Tina Weymouth

{{Short description|American musician, bassist, singer-songwriter (b. 1950)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Tina Weymouth

| image = Tina Weymouth 2010.jpg

| alt = Weymouth smiling

| caption = Weymouth at South by Southwest 2010

| birth_name = Martina Michèle Weymouth

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|11|22}}{{r|Prato_nd}}

| birth_place = Coronado, California, U.S.{{r|Prato_nd}}

| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|bass|guitar|keyboards}}

| genre = {{hlist|New wave|post-punk|art pop|funk}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|author}}

| years_active = 1975{{ndash}}present

| label = {{hlist|EMI|Sire}}

| current_member_of = Tom Tom Club

| past_member_of = Talking Heads

| spouse = {{marriage|Chris Frantz|1977}}

| website = {{URL|tomtomclub.com}}

}}

{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY_BfWwbCrw&feature=emb_logo "Tina Weymouth Tribute Film], Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame}}

Martina Michèle Weymouth ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|eɪ|m|ə|θ}} {{respell|WAY|məth}}; born November 22, 1950) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and a founding member and bassist of the new wave group Talking Heads and its side project Tom Tom Club, which she co-founded with her husband, Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz. In 2002, Weymouth was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Talking Heads.

Early life

Born in Coronado, California, Weymouth is the daughter of Laura Bouchage and U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Ralph Weymouth (1917–2020). The third of eight children, her siblings include Lani and Laura Weymouth, who are collaborators in Tina's band Tom Tom Club, and architect Yann Weymouth, the designer of the Salvador Dalí Museum in Florida. Weymouth is of Breton heritage on her mother's side (she is the great-granddaughter of Anatole Le Braz, a Breton writer).{{r|Marie-HélèneClam_20120831}}{{r|Bowman_20010403|p=[https://archive.org/details/thismustbeplace00davi/page/10 10]}} Her mother was an immigrant from Brittany and her father was American.{{r|Marie-HélèneClam_20120831}}

When she was 12, Weymouth joined the Mrs. Tufts’ Potomac English Hand Bell Ringers, an amateur music group directed by Nancy Tufts, and toured with them.{{Cite web |last=AnOther |date=2017-05-10 |title=Talking Heads Bassist Tina Weymouth's Electrifying Style |url=https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/9808/talking-heads-bassist-tina-weymouths-electrifying-style |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=AnOther |language=en}} At 14, she started to teach herself the guitar.

Her early inspirations came from Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul & Mary.

Talking Heads

As a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, she met Chris Frantz and David Byrne, who formed a band called the Artistics.{{r|Gans_198512|page=[https://archive.org/details/talkingheads0000gans/page/30/ 30]}}{{r|Prato_nd}} She began dating Frantz and served as the band's driver. After graduation, the three of them moved to New York City. Since Byrne and Frantz were unable to find a suitable bass guitar player she joined them at the latter's request and began learning and playing the instrument.

As a bass player she combined the minimalist art-punk bass lines of groups such as Wire and Pere Ubu with danceable, funk-inflected riffs to provide the bedrock of Talking Heads' signature sound.

Other musical activities

File:Tina Weymouth, 1977.jpg in Minneapolis, 1977]]

Full members of the Compass Point All Stars, Weymouth and Frantz formed Tom Tom Club in 1980, which kept them busy during a fairly long hiatus in Talking Heads activity.{{r|Prato_nd}} When it became obvious that Talking Heads frontman David Byrne had no interest in another Talking Heads album, Weymouth, Frantz, and Jerry Harrison reunited without him for a single album called No Talking, Just Head under the name "The Heads" in 1996, featuring a rotating cast of vocalists. Weymouth has been critical of Byrne, describing him as "a man incapable of returning friendship".

