The Bassist Who Built the Floor That Funk Stands On
Every building needs a foundation, and the foundation of New Orleans funk is George Porter Jr.'s bass. As one of the four founding members of The Meters, Porter helped create the rhythmic template that every funk, hip-hop, and groove-based musician has been borrowing from for the last six decades. And he did it with a deceptive simplicity that makes what he plays sound easy until you try to play it yourself.
Porter was born on December 26, 1947, in New Orleans, and grew up next door to Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste, who would become The Meters' drummer. The two of them developed a rhythmic bond in childhood that would become one of the tightest rhythm sections in the history of popular music. Porter learned bass from a local musician named Benjamin "Poppi" Francis, absorbing the lesson that would define his career: the bass doesn't just keep time—it drives the song.
In the mid-1960s, Porter and Modeliste connected with Art Neville and guitarist Leo Nocentelli, and The Meters were born. What they created was something that had never existed before: a stripped-down, groove-heavy instrumental funk that took the syncopated rhythms of New Orleans second line music and compressed them into the tightest pocket imaginable. Songs like "Cissy Strut," "Look-Ka Py Py," and "Hey Pocky A-Way" weren't just hits—they were blueprints.
Porter's bass lines on those records are masterpieces of economy. He never plays a note he doesn't need, but every note he plays is exactly right—the perfect tone, the perfect placement, the perfect amount of space. His style influenced everyone from Bootsy Collins to Flea to every hip-hop producer who ever sampled a Meters groove, which is basically all of them.
Beyond The Meters, Porter became one of the most sought-after session bassists in the business. He's played with Paul McCartney, David Byrne, Tori Amos, Robbie Robertson, and Dead & Company. Every artist who works with him comes away saying the same thing: the man makes everything feel better. His bass doesn't just support the music—it elevates it.
After The Meters split in 1977, Porter kept busy with various projects—Joyride, The Runnin' Pardners, and eventually The Funky Meters with Art Neville. He's won OffBeat Magazine's "Best Bass Player" award so many times they practically had to retire the category. In 2011, he received a Lifetime Achievement in Music Award, which only begins to cover what he's contributed.
George Porter Jr. is still playing, still grooming, still laying down bass lines that make rooms full of people move without thinking about it. In a city full of musicians who changed the sound of American music, Porter stands out because what he created is so fundamental, so essential, that you literally cannot imagine funk without it. He built the floor. Everything else is dancing on it.
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