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Tina Weymouth: Ahead of the Game

© Caroline Paone

Former Talking Head Tina Weymouth has serious bass style. A master of sound, her bass lines come in many forms: melodic punk, funky hip-hop, and warm reggae. Taking on many roles in life, from artist and musician to wife and mother, she is truly inspiring.

She met fellow Talking Heads: David Byrne and Chris Frantz while attending art school in Rhode Island. In the mid-seventies she moved to New York with the fledgling art/pop band to check out the scene and recruit other musicians. Tina got the bass slot by default but applied her musical background (and good ear from playing music since age twelve) to the task at hand. Her early bass methods: listen to some Suzi Quatro records, dive right in and play, then play some more, literally, until your fingers bleed - which they did, much to the liking of the punk crowds at CBGB. Talking Heads made the rounds on the lower east side with bands the Ramones and Sex Pistols, whose Sid Vicious suggested Tina use a pick to relieve her blistered fingers. Talking Heads went on to release a number of recordings and were a video-hit band on MTV. Songs like "Psycho Killer," "Burning Down the House," and "Wild Life" made the charts. Although Tina was not visually in the forefront of the band, she wrote, produced and arranged a number of the band's tunes before they went their separate ways in the late 80s.

Along with husband/drummer Chris Frantz, she later formed The Tom Tom Club and created the killer dance song "Genius of Love" (which was sampled on Mariah Carey's hit tune "Fantasy"). Tina's musical experimentation touched on syncopated rhythms, rap, and synth bass, to name a few. A notable producer she has worked with artists Ziggy Marley, and the Happy Mondays.

In 1996 Tina, Chris and Talking Heads' guitarist/keyboard player, Jerry Harrison, formed a band called The Heads - minus David Byrne - with various guest singers including: Michael Hutchence (INXS), Debbie Harry (Blondie) and Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde). Around this time the elite Bass Player magazine featured her on the cover - a refreshing site to see...Tina, 4-string in hand, peering out from newsstands.

In 1999 all four original members of the Talking Heads got together to promote a digitally re-mixed and re-mastered version of their 1984 concert film "Stop Making Sense."

"Genius of Love" continues its evolution with Chris and Tina re-recording the funky ditty. February 2001 issue of Bass Player also features The Tom Tom Club and explores her playing. Go Tina!

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