Willie Weeks

Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also gained fame touring with many of rock's heavyweights throughout his career.

Career
Weeks was born in Salemburg, North Carolina and began playing the electric bass in the early 1960s. His earliest influences were the country, pop and R&B music he heard on the radio. Weeks counts bassists Ron Carter, James Jamerson, and Ray Brown as early influences.

Weeks has worked in the studio or toured with a wide range of artists, including:

Gregg Allman, David Bowie, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Roy Buchanan, Jimmy Buffett, Kevin Chalfant, Eric Clapton, Hank Crawford, Robert Cray, Pino Daniele, Bo Diddley, The Doobie Brothers, Lou Fellingham, Aretha Franklin, Vince Gill, Buddy Guy, Isaac Hayes, George Harrison, Donny Hathaway, Etta James, Billy Joel, Rickie Lee Jones, Wynonna Judd, Chaka Khan, B.B. King, Neil Larsen, Lyle Lovett, Gail Davies, David Lee Roth, Michael McDonald, Don McLean, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, Bette Midler, Randy Newman, Pino Palladino, Leon Russell, Boz Scaggs, John Scofield, Carly Simon, Soulive, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, James Taylor, Richard and Linda Thompson, Joe Walsh, Steve Winwood, Bobby Womack, Stevie Wonder, Ronnie Wood and Eikichi Yazawa.

His playing on Donny Hathaway's Live (1972), including a 3½ minute bass solo on "Voices Inside (Everything Is Everything)", which is regarded by many bass players as some of Weeks' best work. He played a 1962 Fender P-Bass through an Ampeg SVT amplifier on the recording (though it had initially been reported that he played through an Ampeg B-15).

Weeks' contributions to the Hathaway album impressed many English rock musicians, leading to his work with Ronnie Wood, The Rolling Stones ("It's Only Rock & Roll"), George Harrison and David Bowie from 1974 onwards. In a press conference for his 1974 North American tour, Harrison cited Weeks' musicianship when dismissing the likelihood of a Beatles reunion, saying he would "rather have Willie Weeks on bass than Paul McCartney".

Weeks played with Ask Rufus, the precursor band to Rufus with Chaka Khan. He appeared on their recording of Al Kooper's song "Brand New Day". Weeks also played with the Fabulous Amazers and Bill Lordan (pre Robin Trower drummer) in the Minnesota group Gypsy. He also played bass guitar for Michael's Mystics back in the 1960s in Minnesota, with Lordan again on drums. That band recorded "Pain" by the Grassroots, a big hit locally for the Mystics.

He also played bass at Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival on July 28, 2007 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.

Equipment
In addition to his red 1962 Fender Precision bass, Weeks uses a maple-neck 1958 Precision bass and a 1964 Fender Jazz Bass, as well as a tobacco sunburst Kay four-string acoustic bass for Clapton's "unplugged repertoire". Weeks used a sunburst 1963 P-Bass during Clapton's 2008 European Summer tour. In 2014 he began using his "WW" Willie Weeks signature bass by Bee Basses.

On the 2009 Australasian and British tours, Weeks played Fender, Kay and Alleva Coppolo basses. In 2017, Weeks used a custom-made Alien Audio bass made by Charles "Chopper" Anderson in Nashville.

Weeks appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000 (in a fictional supergroup along with other musicians he's worked with) and Lightning in a Bottle.

