David Hood helped define “country soul” as bass guitarist in the famous Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, playing on countless hits over 40 years.

The hard working Hood has recorded with an astounding range of musicians, usually with his fellow session men Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins and Jimmy Johnson.

Born in Alabama in 1943, he played trombone, bass and guitar in high school and at university he began playing with a local group called The Mystics.

His first session at Rick Hall’s Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals was playing trombone on James & Bobby Purify’s hit single I’m Your Puppet in 1966; not a bad start.

Switching to bass, he worked sessions at Fame for Percy Sledge, Etta James, Irma Thomas, Clarence Carter and Arthur Conley, going on to freelance with producer Jerry Wexler at Atlantic’s New York studio, recording with Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Wilson Pickett and Solomon Burke.

With that promising track record, the rhythm section left Fame in 1969, opening Muscle Shoals Sound in Hood’s home town of Sheffield as co-owners, formally launching the celebrated era of Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section era.

Dubbed The Swampers by Shelter Records’ producer Denny Cordell, their nickname was celebrated by Lynyrd Skynyrd in their song Sweet Home Alabama.

Hugely in demand as session musicians, they recorfded with a diverse range of artists at the new studio, including Cher, Laura Nyro, Linda Ronstadt, Boz Scaggs, Sam & Dave and even our own Lulu.

They worked constantly throughout the mid-Seventies, backing Rod Stewart, JJ Cale, Jimmy Cliff, Leon Russell and Joe Cocker; Hood also played bass on dozens of Stax recordings in that period – including this one with The Staple Singers.

The rhythm section joined re-formed Traffic in 1973, playing on Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory (and live album On The Road), and recorded another two albums with Paul Simon, There goes Rhymin’ Simon and Still Crazy After All These Years.

Hood also played with country artists including Willie Nelson; but his groove also lent itself to deep soul recordings by artists like Bobby Womack, Millie Jackson and Johnnie Taylor.

During the Eighties, Hood played with everyone from James Brown to Dr Hook, Joan Baez and Carlos Santana, and recorded several Bob Seger albums, and two with Frank Black of Pixies.