Les Claypool is undoubtedly busy, as he is also engaging with other bands. Primus is gearing up to tour again, this time performing Rush’s A Farewell To Kings album to its fullest. A mix that was employed last year and proved well. According to reports, the trio’s frontman and bassist he pondered the preparations for such a colossal concert but also disclosed that the band is working on a documentary. They’ve also recorded new tracks. This spurt of productivity comes after a period during the COVID-19 outbreak during which Claypool believes he was missing melodic hooks.
Leslie Edward Claypool, an American musician, born on September 29, 1963, is most known for founding the funk metal band Primus and serving as its sole ongoing member. He also served as the band’s lead vocalist, bassist, prominent composer, and founding member. His playing technique is renowned for combining tapping, flamenco-like strumming, whammy bar bending, and slapping. In addition, he is widely perceived as one of the finest bass guitarists in history.
Les Claypool Biography
Leslie Edward Claypool was raised in a working-class family of auto mechanics in El Sobrante, California, after being born in Richmond, California. Claypool decided to become a bass player when he was fourteen years old. When asked about his musical influences, Claypool has named Larry Graham, Chris Squire, Tony Levin, Roger Waters, Geddy Lee, Paul McCartney, Bootsy Collins, Stanley Clarke, John Paul Jones, and the Residents. Guitarist Kirk Hammett, later of Metallica renown, was a buddy of his and a classmate at school. Prior to founding Primus, Claypool worked as a carpenter and acquired other blue-collar crafts.
After Metallica bassist Cliff Burton died in 1986, Hammett persuaded Claypool to try for Metallica as Burton’s substitute. Claypool stated in Metallica’s Behind the Music that during the audition, he jokingly asked the others if they wanted to “hang on some Isley Brothers tracks,” a reference to his scant expertise in the grindcore scene. However, Metallica frontman James Hetfield said Claypool was passed up for the role because “he was too brilliant” and “should pursue his own thing.”
In addition to being relatively dominating in most of his songs, Les Claypool is renowned for his distinctive bass playing, which uses some unorthodox methods such as Flamenco-style strumming, tapping, slapping, and guitar-like chording. Claypool’s employment of a Kahler “bass tremolo” vibrato system and effects like fuzz boxes and envelope filters has also been significant.
| Full Name | Leslie Edward Claypool |
| Celebrated Name | Les Claypool |
| Born | September 29, 1963 |
| Age | 59 years |
| Profession | Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Author, Director, Actor |
| Net worth | $20 million |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Weight | 75 kg |
| Hair Color | Black (Approx) |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Spouse | Chaney Claypool |
Claypool has primarily used four-string basses throughout his career. Still, he has dabbled with extended-range basses, most notably six-stringed models, as evident in tunes like “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver,” which has Claypool striking the main riff on fretless six-string bass.
In 1984, Claypool established the band Primus, initially called Primate. Primate began with just Claypool and a drum machine. Before becoming Primus in 1988, he was joined by a pal on guitar and a revolving cast of guest drummers. Primus garnered substantial national exposure and airplay in 1989 and swiftly earned a reputation as a “crazy band,” particularly following the release of their third album “Pork Soda” in 1993.
Les Claypool’s Net Worth
Les Claypool is a $20 million net worth American musician and writer. He made a fortune as a musician, singer, songwriter, producer, author, director, and actor; his annual salary is reported to be $2.5 million. Additionally, Claypool has worked with his studio, Rancho Relaxo, to record and engineer his solo albums. Claypool’s debut novel South of the Pumphouse and a full-length feature film Electric Apricot were both released in 2006.
Les Claypool Personal Life
Led Claypool is married to Chaney Smith. The two got hitched in 1995 and have birthed two kids. Very little is known about their family life, as Les seems to be a private person regarding his family. Claypool is well-known for his incredible sense of humor and unusual demeanor.
His use of marijuana is also well documented. Although his marijuana use was widely known, he is reported to have gotten bored of it for a brief spell between 2003 and 2004. An unnamed source quotes him saying “wine over cannabis” during an unaired Fly Fishing the World tape in late 2004.
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Eventually, Claypool’s wine-making endeavor in 2007 evolved into a small business. Les Claypool Cellars produces wines from grapes cultivated in the Russian River Valley. Interestingly, the wines have names inspired by his compositions, such as “Purple Pachyderm” and “Pink Platypus.”
