Donald “Duck” Dunn, R.I.P.
Donald “Duck” Dunn
Bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, whose swampy thick bottom grooves anchored many classic soul hits from the 1960s, has died at the age of 70. He was on a tour of Japan with his friend and former bandmate in Booker T. and the MGs, Steve Cropper.
Dunn was an integral part of the Memphis soul sound as bassist for the MGs, the house band for Stax and Volt records. He died Sunday morning after finishing two shows at the Blue Note Night Club in Tokyo, Cropper said in a posting on his Facebook page.
He played with Muddy Waters, Sam and Dave, Freddie King, Otis Redding, Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart among many others. Dunn played bass on the Stevie Nicks/Tom Petty duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” and was a member of Levon Helm’s RCO All-Stars.
With Cropper, Dunn played on tour with the Blues Brothers (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd). In the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers Dunn played himself and was famous for drawling the line “We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline!”
Donald “Duck” Dunn obituary in the Memphis Commercial Appeal
MP3: “In The Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett
MP3: “Nobody’s Fault But My Own” by Otis Redding
MP3: “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty
MP3: “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love” by the Blues Brothers
30 Days Out 
May 18, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Thanks for the Duck Dunn tracks did not know he played with as many prominent artists as indicated. A major loss.
Regards
Rhod