Even if you haven’t heard the name George Porter Jr, there’s a significant chance that you’ve heard his musical handy work. As the founding bassist in the legendary funk group The Meters, and low-end specialist in many other groups and collaborations since then, George’s signature grooves have moved hips and feet all around the globe, and because of sampling (some legal and unfortunately, some not), his reach continues to expand. Cole was fortunate to spend some time chatting with George during the pandemic, and in the Music Mentors session they talked about a variety of subject- the aforementioned sampling conundrum, his music life and legacy in New Orleans, and his rich history with the Bay Area music community and Blue Bear.
George Porter Jr on the 1st record he bought with his own money
George Porter Jr on sampling, the "Amen Break", and getting credit in modern music
George Porter Jr on the politics in his music or lack thereof
George Porter Jr on working with the HBO show Treme
George Porter Jr talks about the state of music in New Orleans during the pandemic
George Porter Jr on how he got into music and the instrument he plays, the bass
George Porter Jr talks about his love & respect for the jam band community
George & Cole talk about his relationships with Blue Bear & the Bay Area music scene
George Porter Jr on home recording and being his own producer & engineer
George Porter Jr talks about recording new music with Runnin' Pardners and his trio