KISS’ Gene Simmons recently shared his thoughts on so-called “bass virtuosos,” telling Guitar World they were simply “show-offs in music,” but that doesn’t mean there aren’t bass players out there who impress him.

So, who are his favorites? They include The Beatles‘ Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood.

McCartney is Simmons’ top pick, telling Guitar World he “is probably the most influential bassist for me.”

“The biggest compliment I can give Paul McCartney is that you can pick the vast majority of Beatles songs and you’ll remember what the bass was playing,” he says. “So McCartney is hands and feet above the other guys. He’s a triple threat – he wrote songs that were unmatched, became the most successful songwriter of all time, and he wrote them by himself.” 

For Wood, he points to his time with the Jeff Beck Group, sharing, “Those first two records were pivotal. They came out before Led Zeppelin; I heard that stuff and was awed by how free-flowing they were.”

Other bass players getting props from Simmons include Mountain’s Felix Pappalardi, Yes’ Chris Squire and Carol Kaye.

He’s also a fan of Van Halen’s Michael Anthony, noting he “never got a lot of attention – but he’s really good. I remember being impressed with him when I produced that first Van Halen demo.”

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