She co-produced the Happy Mondays' 1992 album Yes Please! and contributed backing vocals and percussion for the alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz on their track "19-2000".Reddington, Helen (2021), [https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/shes-at-the-controls/ She’s at the Controls: Sound Engineering, Production and Gender Ventriloquism in the 21st Century]. Equinox Publishing, Paperback, {{ISBN|9781781796511}}

Weymouth was a judge for the second annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. She collaborated with Chicks on Speed on their cover of the Tom Tom Club's "Wordy Rappinghood" for their album 99 Cents in 2003 along with other female musicians such as Miss Kittin, Kevin Blechdom, Le Tigre, and Adult's Nicola Kuperus. "Wordy Rappinghood" became a moderate dance hit in Europe, peaking at number two in the Dutch Top 40, number five on the Belgian Dance Chart, and at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.

Personal life

Weymouth and Chris Frantz married in 1977. They live in Fairfield, Connecticut, and have two sons. Her niece, Katharine Weymouth, served as publisher of The Washington Post.

In March 2022, Weymouth and Frantz were in a car collision with a drunk driver. Weymouth suffered a fractured sternum and three fractured ribs.

Legacy

In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked her as the 29th greatest bass player of all time.{{Cite web |date=2020-07-02 |title=Tina Weymouth |url=https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/50-greatest-bassists-of-all-time-13565/tina-weymouth-13588/ |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=Rolling Stone Australia |language=en-AU}}

Weymouth has inspired many female bassists including Este Haim{{Cite web |last=Nevins |first=Jake |date=2023-10-23 |title="You Changed My Life": Tina Weymouth, in Conversation with Este Haim |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/you-changed-my-life-tina-weymouth-in-conversation-with-este-haim |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=Interview Magazine |language=en-US}} and Victoria De Angelis of Måneskin.{{Cite magazine |last=Paul |first=Larisha |date=2023-10-24 |title=Duran Duran Amps Up Talking Heads 'Psycho Killer' Cover |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/duran-duran-maneskin-talking-heads-psycho-killer-cover-1234860812/ |access-date=2023-10-28 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}

Equipment

Höfner 500/2 Club Bass{{r|Isola_199703}} – Two pickup with single-cutaway hollowbody, purchased in 1978
Fender Musicmaster Bass{{r|Isola_199703}} Used in early Talking Heads performances including Talking Heads: 77
Fender Mustang Bass{{r|Isola_199703}} Used in early Talking Heads performances, seen on Saturday Night Live performance
Veillette-Citron Standard 4 String{{r|Isola_199703}} – Neck Through, teal green
Fender Precision Bass – Used in early Talking Heads performances{{Cite web |last=Rowleypublished |first=Scott |date=2022-10-08 |title="Without Tina Weymouth, Talking Heads would have been just another band": a celebration of Remain in Light |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/tina-weymouth-talking-heads-remain-in-light |access-date=2023-10-28 |website=guitarworld |language=en}}
Gibson Les Paul Triumph Bass{{r|Isola_199703}} - used in early Talking Heads performances
Fender Jazz Bass{{r|Isola_199703}} – Used for Tom Tom Club live performances
Steinberger L-Series Bass{{r|Isola_199703}} – Seen during Little Creatures period
Fender Swinger Guitar – Seen in Stop Making Sense during the performance of "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"
Chapman Stick

References

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/07/AR2008020701162.html|title=Post Co. Names Weymouth Media Chief and publisher|first=Frank|last=Ahrens|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=February 8, 2008|access-date=September 15, 2009|quote=She [Katharine Weymouth] is a niece of Tina Weymouth, the bass guitarist in the new wave band Talking Heads.|archive-date=September 25, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925211031/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/07/AR2008020701162.html|url-status=live}}

{{cite news |last=Courogen |first=Carrie |title=40 Years Later, Talking Heads' Most Valuable Member Is Still Its Most Under-Recognized |url=http://www.papermag.com/40-years-late-talking-heads-most-valuable-member-is-still-its-most-under-recognized-1-2482571556.html |work=PAPER |date=2017-09-15 |access-date=2018-09-26 |archive-date=September 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927012608/http://www.papermag.com/40-years-late-talking-heads-most-valuable-member-is-still-its-most-under-recognized-1-2482571556.html |url-status=live}}

