Cleveland Eaton

Cleveland Eaton worked across multiple roles as a jazz bassist, composer, producer, and educator. A rock-solid rhythmic foundation allowed him to fuse swing and soul while projecting a rich, warm, deeply woody tone on his instrument. Although he released only a small number of albums under his own name—with the 1973 jazz-funk landmark Plenty Good Eaton on Black Jazz standing as his best-known effort—he remained in constant demand as a sideman thanks to his command of both acoustic upright and electric bass. Eaton entered the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1964 and stayed a full decade, contributing on bass, writing, and arranging; that span overlapped with the ensemble’s commercial peak, yielding three Grammy awards along with four gold albums and several hit singles. At the same time he belonged to the Cadet/Chess house band, serving as a foundational member of Richard Evans’ Soulful Strings while appearing on sessions by numerous jazz, soul, blues, and pop acts. He subsequently spent seventeen years in the Count Basie Orchestra, where he acquired the nickname “The Count’s Bassist,” a affiliation that opened doors to high-profile gigs with additional artists. In 1976 Gull issued his disco single “Bama Boogie Woogie,” which reached charts throughout Europe. Following the 1980 Ovation release Strollin’ with the Count, Eaton relocated back to Alabama, where he taught, performed, recorded, and toured with his own ensembles until his passing in 2020.

Born in Fairfield, Alabama, Eaton began piano studies at age five and, at his parents’ urging, added trumpet and saxophone during elementary school. A high-school instructor introduced him to the string bass and permitted him to practice on a school instrument at home. He devoted nearly every available moment to the new instrument, turning professional while still in ninth grade and joining Leon Lucky Davis & the All-Stars, an engagement that funded his first car. At Tennessee A & I State University he studied under Fess Whatley, an instructor who had previously guided numerous jazz professionals including Sun Ra and Erskine Hawkins. Eaton also performed in a campus jazz ensemble while completing his bachelor’s degree in music; beyond sharpening his instrumental skills, Whatley nurtured his abilities in composition and arrangement.

After graduation Eaton moved from Alabama to Chicago, Illinois. An early engagement came with the Ike Cole Trio, and he soon recorded with the Donald Byrd & Pepper Adams Quintet that featured Herbie Hancock. He maintained a relentless schedule on the city’s club circuit, once appearing with more than a dozen groups in a single day. Eaton replaced bassist Eldee Young in the Ramsey Lewis Trio after Earth Wind & Fire co-founder Maurice White succeeded Redd Holt on drums. Between 1964 and 1974 he participated in thirty recordings with the trio, an era that produced three Grammys, five gold albums—The In Crowd, Hang on Ramsey!, and Wade in the Water in 1966, The Sound of Christmas in 1968, and Sun Goddess in 1974—plus four gold-certified singles that included “Wade in the Water” and “Hang on Sloopy.” Additional dates featured John Klemmer, Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon, Jerry Butler, Minnie Riperton, Terry Callier, and many others. Eaton made his leader debut, Half and Half, for Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s Columbia-distributed Gamble Records in 1973. Two years later he delivered the oft-sampled jazz-funk classic Plenty Good Eaton for Gene Russell’s Black Jazz imprint. He joined the Ovation roster the next year and released Instant Hip, an early exploration of free funk fusion and Afro-futurist disco. A two-week substitute engagement with the Count Basie Orchestra extended into a seventeen-year tenure; the pianist routinely introduced him as “The Count’s Bassist.” Eaton appeared on Basie’s final albums and continued with the orchestra into the 1990s, resulting in ten recordings.

In 1979 the Garden of Eaton band issued the futurist disco album Keep Love Alive on Ovation, highlighted by the single “Bama Boogie Woogie,” which charted across Europe and remained a fixture of American dance floors for three years. Eaton entered the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1979. While still with Basie he recorded Strollin’ with the Count for Ovation in 1980 and performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson, and numerous other artists. Following Basie’s death in 1984, Eaton returned to Alabama the next year and soon issued Cleveland Eaton Trio Plus Voices’ Live, Vol. I. He maintained ties to the Basie organization under Frank Foster, appearing on 1989’s The Legend, The Legacy and 1992’s Live at El Morocco, as well as George Benson’s 1990 album Big Boss Band. Alabama’s Music Hall of Fame inducted him in 2008. Locally he performed with Robert Moore & the Wildcats, the Magic City Jazz Orchestra, and Ray Reach. His own group, first known as Cleve Eaton & Co., issued singles such as “Corner Pocket” and “The B’ham Shuffle,” blending R&B and adult-contemporary pop with crossover jazz. In later years he led Cleve Eaton & the Alabama All-Stars. Eaton died at age 80 in July 2020.