Investigating the new melodic role of the electric bass as it appeared (and disappeared) in the 1960s and 1970s, this book turns to the number one songs of the American Billboard Hot 100 charts between 1951 and 1982 as a prime source. Through interviews with players from this era, numerous transcriptions - elaborations of twenty bass related features - are presented. These are juxtaposed with a critical study of four key players, who provide the case-studies for examining the performance practice. This book will be of interest not only to bass players, but also to popular musicologists looking for a way to instigate discussions on how to develop popular music analysis.