Abe Laboriel Biography

Abraham Laboriel, Sr. (b. July 17, 1947) is a Mexican bassist who has played on over 3,000 recordings and soundtracks. Guitar Player Magazine described him as: "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the father of drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.

Laboriel was born in in Mexico City. Originally a classically trained guitarist, he swiched to bass guitar while studying at the Berklee School of Music. Henry Mancini encouraged Laboriel to move to Los Angeles, California and pursue a career in music. Since then, he has worked with artists as diverse as Andy Pratt, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Al Jarreau, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Ray Charles, Madonna, Paul Simon, Keith Green, Lisa Loeb, Quincy Jones, Russ Taff, Engelbert Humperdinck, Crystal Lewis, Chris Isaak, and Michael Jackson. When Laboriel recorded his three solo albums (Dear Friends, Guidum ,and Justo & Abraham), he recruited a cast of musicians that included Alex Acuna, Al Jarreau, Jim Keltner, Phillip Bailey, and others.

Laboriel was a founding member of the bands, Friendship and Koinonia.