Tommy Cogbill

Who was Tommy Cogbill?

Thomas Clark Cogbill, was an American bassist, guitarist and record producer.

Tommy Cogbill was born in Johnson Grove, Tennessee. He was a highly sought-after session and studio musician who appeared on many now-classic recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, especially those recorded in Nashville, Memphis and Muscle Shoals. He has been credited as an influence by bass guitarists, including Jaco Pastorius. In the later 1960s and early 1970s, Cogbill worked extensively at Memphis's American Sound Studio as a producer and as part of the studio's house rhythm section, known as The Memphis Boys.

One of the best known recordings featuring his bassline was Dusty Springfield's 1969 hit "Son of a Preacher Man", produced by Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd. Other major artists he recorded with include Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Kris Kristofferson, J. J. Cale, Wilson Pickett, Chuck Berry, Dolly Parton, Bob Seger, and Neil Diamond.

Cogbill died on December 7, 1982 in Nashville, Tennessee.