Double Bass, Cello, Composer (b. 1937)

Born Ronald Levin Carter on 4 May 1937 in Ferndale, Michigan, Ron Carter is an American double bassist and cellist whose 2,221 recording sessions make him the most-recorded jazz bassist in history. Starting cello at age 10, he switched to bass in high school and earned degrees from Eastman School of Music and Manhattan School of Music. His first jobs came with Chico Hamilton in 1959, followed by work with Jaki Byard, Cannonball Adderley, Eric Dolphy, and Thelonious Monk. Early recorded appearances include Dolphy's Out There (1960) and leader debut Where? (1961).

From 1963 to 1968, Carter anchored Miles Davis' Second Great Quintet with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Tony Williams, appearing on E.S.P., Miles Smiles, and Nefertiti. Davis recorded Carter's compositions including "R.J." and "Eighty-One". After leaving Davis, Carter became a CTI Records mainstay through the 1970s with albums including All Blues (1973) and Piccolo (1977), and partnerships with Joe Henderson, Jim Hall, and the New York Jazz Quartet. His diverse credits span Billy Joel's The Bridge to A Tribe Called Quest.