{{cite web|last=Phares|first=Heather|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=99-cents-r668474|pure_url=yes}}|title=99 Cents – Chicks on Speed|work=AllMusic|publisher=Rovi Corporation|year=2003|access-date=February 26, 2011}}

{{cite web|url=http://www.top40.nl/tom-tom-club/tom-tom-club-wordy-rappinghood_10095|title=www.top40.nl|access-date=October 31, 2016|archive-date=October 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031212737/http://www.top40.nl/tom-tom-club/tom-tom-club-wordy-rappinghood_10095|url-status=live}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/5a824/Chicks-On-Speed-Wordy-Rappinghood|title=Ultratop.be – Chicks on Speed – Wordy Rappinghood|language=nl|work=Ultratop|publisher=Ultratop & Hung Medien/hitparade.ch|access-date=February 26, 2011|archive-date=September 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923190612/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Chicks+On+Speed&titel=Wordy+Rappinghood&cat=s|url-status=live}}

{{cite book | last1 = Bowman | first1 = David | author-link1 = David Bowman (writer) | date = 2001-04-03 | chapter = Chapter 1 - the secret life of tina weymouth | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/thismustbeplace00davi/page/n22/ | title = This Must Be the Place: The Adventures of Talking Heads in the Twentieth Century | url = https://archive.org/details/thismustbeplace00davi | url-access = registration | language = en-US | issue = First | location = HarperEntertainment | isbn = 978-0380978465 | lccn = 00046082 | oclc = 44914246 | ol = 7435999M | access-date = 2023-01-03 | via = Internet Archive | df = dmy-all}}

{{cite web|url=http://www.nndb.com/people/979/000093700|title=Tina Weymouth|publisher=Nndb.com|access-date=September 14, 2011|archive-date=August 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816184203/http://www.nndb.com/people/979/000093700/|url-status=live}}

{{cite web |last=Barrett |first=John |title=The 20 Most Underrated Bass Guitarists |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/10/20-underrated-bass-guitarists-in-popular-music.html?a=1 |website=Paste Monthly |date=October 20, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2016 |archive-date=July 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712045509/http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/10/20-underrated-bass-guitarists-in-popular-music.html?a=1 |url-status=live}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/tina-weymouth-17178810|title=Tina Weymouth|website=Biography|access-date=June 7, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143706/https://www.biography.com/people/tina-weymouth-17178810|url-status=live}}

{{cite book | last1 = Gans | first1 = David | author-link1 = David Gans (musician) | date = December 1985 | chapter = Chapter One: Providence | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/talkingheads0000gans/page/23/ | chapter-url-access = registration | title = Talking Heads: The Band & Their Music | url = https://archive.org/details/talkingheads0000gans | url-access = registration | language = en-us | edition = First | publisher = Avon Books | isbn = 978-0380899548 | lccn = 85047829 | oclc = 12938771 | ol = OL2552512M | access-date = 2023-01-04 | via = Internet Archive | df = dmy-all}}

{{cite news |last=Blackman |first=Guy |title=Byrning down the house |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/Music/Byrning-down-the-house/2005/02/04/1107476787488.html |newspaper=The Age |date=February 6, 2005 |access-date=June 1, 2007 |quote=In March, 2007, Weymouth described Byrne as "a man incapable of returning friendship". She told Glasgow's Sunday Herald: "Cutting off attachments when a thing/person is perceived to have served its purpose or there is a perceived threat to ego is the lifelong pattern of his relations". |archive-date=October 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012113121/http://www.theage.com.au/news/Music/Byrning-down-the-house/2005/02/04/1107476787488.html |url-status=live}}

{{cite news |last1=Beaumont-Thomas |first1=Ben |title=Talking Heads musicians survive serious collision with drunk driver |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/mar/28/talking-heads-musicians-survive-serious-collision-with-drunk-driver-chris-frantz-tina-weymouth |access-date=March 28, 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=March 28, 2022}}

