Oteil Burbridge
Oteil Burbridge is an American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band from 1997 through 2014, and as a founding member of the band Dead & Company. Burbridge was also a founding member of The Aquarium Rescue Unit and Tedeschi Trucks Band, with whom his brother Kofi Burbridge was the keyboardist and flautist. He has worked with other musicians including Bruce Hampton, Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Bill Kreutzmann and Derek Trucks.
Oteil Burbridge
August 24, 1964[1]
Washington, D.C., United States
Rock, jazz, blues, classical, funk, jam, psychedelia, southern rock
- Bass guitar
- drums
- banjo
- bass clarinet
- piano
1989–present
- Aquarium Rescue Unit
- The Allman Brothers Band
- Oteil and the Peacemakers
- Vida Blue
- BK3
- Tedeschi Trucks Band
- Les Brers
- Dead & Company
Burbridge has been recognized for his ability to incorporate scat-singing into his improvised bass solos. Burbridge endorses Fodera, Modulus, Sukop and Dunlop guitars and effects. He is ranked 64th on Bass Player magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time".[2]
Musical career[edit]
Early endeavors[edit]
Burbridge was born and raised in Washington, D.C.,[3] to an African American family with some Egyptian heritage. His name, Oteil, means "explorer" or "wanderer".[4] When he and elder sibling Kofi showed talent for music, their mother encouraged them with classical and jazz courses hoping to nurture their musical inclinations and keep them out of trouble. Kofi remembers Oteil's first drum set: a Quaker Oatmeal box, when he was only three or four years old. Both brothers were introduced to a wide variety of instruments, and became multi-instrumentalists, with both being taught to play the piano. Oteil gained proficiency on the bass clarinet, violin, and trumpet; however, bass guitar and drums became his instruments of choice (while Kofi developed a love for both flute and keyboards).[5] Burbridge was also interested in the theater and became the co-host of a local children's television show called "Stuff". He was enrolled in the Sidwell Friends School, graduating in 1982.[4]
Oteil performed regularly in a variety of D.C. bands as a teenager, gathering experience playing R&B, rock, Brazilian music and jazz among other styles. He moved to Virginia Beach and worked mostly in cover bands there, and subsequently became part of the Atlanta musical scene, where he played with different musicians and also became fluent in other genres of music.[3]
The Aquarium Rescue Unit[edit]
As one of the original members of Bruce Hampton's avant-garde band, the Aquarium Rescue Unit, Burbridge was introduced to members of the jam band scene in the southeast of the United States. This included members of Phish, Phil Lesh and Friends, and Blues Traveler, who freely sat in with one another in each other's bands. When Hampton left the Aquarium Rescue Unit, it slowly disbanded; however, Burbridge had developed a reputation on the four-, five-, and eventually the six-string bass guitar, enjoying the less commercial aspects of playing with Atlanta-area musicians. During its initial years, the band was composed of Bruce Hampton, Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring, Jeff Sipe, Matt Mundy, and Count M'Butu. Although the band was never commercially successful, their unique combination of bluegrass, rock, Latin, blues, jazz, and funk (along with the impeccable chops of the members) led to their becoming an influence on other bands and served as a kind of template for their own future musical endeavors.[6]
Other projects[edit]
The Adventures of the Green Thumb and Purple Haze[edit]
The Green Thumb is a serial comic book that Burbridge created with artist LeVar Carter following the adventures of twin cannabis superheroes. The comic explores themes involving the power of nature and spirituality, the role corporations and governments play in stifling scientific and cultural advancements for the purpose of preserving profits and power, and also what it means to be deemed illegal just by one's lot in life (as it pertains to one's biology, nationality, gender, sexuality). A book featuring the characters was published in 2014.[12]
Film[edit]
Burbridge also had a bit part, as a teenager, playing a street thug named Lolo in the 1979 Peter Sellers movie Being There. The movie is a black comedy about politics and the woes of celebrity and fame.[4] Although Burbridge plays a small part in a short scene, it is one of the film's many famous moments.
Podcast[edit]
Since 2020 Burbridge has cohosted the Comes A Time Podcast with comedian Mike Finoia.[13]
Oteil is a fan of professional wrestling.