Michigan Music History Podcast -- MMHP989 · Scott Baker, Gary Johnson, Fred Reif, Mike Beattie

Michigan Music History Podcast--Michigan Music History Podcast--Chuck Bartels: Detroit's Humble Bass Ace To The Masses Part 1 of 2

·48 min·3 clips

Bartels explains how "Sound and Fury" turned into a bass-driven rock album recorded at the McGuire Motel.

1. MMHP989 focuses on Michigan music history through Chuck Bartels’ path from Lapeer to Detroit stages. 2. Hosts Dr. J, Sir Fred, Mr. Mike, and Scott Baker interview bassist Chuck Bartels, whose work connects Wayne State, Dennis Coffey, Sturgill Simpson, Mitch Ryder, and Michigan oldies circuits. 3. The episode asks how a small-town bassist built a career from basement bands, Detroit education, and unexpected national calls. 4. Bartels says he grew up in Garden City, Westland, and Canton before moving to Lapeer in ninth grade. 5. He remembers his cousin getting a bass for Christmas in the early 1980s and playing "Smoke on the Water" through a practice amp. 6. He says he begged his mom for about a year before getting his own bass at age 13 or 14. 7. He explains that reading bass notes clicked when he noticed the connection to trombone reading from high school band. 8. He says Mel Bay books helped him learn basic notes, and by the end of the day he could play a couple songs. 9. Bartels names "Stairway to Heaven" and "Tom Sawyer" as records that hit him before he even thought of himself as a bassist. 10. He says Led Zeppelin became his favorite band and that John Paul Jones led him toward James Jamerson’s style. 11. He describes high school as mostly basement rehearsals, parties, and playing with older musicians because Lapeer lacked many live-music opportunities. 12. He says he tried to get the band director to start a jazz band, but the director would not do it. 13. Bartels says Wayne State eventually awarded him a jazz studies scholarship and helped him get started in Detroit. 14. He describes arriving in Detroit with gigs before his apartment furniture was moved in and names Alvin’s, James Carter, Thornetta Davis, and the Chisel Brothers as early influences. 15. He says Dennis Coffey called him in 2013 for a Northern Lights show, and Coffey played long, relentless sets that left his hands throbbing. 16. He says Coffey asked him to keep going after the gig and that the compliment mattered because Coffey was not always generous with praise. 17. Bartels says oldies work came through pianist Glenn Robbie, who booked shows with Sonny from the Platters, the Contours, Chris Montez, and other acts. 18. He says later sessions with Sturgill Simpson changed his priorities, pushed him onto a P-bass with flats, and led him to prefer that setup over five-string and active basses. 19. The conversation stays loose and anecdotal, with Scott Baker and the panel trading Detroit references, gig stories, and album comparisons while Bartels answers in a conversational, detailed style. 20. Listeners who like Michigan session players, Detroit rock history, and touring stories will get the most from it, while people wanting a tightly structured biographical arc may skip it.

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