Kenny Aaronson

Kenny Aaronson
Kenny Aaronson
Born	April 14, 1952 (age 74); Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Bass player, musician
Years active	1960s–present
Known for	Bassist for Bob Dylan, Rick Derringer, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Foghat, Sammy Hagar, Billy Squier, New York Dolls, Hall and Oates, The Yardbirds

Kenny Aaronson (born April 14, 1952, in Brooklyn, New York) is a distinguished American bass player recognized for his work alongside acclaimed musicians including Bob Dylan, Rick Derringer, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Foghat, Sammy Hagar, Billy Squier, New York Dolls, and Hall and Oates. Since 2015, he has held the position of bassist with The Yardbirds.

Early life and career

Inspired by his elder brother and the legendary Motown bassist James Jamerson, Aaronson transitioned from drums to electric bass at age 14. During his teenage years, he played bass for the Brooklyn-based hard rock group Dust, which produced two albums released in 1971 and 1972 under Kama Sutra Records. In 1973, he became a member of the New York ensemble Stories, whose hit single "Brother Louie" reached number one on the Billboard, Cashbox, and Record World charts. Between 1976 and 1979, Aaronson was the bassist for Rick Derringer.

Peak success

Aaronson earned the title Bassist of the Year from Rolling Stone in 1988. That same year, he toured with Bob Dylan but departed following a successful skin cancer operation.

He was part of MTV's Guitar Greats Show house band alongside musicians such as Dave Edmunds, Chuck Leavell, and Michael Shrieve, providing support for artists including Steve Cropper, Brian Setzer, Dickey Betts, and David Gilmour. In 1994, he auditioned for the role of bassist with the Rolling Stones.

His extensive career includes touring and recording with artists like Billy Idol, Billy Squier, Foghat, Brian Setzer, HSAS (featuring Sammy Hagar, Neal Schon, and Shrieve), as well as collaborations with Mick Taylor, Graham Parker, Hall and Oates, and Joan Jett. From 1991 through 1995, Aaronson was a consistent member of Jett's backing band, the Blackhearts, co-authoring "World of Denial," which appeared on the 2001 compilation Fit To Be Tied – Great Hits.

Recent work

In July 2011, Aaronson supported singer-songwriter John Eddie and performed with Corky Laing & The Memory Thieves. That year also saw him recording with former Bongo's vocalist Richard Barone on a tribute album dedicated to The Runaways. He joined the ranks of the New York Dolls for their summer tour in 2011, which included dates supporting both Mötley Crüe and Poison.

In 2014, Aaronson recorded an eponymous album as a member of The Satisfactors alongside Gar Francis from the Doughboys, Kurt Reil from The Grip Weeds, and Bruce Ferguson of The Easy Out. Their debut single, Johnny Commando, achieved Top 10 status on Ned.FM Radio in the Netherlands in June 2015. Later that year, in November, he became part of the British group The Yardbirds.

Aaronson contributed to former Mambo Sons guitarist/songwriter Tom Guerra's second solo release Trampling Out the Vintage (2016). In 2018, he co-wrote three tracks with Guerra originally intended for The Yardbirds; these songs were featured on Guerra's third solo album American Garden. He played a prominent role on Guerra's fourth album Sudden Signs of Grace (2020), appearing in the video for its title track, and made significant contributions to Guerra's fifth solo project Sentimental Junk (2022).

Discography

With Dust

Dust (1971)
Hard Attack (1972)

With Stories

Brother Louie (1973)
Traveling Underground (1973)

With Rick Derringer

Derringer (1976)
Sweet Evil (1977)
Derringer Live (1977)
If I Weren't So Romantic, I'd Shoot You (1978)
Guitars And Women (1979)
Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo: The Best Of Rick Derringer (1996)

With Silver Condor

Trouble At Home (1983)

With Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve

Through The Fire (1984)

With Brian Setzer

The Knife Feels Like Justice (1986)

With Blue Öyster Cult

Club Ninja (1985)
Imaginos (1988)

With Billy Idol

Vital Idol (1987)

With Michael Monroe

Not Fakin' It (1989)

With Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Pure and Simple (1994)
Fit to be Tied – credited as writer on "World of Denial" (1997, 2006)

With Billy Squier

Played lap steel on Sixteen Strokes (1995)

With Graham Parker

Live from New York (1996)

With Ian McDonald

Drivers Eyes (1999)

With Tom Guerra and Scott Lawson (Mambo Sons)

Mambo Sons (1999)

With John Eddie

Guy Walks into a Bar (2001)
Who the Hell is John Eddie (2003)

With Mountain

Master of War (2007)

With Dana Fuchs

Lonely for a Lifetime (2003)
Love to Beg (2011)

With The Satisfactors

Self-titled album, The Satisfactors (2014)

With Radio Exile

Album titled Radio Exile released in 2015

With Tom Guerra

Trampling Out the Vintage (2016)
American Garden (2018)
Sudden Signs of Grace (2020)
Sentimental Junk (2022)

With Mark Duda

Released the album Month of Sundays in 2017

Additional Contributions

Contributor to the biography of James Jamerson, titled "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" (1989)
Provided music for the soundtrack of "Porky's Revenge" in 1990
Participated in the tribute album "Brace Yourself" honoring Otis Blackwell, featuring artists such as Joe Louis Walker, Debbie Harry, Ronnie Spector, Kris Kristofferson, Graham Parker, and The Smithereens in 1994
Contributed to the soundtrack for "Boys on the Side" released in 1995

Notes

Colin Larkin: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Third edition. Macmillan, New York, N.Y. 1998.

External links

Official website
Interview with Mambo Sons bandmate Tom Guerra featured in Vintage Guitar Magazine: Kenny Aaronson: From Dust to Dylan . Retrieved September 26, 2006