Nathan East
East in 2005
Background information
Birth name	Nathan Harrell East
Born	(1955-12-08)8 December 1955 (age 69) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Smooth jazz jazz-funk R&B soul rock
Occupations	Musician songwriter record producer
Instruments	Bass vocals
Years active	1971–present
Member of	Fourplay
Website	nathaneast.com

Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an Americanjazz,R&B, androck bass guitarist and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music.^[1][2] East holds aBachelor of Arts degree in music from theUniversity of California, San Diego (1978).^[3][4] He is a founding member of contemporary jazz quartetFourplay and has recorded, performed, and co-written songs with performers such asBobby Womack,^[5]Eric Clapton,Michael Jackson,^[6]Joe Satriani,George Harrison,Ringo Starr,Phil Collins,Stevie Wonder,Toto,Kenny Loggins,Daft Punk,Chick Corea, andHerbie Hancock.

Nathan Harrell East was born on December 8, 1955, inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania to Thomas and Gwendolyn East. He is one of eight children (five boys and three girls) raisedCatholic inSan Diego, where the family moved when he was four. He is the younger brother of Msgr Ray East of St Teresa of Avila Church in DC.^[7]

East first studiedcello from seventh through ninth grade and played in localHorace Mannjunior high school'sorchestra. At age fourteen he developed an interest in thebass guitar, playing in church with his brothers Raymond and David. He was active in his (Crawford) high school's music programs along with a localtop 40 band called "Power". He has said his early influences includedCharles Mingus,Ray Brown andRon Carter on upright bass; andJames Jamerson,Paul McCartney andChuck Rainey on electric bass. He studied music atUC San Diego. Nathan East is also an accomplished amateurmagician member ofThe Magic Castle and the Academy of Magical Arts.

East is a founding member of the contemporary jazz bandFourplay withBob James (keyboards),Lee Ritenour on guitar (later replaced byLarry Carlton andChuck Loeb) andHarvey Mason (drums).

He has worked withBobby Womack (on the albumThe Poet),^[5]Babyface,Anita Baker, TheBee Gees,Eric Clapton,Steve Winwood,Gail Ann Dorsey,Bryan Ferry,Daft Punk,Herbie Hancock,George Harrison,Michael Jackson,Al Jarreau,Elton John,Quincy Jones,Earth, Wind & Fire,B.B. King,Kenny Loggins,The Love Unlimited Orchestra,The Manhattan Transfer,Ed O'Brien,Laura Pausini,Savage Garden,Sting,Barry White, andStevie Wonder. He co-wrote the song "Easy Lover" forPhil Collins andPhilip Bailey. In 2013, he recorded the bass line for the 2013 hit "Get Lucky" byDaft Punk, which won Grammy Awards forRecord of the Year andBest Pop Duo/Group Performance (2014). Since the 1980s, East has been a member of Eric Clapton's studio and touring bands. East was invited to play atWe Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 2009.

In early 2010, he was invited to join American Grammy Award-winning rock bandToto on their reunion tour to benefit memberMike Porcaro, who had been diagnosed withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis. East later joined Toto for their 2011 and 2012 tours as well. He joined Eric Clapton's band for concerts in Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Dubai in February and March 2014 and again for theMadison Square Garden andRoyal Albert Hall concerts in May 2015.^[8]

East's self-titled debut solo album was released on March 25, 2014.^[9][10] During recording, he was joined by several of his longtime associates, including Stevie Wonder,Michael McDonald, Eric Clapton,Ray Parker Jr., andGreg Phillinganes.^[1]

In 2023, East performed with Eric Clapton during his Tokyo Residency at the Nippon Budokan from April 15–24.^[11] Returning from Japan, East joined Eric Clapton's nephew,Will Johns, andThe Cream of Clapton Band at their April 30 show in San Diego.^[12] East's son, Noah East, has been a part of The Cream of Clapton Band since early 2023 and toured with the band throughout the spring of 2023.^[12]

With Yamaha, East developed a custom 5-string bass guitar signature model, the BBNE (modeled after his early 1980s BB5000 5-string bass). The second signature bass, theBBNE2, was released in 2001. A limited edition 30th Anniversary version (the BBNE2 LTD) was released in 2011. He has also used custom 6-string prototypes of his BBNE2 bass guitar between 2003 and 2005, along with his black 1980s LB-1 Motion 5-string bass and a pair of 6-string TRB6P models. Yamaha introduced the NE1 Parametric EQ Pedal, otherwise known as the "Magic Box" in the early 2000s. This pedal essentially gives the player the ability to use the "Nathan East EQ curve" on any bass they choose. East also plays a Yamaha SLB200 Silent Upright Bass.^[13]

In 2019, East co-developed a custom in-ear monitor dubbed N8 (a product abbreviation that plays on East's first name, Nate) with64 Audio, an Oregon-based manufacturer of in-ear monitors for stage performers, mixing engineers and audio enthusiasts.^[14]

• Ivor Novello Award,British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors for "Easy Lover"
• Most Valuable Player (bass),International Rock Awards
• Bassist of the Year, U.S. National Smooth Jazz Awards
• Most Valuable Player (bass),N.A.R.A.S.
• Most Performed Work,ASCAP
• Honored by U.S. Congress, 2007^[15][16]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toNathan East.

• Official site
• Online Electric Bass School with Nathan East
• Fourplay homepage
• Interview at Smooth Jazz Notes

• 1955 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American bass guitarists
• 21st-century American bass guitarists
• African-American guitarists
• American jazz bass guitarists
• American jazz double-bassists
• American male double-bassists
• American male bass guitarists
• American rhythm and blues bass guitarists
• American rock bass guitarists
• American session musicians
• Guitarists from Philadelphia
• Smooth jazz bass guitarists
• University of California, San Diego alumni
• Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
• 21st-century American double-bassists
• 20th-century American male musicians
• 21st-century American male musicians
• American male jazz musicians
• Fourplay members
• African-American Catholics
• 20th-century African-American musicians
• 21st-century African-American musicians
• The Love Unlimited Orchestra members

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from January 2015
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• Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts
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