Derrick Murdock

Holding Down the Bottom End for Jay Leno with Roland’s V-Bass System

Derrick Murdock (Photo)

Philadelphia native Derrick “Dock” Murdock has enjoyed a diverse musical career, playing bass for a long list of artists that includes Sheena Easton, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, and Michael Bolton, among many others. For the last five years, as a member of the Kevin Eubanks-led house bands for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Jay Leno Show, his playing has been heard five nights a week by millions of television viewers around the globe.

On his television gigs, Derrick needs quick access to a wide array of sounds, and Roland’s VB-99 V-Bass System has filled that role nicely for him. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with him to talk about his musical background, playing career, and how he uses his VB-99.

Tell us about how you became a bass player.

When I was little, I used to listen to my father playing records all the time, and he would turn the bass up like “mega-bass“—no treble, just bass! I would be upstairs in my room, and I could hear nothing but bass all the time, so that’s what drew me into playing bass. He would play R&B records like James Brown, Kool & the Gang, and all that stuff. I heard all these bass lines in my head, so when I finally got a bass at 11, it was kind of easy for me to start learning [them]. Then, I started hanging with some friends and they got me into Jimi Hendrix and rock.

You grew up in Philadelphia?

Yeah. West Philadelphia.

Did that music scene influence you as well? Who did you play with there?

I played with a couple of R&B artists: this guy by the name of Miles Jaye, and then I hooked up with a guy named Michael Pedicin, Jr., a sax player that was doing a lot of sessions at Philadelphia International Records. I used to listen to his band a lot; he had a fusion band. I hooked up with him later, and he had a drummer named Darryl Brown, who used to play with Stanley Clarke. He turned me on to a lot of fusion music, so I got into the fusion thing later on.

When did you decide to make music your career?

Not until I was 17. I started out playing a little bit, and then I put it down and got into football, hanging out in the street, all that kind of stuff. Later on, when I moved to Willow Grove (which is on the outskirts of Philadelphia), I met drummer Tommy Campbell and bass player Tony Smith. They got me into wanting to play full time. Those guys are incredible.

Who are some of your musical influences?

James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Kool from Kool & the Gang…I later got into Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, and upright players like Niels Ørsted Pedersen. I got into a lot of bass players as I started getting older and started listening to different types of music.

When you listen to a record, do you listen to the bass more than anything else?

In the early days, yes. That’s all I would listen to. Later on, a couple people got me into listening to horn parts, keyboard parts, guitar parts, and all that stuff. When I started playing bass full time, I played clubs in the Philadelphia area. Later, I moved to Atlantic City, where there are a lot of casinos. At the time, there was a lot of work there for musicians, so everybody would flock there from Philadelphia, New York, and all over to work in these casinos. It was good for me; it helped me to play all different types of music, because that’s what they had going on down there. They had Dixieland bands, R&B bands, rock bands, Latin bands, and stuff like that. That was a fun time for me.

How long did you play in the band for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno?

About five years.

What was that experience like?

Oh man, [it was] scary at first. When I first found out I was going to be doing it, I was real happy and everything. But then I thought about playing with [bandleader] Kevin Eubanks, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, and Gerry Etkins…all these great musicians. So it was a little scary at first. When I actually got there, they were real nice to me and real patient, and they made me feel comfortable.

What was the trickiest thing about playing bass for The Tonight Show?

Just having all my sensibilities. A lot of times, Kevin would play a line, and I would have to follow him, and I only had seconds to learn [it]. That was kind of scary to me [at first], but after a while, it was second nature.

Do you have a favorite Jay Leno story?

[Laughs.] I do actually. There’s this place called Philly’s Best; it’s a cheesesteak place in Burbank, [near NBC Studios, where The Tonight Show is taped]. I was eating there one night at about eight o’clock, and Jay comes rolling up with his assistant; I guess he was coming from his garage where he works on his cars and stuff. He comes in and he teases me, because at the time I was on a diet. When he pulls up, he sees me with my mouth wide open, and he’s laughing at me. Then, he sits down and orders a cheesesteak with double meat. I’m like, “Wow. Double meat?” So he starts to eat it, and he inhaled the thing. I couldn’t believe it—he just inhaled it! And then he ordered another one! I was only halfway done with my little cheesesteak, and he orders another and inhales that one, too. I was like, “I can’t believe you just did that,” and he just laughed at me.

What would you say is your number one thought when you go on stage for a performance?

The first thing I do is just try to get rid of the nervousness, because I’m always a little nervous when I go up there. Again, I just make sure I have all my sensibilities, make sure I’m ready to go.

You’ve worked with artists such as Dr. Dre, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Peter Frampton, Michael Bolton, Aaron Neville, and Natalie Cole. Is there anyone else you would want to work with?

Sting. I love Sting. I’ve always wanted to play with him.

What are you working on currently?

I was doing a bunch of sessions for a while. Now, I’m thinking about doing a CD. I’ve always wanted to do a fusion CD. I have about four tunes already, and hopefully I’ll spend time doing that in the next couple of weeks.

How has evolving technology affected the way you play bass?

I’ve always been able to adapt to it, but I remember there was a time when I only played four-string [bass]. Then, [when synthesizers became popular], that put bass players out of work for a minute. That’s when five-string [basses] and stuff like that came out. That was kind of weird for me, because it took me a while to get adjusted to playing five-string.

How does the VB-99 fit into your musical world?

It’s just fun. It allows me to come up with different sounds that I like. One sound that I really like is the Music Man® simulation. I used to kid around with a friend of mine; I was playing a Fender® Jazz Bass® at the time, and I was like, “Man, I wish I had a knob that I could push to make my Fender Jazz turn into a Music Man sound.” We used to joke about that all the time, and then Roland finally came out with that [in the VB-99]. I was like, “Oh man—this is it!”

On The Tonight Show, Kevin would like to play some jams, and he’d just start playing something and you’d have to jump in. I would always turn my Music Man sound on, and he would like that. This is one of my favorite ones on here.

What advantages do you find using the VB-99?

Easy access to [different] sounds, I really love that. That’s the main thing for me.

Are there any other Roland or BOSS products that you use?

Yeah. I like the GT-10B and the RC-20XL. I have fun with those.

What would you say to young bass players who are trying to make their way in the music business?

Just keep an open mind about the music. Always keep an open mind about it and have a great attitude—plain and simple.

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