John Klingberg (November 17, 1945 - January 22, 1985) was a Boston-based musician who earned three Gold Albums (as well as five more posthumously) from his work with Van Morrison on his third and fourth albums; Moondance, and His Band and the Street Choir. Klingberg played bass on some of Morrison's highest-charting singles, including Into the Mystic, Moondance, Domino, Blue Money, and Come Running.
Klingberg was born in Chicago in 1945, worked with Morrison from 1969-1971, and passed away in Oklahoma in 1985. He lived many years in Woodstock, NY, where his ashes were spread after his death. [1]
His unique style of bass was noticed by authors and musicians. In "Van Morrison: No Surrender" by Johnny Rogan,[2] Klingberg's walking jazz-rock style is credited for shaping the commercial breakthough of the Moondance album. Peter Mills discusses the intricate chemistry between Klingberg and drummer Gary Mallaber in "Hymns to the Silence: Inside the Words and Music of Van Morrison".[3] The Jazz Bass Book: Technique and Tradition," bassist, author, and instructor John Goldsby wrote:
John Klingberg is one of those bassists you've heard countless times, yet you probably don't recognize his name. Klingberg lived in Woodstock, New York in the '60s and '70s and made several records with pop legend Van Morrison, including Moondance. Although he passed away in 1985 at age 39, his intro and bass line on this early folk-rock-meets-jazz anthem live on.
The next time you play "Moondance" for those baby-booming, lizard-dancing party animals at the catering hall, give a wink and a nod to Klingberg for his contribution to the bass canon of classic intros.[4]
Mike McInnerney, sleeve artist for The Who's Tommy, recalls Ronnie Lane of The Faces introducing him to Klingberg's style on Moondance:
Ronnie had brought Van Morrison's Moondance back from America. I'd not heard it and Ronnie came over to the flat and said 'Look, you've got to come hear this. Just listen to the bass.' So my first introduction the album was not Van Morrison's voice - it was the bass. What made the listening experience so special was how Ronnie talked about what this bass player was doing. Traditionally the bass on a record would always be in the background but Ronnie brought it into the foreground by the way he was talking about it. Whenever I hear Moondance now, all I hear is (John Klingberg's) bass.[5]
Discography
- 1970: Van Morrison - Moondance (Warner Bros.)
- 1970: Van Morrison - His Band and the Street Choir (Warner Bros.)
- 1972: Martha Veléz - Hypnotized (Polydor)
- 1990: Van Morrison - The Best of Van Morrison (Polydor Records)
- 1998: Van Morrison - The Philospher's Stone (Polydor)
- 2013: Van Morrison - Moondance Deluxe (Warner Bros.)
- 2013: Van Morrison - Moondance Expanded (Warner Bros.)
- 2015: Van Morrison - His Band and the Street Choir Expanded (Warner Bros.)
- 2018: Van Morrison - The Alternative Moondance (Warner Bros.)
References
- "Obituaries". woodstock.advantage-preservation.com. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- Rogan, Johnny (2006). Van Morrison: No Surrender. London: Secker & Warburg. p. 250.
- Mills, Peter (2010). Hymns to the Silence: Inside the Words and Music of Van Morrison. New York: Continuum. p. 83.
- Goldsby, "The Jazz Bass Book: Technique and Tradition," (2002), page 153-154.
- Neill, Andy, "Had Me a Real Good Time: The Faces During and After," (2017). Omnibus Press.
Category:1945 births
Category:1985 deaths
Category:British musicians