George Porter ...

Biography

George Porter Jr. was born December 26, 1947, in New Orleans, Louisiana, into a musically immersive household — his father spun Duke Ellington records while his mother sang in the church choir. Growing up next door to future bandmate Joe "Zigaboo" Modeliste, Porter was playing jam sessions by age 10. New Orleans bassist Benjamin "Poppi" Francis inspired him to pick up bass and gave him his earliest instruction. As a teenager Porter performed with blues guitarist Earl King, pulling him into the professional New Orleans music scene. He was raised Catholic and seriously considered entering the priesthood before committing fully to music.

In 1965, keyboardist Art Neville assembled what became The Meters — Porter on bass, Neville on keys, Leo Nocentelli on guitar, and Modeliste on drums. The band honed their craft playing six nights a week on Bourbon Street before producer Allen Toussaint signed them and made them his studio house band. They played sessions for Dr. John, Robert Palmer, Lee Dorsey, and Patti LaBelle (including "Lady Marmalade"), and their 1969 debut "Cissy Strut" reached No. 4 on the R&B chart. Opening for the Rolling Stones in 1975–76 brought them wider recognition. The syncopated interplay between Porter's bass and Modeliste's drums became one of the defining templates of funk music. The band disbanded in 1977.

Post-Meters, Porter launched The Runnin' Pardners (1990, still active) and co-founded The Funky Meters with Art Neville in 1994. He became an in-demand session bassist recording with Paul McCartney, David Byrne, Tori Amos, Warren Haynes, Robbie Robertson, and Harry Connick Jr. He joined John Scofield's Piety Street Band (2008), Bill Kreutzmann's 7 Walkers (2010), and performed with Dead & Company (2018). The Meters received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. Rolling Stone named Porter one of the 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time. He remains an active performer and Louisiana wetlands preservation advocate based in New Orleans.

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Fun Facts

• Never plays bass with new strings — his strings only leave the instrument when they break. Old, dull strings are central to his warm, fat pocket tone.
• During The Meters' 1975–76 Rolling Stones tour, Porter filled in for Bill Wyman on an encore after Wyman had already left the stage — at Eric Clapton's urging to keep playing.
• Seriously considered entering the Catholic priesthood before committing to music.
• Grew up literally next door to Meters drummer Zigaboo Modeliste; the two were playing together around age 10, decades before The Meters formed.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Benjamin "Poppi" Francis - New Orleans bassist who inspired Porter to take up bass and gave him his earliest formal instruction [1950s–1960s]
• Earl King - New Orleans blues guitarist; Porter performed with him as a teenager, formative professional experience [Early 1960s]
• Allen Toussaint - Producer who shaped The Meters' recording sound and placed them as house band for high-profile sessions [Late 1960s–1970s]

Key Collaborators

• Art Neville - Co-founder and keyboardist of The Meters; later co-founded The Funky Meters with Porter [1965–present]
• Leo Nocentelli - Guitarist and core member of The Meters [1965–1977]
• Zigaboo Modeliste - Drummer and childhood neighbor; core Meters member whose drum-bass interplay with Porter defined the band's sound [1965–present]
• Dr. John - Session recording work at Allen Toussaint's studio [Late 1960s–1970s]
• John Scofield - Piety Street Band collaboration
• Bill Kreutzmann - 7 Walkers project, replaced Reed Mathis on bass

Artists Influenced

• A Tribe Called Quest - Sampled The Meters extensively; Porter's bass lines foundational to their sound (Multiple Meters samples across ATCQ catalog)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Cited The Meters as a primary funk influence
• Led Zeppelin - Cited The Meters as an influence on their rhythmic approach

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia