Ralph Bass
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Year:
1991
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Inducted by:
Seymour Stein
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Category:
Ahmet Ertegun Award
Introduction
An eye for talent and an ear for hits.
The list of people Ralph Bass worked with is a roster of R&B greats: Etta James, Sam Cooke, James Brown and on and on. He changed popular music forever and for the better.
Hall of Fame Essay
1991
Ralph Bass was a co-creator of some of the indisputable landmarks of rock & roll: producer of and/or witness to “Call It Stormy Monday” (T-Bone Walker), “Sixty-Minute Man” (the Dominoes), “Sleep” (Earl Bostic), “Work With Me, Annie” (Hank Ballard & the Midnighters), “Please Please Please” (James Brown), and so many more.
His life spans five decades of music and stints with such pioneering indie labels as Black & White, Savoy, King, and Chess.
Photography: Kevin Mazur, WireImage
