James Jamerson (January 29, 1938 - August 2, 1983) was the bass player for many of Motown's hit records. He was a native of Charleston, South Carolina.

Jamerson moved to Detroit in 1959, and began working for Motown. He quickly became a key member of the studio's house band, known as the Funk Brothers. Jamerson's discography at Motown reads as a catalog of soul hits of the 1960s and 1970s, including, among hundreds of others, I Was Made to Love Her by Stevie Wonder, My Girl by The Temptations, Dancing in the Street by Martha and the Vandellas, "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes, and What's Going On by Marvin Gaye.

In 1983, Jamerson died of pneumonia in Los Angeles, California.

Jamerson is the subject of the 1989 biography Standing in the Shadows of Motown, and his story is featured in the subsequent film of the same title.

In 2000, Jamerson was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Sidemen" category.

External links

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee page
• Partial discography