Contemporary, 1957)
 * Saturday Morning (Xanadu, 1975)
 * Waiting for the Sun (Elektra, 1968)
 * Livin' with the Blues (Dot, 1959)
 * Inta Somethin' (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
 * Talkin' & Walkin' (Jazz: West, 1955)
 * Home Is Where the Soul Is (Xanadu, 1978)
 * For Sure! (Xanadu, 1978)
 * "Sweets" for the Sweet (Sue, 1964)
 * Teddy Edwards at Falcon's Lair (MetroJazz, 1958)
 * It's About Time (Pacific Jazz, 1959)
 * Sunset Eyes (Pacific Jazz, 1960)
 * Teddy's Ready! (Contemporary, 1960)
 * Good Gravy! (Contemporary, 1961)
 * Heart & Soul (Contemporary, 1962)
 * Young at Heart (Storyville, 1979) with Howard McGhee
 * Wise in Time (Storyville, 1979) with Howard McGhee
 * Mississippi Lad (Verve/Gitanes, 1991)
 * Vic Feldman on Vibes (Mode, 1957)
 * Keystones! (Xanadu, 1977)
 * West Coast Jazz (Norgran, 1955)
 * ''Hamp and Getz (Verve, 1955)
 * Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds (Verve, 1953–55, [1957])
 * The Steamer (Verve, 1956)
 * Daddy Plays the Horn (Bethlehem, 1955)
 * Dexter Blows Hot and Cool (Dooto, 1955)
 * Swiss Movement (Atlantic, 1969)
 * The Sermon (Contemporary, 1958 [1987])
 * Something Special (Contemporary, 1976 [1994])
 * The Elmo Hope Quintet featuring Harold Land (Pacific Jazz, 1957)
 * Live at the Lighthouse '66 (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
 * Talk That Talk (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
 * Fred Katz and his Jammers (Decca, 1959)
 * Let's Cook! (Contemporary, 1957 [1962])
 * First Class Kloss! (Prestige, 1967)
 * Harold in the Land of Jazz (Contemporary, 1958)
 * On the Shoulders of Giants (Unity Label Group, 1994)
 * Concerto for Clarinet & Combo (Contemporary, 1955 [1957])
 * Swinging Sounds (Contemporary, 1956)
 * More Swinging Sounds (Contemporary, 1956)
 * Shelly Manne & His Friends (Contemporary, 1956)
 * My Fair Lady (Contemporary, 1956)
 * Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Truth (Pacific Jazz, 1960)
 * Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Shout (Pacific Jazz, 1960)
 * From the Top of the Barrel (Pacific Jazz, 1960 [1967])
 * On Time (Pacific Jazz, 1962)
 * Les McCann Plays the Hits (Limelight, 1966)
 * Bucket o' Grease (Limelight, 1967)
 * Much Les (Atlantic, 1968)
 * Fish This Week (United Artists, 1973)
 * Maggie's Back in Town!! (Contemporary, 1961)
 * Young at Heart (Storyville, 1979) with Teddy Edwards
 * Wise in Time (Storyville, 1979) with Teddy Edwards
 * Frank Morgan (Gene Norman Presents, 1955)
 * Saint Dominic's Preview (Warner Bros., 1972)
 * Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster (Verve, 1959)
 * The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn Jr. (Contemporary, 1963)
 * The Newborn Touch (Contemporary, 1964)
 * The Return of Art Pepper (Jazz: West, 1956)
 * Introducing Carl Perkins (Dootone, 1956)
 * Modern Reflections
 * Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders (Contemporary, 1958)
 * Martians Come Back! (Atlantic, 1955)
 * Way Up There (Atlantic, 1955 [1957])
 * Bluesmith (Verve, 1972)
 * Sonny Stitt Blows the Blues (Verve, 1959)
 * Saxophone Supremacy (Verve, 1959)
 * Sonny Stitt Swings the Most (Verve, 1959)
 * Cedar! (Prestige, 1967)
 * 12 String Dobro (World Pacific Records, 1964)
 * Encounters (Jazz Focus, 1994)
 * Encounters II (Jazz Focus, 1997)
 * The Texas Twister (Riverside, 1960)
 * Portraits (Pacific Jazz, 1964)
 * The Two Sides of Jack Wilson (Atlantic, 1964)