Kenny Passarelli was someone that I idolized. My two favorite bands are the Beatles and Elton John. Kenny was Elton John's bassist, so naturally I gravitated towards him. He was the person that made me want to be a professional bassist.

I saw him at Madison Square Garden with Elton in 1976, and my life has never been the same. Kenny played a fretless bass. To my knowledge, he played the first recorded fretless bass on Joe Walsh's "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get", and Dan Folgelberg's "Souvenir" LP. Definitely "Pre-Jaco".

Kenny's playing and sound on Elton John's "Blue Moves" album was important to me. Incredibly solid, musical, and mature... I learned every note and literaly wore the record out!