“I’d been playing it at the 7th fret, but then I saw a video of Bernard Edwards, and I was determined to play it right – Nile picked up on that instantly”: Jerry Barnes gives an insider’s view of Chic’s seven-minute bass anthem

Nile Rodgers (L) and Jerry Barnes of Chic perform at Smoothie King Center on April 24, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. .

Gotham bass vet Jerry Barnes has bestowed his deep-pocketed dexterity upon Chic since the untimely death of groove god Bernard Edwards in 1996 – more than twice as long as the original band existed. But that didn't stop founder Nile Rodgers from breaking out in a smile onstage recently, when Barnes launched into Everybody Dance.

“I had been playing the bass part my own way, at the 7th fret,” Barnes told Bass Player. “But then I saw a video of Bernard Edwards playing it at the 3rd fret, using his ‘chucking’ technique, and I was determined to play it right – Nile picked up on that instantly.”