Honorebel Mention
+3: Richard “Richie” Daley
You almost can’t mention Inner Circle without talking about Third World (In fact, we interviewed both in a joint 2012 feature) and the same rule applies for their respective bassists—Richie Daley has been holding down the low end for Third World since (almost) their first gig, and continues to find innovative ways to fuse pop and reggae bass. He can drive the riddim as hard as the next guy, but is also a key factor in the funk/R&B bass stylings that made Third World such a crossover success.
The group, which just celebrated their 40th anniversary last year, continues to work despite the recent passing of lead singer William “Bunny Rugs” Clarke: their latest LP, Under the Magic Sun, just dropped yesterday. Watch a 1978 performance of “Now That We Found Love” below, and a recent interview in which Daley discusses the group’s path to success, and moving on without Clarke.