{{cite magazine | last1 = Isola | first1 = Gregory | date = March 1997 | title = Tina Weymouth: Tina Talks Heads, Tom Toms, and How to Succeed at Bass Without Really Trying | url = http://www.bassplayer.com/article/tina-weymouth/mar-97/5958 | url-status = dead | magazine = Bass Player | language = en-us | issn = 1050-785X | lccn = sn90006115 | oclc = 226032218 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081206031839/http://www.bassplayer.com/article/tina-weymouth/mar-97/5958 | archive-date = 2008-12-06 | access-date = 2023-01-05 | trans-quote = "I've come full circle," Tina Weymouth says of her decision to strap on once again the single-cutaway, two-pickup Hofner hollowbody she's had for her whole career. (Her original was stolen in '78, but a sympathetic fan sold her another shortly after.) "It's really light, it has a little neck, and it's hard for some engineers to handle--but it's funky as all get out." [...] In addition to the Hofner, Tina's bass stockpile has included (roughly in this order) a '70s sunburst Fender Precision, now on display at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; a competition-striped Fender Mustang; a Gibson Triumph; a Fender Musicmaster; a custom-made Veillette-Citron Standard 4-string; a Steinberger; and a '63 Fender Jazz. | df = dmy-all}}

{{cite news | last1 = Clam | first1 = Marie-Hélène | date = 2012-08-31 | title = Héritage. D'Anatole Le Braz aux Talking Heads | url = https://www.letelegramme.fr/ig/generales/regions/bretagne/heritage-d-anatole-le-braz-aux-talking-heads-31-08-2012-1821812.php | url-status = live | work = Le Télégramme | language = fr | issn = 0751-5928 | oclc = 1076375798 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221120232655/https://www.letelegramme.fr/ig/generales/regions/bretagne/heritage-d-anatole-le-braz-aux-talking-heads-31-08-2012-1821812.php | archive-date = 2022-11-20 | access-date = 2023-01-05 | quote = Arrière-petite-fille d'Anatole Le Braz, TinaWeymouth est elle-même célèbre: membre fondateur du TomTom Club, elle fut aussi la bassiste des Talking Heads, groupe emblématique du punk new wave des années70-80. | trans-quote = Great-granddaughter of Anatole Le Braz, Tina Weymouth is famous herself: a founding member of the Tom Tom Club, she was also the bassist of the Talking Heads, an emblematic new wave punk band of the 70s and 80s. | df = dmy-all}}

{{cite web | last1 = Prato | first1 = Greg | date = n.d. | title = Tina Weymouth: Biography | url = https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-weymouth-mn0000502157/biography | url-status = live | website = AllMusic | language = en-us | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220925071237/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tina-weymouth-mn0000502157/biography | archive-date = 2022-09-25 | access-date = 2023-01-05 | quote = Born on November 22, 1950, in Coronado, CA, Weymouth's family moved quite a bit early on, as her father served in the Navy. | df = dmy-all}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/|title=The Official Charts Company – Chicks on Speed|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=February 26, 2011|df=mdy-all|archive-date=May 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508182655/https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/|url-status=live}}

{{cite web|url=http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp|title=Past Judges|publisher=Independent Music Awards|access-date=September 14, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713024722/http://www.independentmusicawards.com/ima_new/pastjudges.asp|archive-date=July 13, 2011|df=mdy-all}}

{{cite web|url=http://spinterview.media/articles/talking-heads-tina-weymouth/|title=Talking Heads - Tina Weymouth|website=Spinterview|access-date=June 7, 2018|archive-date=June 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140441/http://spinterview.media/articles/talking-heads-tina-weymouth/|url-status=live}}

{{cite web |title=Talking Heads |url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/talking-heads |website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |access-date=April 16, 2018 |archive-date=October 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20181030193133/https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/talking-heads |url-status=live}}

}}