Tim Bogert

One of hard rock's most respected bassists remains Tim Bogert, due to his influential work with such notable late-'60s/early-'70s outfits as Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert & Appice. Born on August 27, 1944, in New York City, Bogert developed an interest in music at an early age, taking up piano at the age of eight, and saxophone five years later. After relocating to New Jersey, Bogert played sax in a local band called the Belltones, which later evolved into the Chessmen. The group was soon taken under the wing of disc jockey Allen Fredericks, who landed Bogert and company shows backing up such doo wop bands as the Shirelles, the Crest, the Earl, and the Doves. The sax became expendable in the group once surf music and the British Invasion hit in the early '60s, leading Bogert to switch to bass guitar. Bogert then joined a number of forgotten local bands in the New York City area, during which he met keyboardist/vocalist Mark Stein in 1965. The pair decided to form a group on their own, resulting in the formation of the Pigeons with additional members Joey Brennan (drums) and Vince Martell (guitar). After an obscure album came and went (While the World Was Eating), the Pigeons replaced Brennan with Carmine Appice, focused on a more hard rock/psychedelic musical direction, and changed their name to Vanilla Fudge. 1967 saw the release of Vanilla Fudge's classic self-titled debut release, which spawned a massive hit single with a cover of a slowed-down and rocking version of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On." Bogert and Appice quickly became one of the strongest rhythm sections of hard rock, as the duo progressed technically with each successive Vanilla Fudge release -- 1968's The Beat Goes On and Renaissance, 1969's Near the Beginning, and 1970's Rock & Roll...