{"id":810774,"date":"2026-10-22T21:46:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T21:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/810774\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T21:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T21:46:13","slug":"who-played-the-bass-on-the-1986-paul-simon-song-you-can-call-me-al","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/810774\/","title":{"rendered":"Who played the bass on the 1986 Paul Simon song \u2018You Can Call Me Al\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Paul<\/p>\n

Credit: Harry Chase, Los Angeles Times<\/p>\n

October 22nd, 2026 \u00b7 7:00pm BST <\/p>\n

After its cheerful horn section, you\u2019re likely thinking of the nimble bass<\/a> line that grooves all over \u2018You Can Call Me Al\u2019.<\/p>\n

Fans know how essential 1986\u2019s Graceland is in Paul Simon\u2019s career<\/a>. The heights of Simon & Garfunkel were starting to feel like ancient history, albums were slowly slipping down the charts, and the decade\u2019s evolving pop trends threatened the songsmith\u2019s relevance. A sudden bolt of inspiration struck when he came across a tape of South African mbaqanga music, compelling Simon to lace his next record with lively backing tracks straight from the Soweto townships.<\/p>\n

Artistic enthusiasm shifted aside any political concerns, however. While the music community was deep in protest against any involvement with South Africa\u2019s Apartheid regime, Simon headed straight to Johannesburg\u2019s Ovation Studios to kick off the Graceland sessions, in total contravention of the UN\u2019s cultural boycott imposed on the racist state. On top of such hubris, Simon never made any meaningful attempt to consult with the African National Congress opposing the system, and enlisted Linda Ronstadt<\/a> for backing vocals after having played the notorious, whites-only Sun City resorts three years earlier.<\/p>\n

While mired in such heat, Graceland brought the commercial boost Simon was after, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200 and remaining his signature solo album. The record\u2019s most memorable cut is its lead single. Inspired by a dinner party where French composer Pierre Boulez mistakenly called Simon \u201cAl\u201d, a playful examination of midlife crisis soon took lyrical shape, eventually forming to reflect the singer\u2019s fish-out-of-water immersion in South African culture.<\/p>\n

\u2018You Can Call Me Al\u2019s second video did the rounds on MTV, owing plenty to Saturday Night Live cast member Chevy Chase<\/a>\u2019s comedic lip-syncing to Simon\u2019s vocals, but curiously dialling down the overt mbaqanga influences for a softer worldbeat pop number.<\/p>\n

So, who played bass?<\/p>\n

While the bulk of Graceland was famously cut in South Africa, \u2018You Can Call Me Al\u2019 was in fact recorded entirely in New York\u2019s The Hit Factory. Many of the musicians from Ovation were flown over, including guitarist Ray Phiri, Morris Goldberg on the penny whistle, and the Ladysmith Black Mambazo choral group on backing vocals. On fretless bass was Bakithi Kumalo.<\/p>\n

Imbuing his bass style with soul and jazz flourishes<\/a>, Kumalo would emerge as one of South Africa\u2019s top session players across the 1970s and \u201880s, his work piquing Simon\u2019s interest when gearing up for the Graceland record. To international audiences, the two-bar bass break on \u2018You Can Call Me Al\u2019 likely stands as Kumalo\u2019s most far-reaching performance, nailed in the studio in a moment of birthday chutzpah.<\/p>\n

Further reading: From The Vault<\/p>\n

Indeed, when commencing sessions on the single on 10th May, 1986, Kumalo had turned 30 and was eager to flex a little bass showboating. \u201cI said, \u2018Paul, it\u2019s my birthday today. Can I just play a little bit more on the part where there\u2019s a break?’\u201d Kumalo recalled to For Bass Players Only in 2012. \u201cAnd Paul said, \u2018Go ahead. If it\u2019s good, we\u2019ll keep it.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Washburn fretless in hand, Kumalo let rip a complex slap bass noodle twisted into dexterous impossibility by engineer Roy Halee, who tacked at the end a reversed bar to create the inhuman second half of the bass run. It was exactly what \u2018You Can Call Me Al\u2019 needed. Graceland\u2019s lead would enjoy Simon\u2019s highest chart position in years<\/a>, but pose an issue for Kumalo henceforth on stage, when having to try his best to approximate that frenetic bass lick at live shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got so nervous, I got so scared,\u201d Kumalo confessed to Scotts Bass Lessons in 2012. \u201cI called all the pedal people in the world and said, \u2018Please, do you have anything that can make my bass backwards like that?\u2019 And back then, it was not possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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