Discography
With Gypsy With Donny Hathaway With Herbie Mann With Stevie Wonder With Gloria Jones With Splinter With Aretha Franklin With Randy Newman With Ronnie Wood With Rod Stewart With George Harrison With Don McLean With David Bowie With James Taylor With Carly Simon With Terry Garthwaite With Kenny Vance With Al Jarreau With Richie Havens With Dianne Brooks With The Miracles With Maria Muldaur With David Batteau With Steve Winwood With Cher and Gregg Allman With Lenny Williams With Dan Fogelberg With Joe Walsh With Rickie Lee Jones With Bette Midler With The Whispers With Adam Mitchell With Chaka Khan With Stephen Bishop With Michael McDonald With Bill LaBounty With John Mellencamp With Patrick Simmons With Rosanne Cash With Jimmy Buffett With William Lee Golden With Webb Wilder With Etta James With Vince Gill With Kenny Rogers With Marty Balin With Ronna Reeves With Joan Baez With Wynonna Judd With John Michael Montgomery With Tracy Lawrence With Billy Burnette With Chris Norman With Rodney Crowell With Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown With Peter Cetera With Janis Ian With Tanya Tucker With Mac Gayden With Russ Taff With Lisa Brokop With Dan Hill With Lari White With Anita Cochran With Mark Nesler With Tara Lyn Hart With Sonya Isaacs With Robert Cray With The Tractors With Hal Ketchum With Alicia Keys With Keb' Mo' With Amy Grant With J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton With John Mayer With Eric Clapton With LeAnn Rimes With Boz Scaggs With Leon Russell With John Oates With Colin James With Mark Ronson With Cyndi Lauper With Elizabeth Cook With Ronnie Baker Brooks With Gloria Gaynor With Wendy Moten With Cravity
 * 1971 In the Garden
 * 1973 Extension of a Man
 * 1973 Turtle Bay
 * 1973 Innervisions
 * 1973 Share My Love
 * 1974 The Place I Love
 * 1974 Let Me in Your Life
 * 1974 Good Old Boys
 * 1977 Little Criminals
 * 1979 Born Again
 * 1974 I've Got My Own Album to Do
 * 1975 Now Look
 * 2001 Not for Beginners
 * 1974 Smiler
 * 1976 A Night on the Town
 * 1974 Dark Horse
 * 1975 Extra Texture (Read All About It)
 * 1976 Thirty Three & 1/3
 * 1979 George Harrison
 * 1981 Somewhere in England
 * 1982 Gone Troppo
 * 1974 Homeless Brother
 * 1975 Young Americans
 * 1975 Gorilla
 * 1976 In the Pocket
 * 1975 Playing Possum
 * 1975 Terry
 * 1975 Vance 32
 * 1976 Glow
 * 1976 The End of the Beginning
 * 1976 Back Stairs of My Life
 * 1976 The Power of Music
 * 1977 Love Crazy
 * 1976 Sweet Harmony
 * 1976 Happy in Hollywood
 * 1977 Steve Winwood
 * 1977 Two the Hard Way
 * 1977 Choosing You
 * 1978 Twin Sons of Different Mothers
 * 1978 But Seriously, Folks...
 * 1979 Rickie Lee Jones
 * 1979 Thighs and Whispers
 * 1979 Whisper in Your Ear
 * 1979 Redhead in Trouble
 * 1980 Naughty
 * 1980 Red Cab to Manhattan
 * 1982 If That's What It Takes
 * 1986 No Lookin' Back
 * 2017 Wide Open
 * 1982 Bill LaBounty
 * 1983 Uh-huh
 * 1989 Big Daddy
 * 2001 Cuttin' Heads
 * 1983 Arcade
 * 1985 Rhythm & Romance
 * 1986 Floridays
 * 1986 American Vagabond
 * 1989 Hybrid Vigor
 * 1989 Seven Year Itch
 * 1992 The Right Time
 * 1989 When I Call Your Name
 * 1991 Pocket Full of Gold
 * 1992 I Still Believe in You
 * 1994 When Love Finds You
 * 2000 Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye
 * 2003 Next Big Thing
 * 2013 Bakersfield
 * 2016 Down to My Last Bad Habit
 * 1989 Something Inside So Strong
 * 1997 Across My Heart
 * 1991 Better Generation
 * 1991 Only the Heart
 * 1992 Play Me Backwards
 * 1997 Gone from Danger
 * 1992 Wynonna
 * 1993 Tell Me Why
 * 1996 Revelations
 * 1997 The Other Side
 * 2000 New Day Dawning
 * 2003 What the World Needs Now Is Love
 * 1992 Life's a Dance
 * 1994 I See It Now
 * 1994 Coming Home
 * 1994 The Album
 * 1995 Jewel of the South
 * 1995 Long Way Home
 * 1995 One Clear Voice
 * 2001 Another Perfect World
 * 1995 Revenge
 * 2000 God and the FBI
 * 1995 Fire to Fire
 * 2002 Tanya
 * 1995 Nirvana Blues
 * 1995 Winds of Change
 * 1996 Lisa Brokop
 * 1996 I'm Doing Fine
 * 1996 Don't Fence Me In
 * 1997 Back to You
 * 1998 I'm Just That Way
 * 1999 Tara Lyn Hart
 * 2000 Sonya Isaacs
 * 2001 Shoulda Been Home
 * 2001 Fast Girl
 * 2001 Lucky Man
 * 2003 The Diary of Alicia Keys
 * 2004 Keep It Simple
 * 2005 Rock of Ages... Hymns and Faith
 * 2006 The Road to Escondido
 * 2006 Continuum
 * 2010 Clapton
 * 2013 Old Sock
 * 2013 Spitfire
 * 2014 One Christmas: Chapter 1
 * 2015 Today Is Christmas
 * 2016 Remnants
 * 2013 Memphis
 * 2018 Out of the Blues
 * 2014 Life Journey
 * 2014 Good Road to Follow
 * 2015 Hearts on Fire
 * 2015 Uptown Special
 * 2016 Detour
 * 2016 Exodus of Venus
 * 2017 Times Have Changed
 * 2019 Testimony
 * 2020 I've Got You Covered
 * 2020 Season 2. Hideout: The New Day We Step Into