Jim Creeggan

At 54 years old, Jim Creeggan has this physical status:

James Raymond Creeggan (born February 12, 1970) is the bassist for Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies (BNL) and a back-up vocalist for the rock band Ottawa Valley Heavy Pucks.

After the Ladies' tour manager named him "Grampah" for always complaining and not wanting to get up, his most used double bass is named "Grammah."

Early life

Creeggan was born in Scarborough, Ontario. Creeggan explains that his mother taught piano lessons to neighborhood children, which Creeggan attributes as part of his fascination with music.

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Career

Creeggan has been playing double bass since he was in school. He was a member of several school bands, as well as local youth symphony orchestra companies. He did not complete his degree at the University of Toronto for bass performance. Creeggan and his brother Andy were invited to perform with Ed Robertson and Steven Page (then performing as Barenaked Ladies as a duo) at a Christmastime show in Toronto, and the pair was asked to stay with the band permanently. Creeggan has been with the band since, although his brother left the band in 1995. Before Andy left BNL, he and Andy formed The Brothers Creeggan together. Following his release, the team continued to play and then went on a hiatus in the early 2000s.

He plays a double bass, both bowed and pizzicato. He has performed Electric double bass (including a Zeta bass circa Maybe You Should Drive and a couple Ned Steinbergers later on), as well as bass guitar for BNL. He received the 1999 Best Male Bassist Award from the Gibson Guitar Corporation. For his double bass, he uses a French bow. He has performed on some Barenaked Ladies songs, mainly on songs that he leads (although he has also performed bass on some of them). Creeggan has contributed to albums with each of the violinists and has arranged musical charts for several band instruments to be released by session musicians.

In the form of several co-writers, Creeggan contributed to the writing of the band's first two albums. His first big song to be released was for the band's third album, "In The Drink" (two songs written exclusively by Creeggan, and both with him on lead vocals. He would record another song, "Inline Bowline" for 2000's Maroon, but the track was left off the album (later revealed as a b-side/bonus track). The band's new, more open writing process for their next album was introduced, and many of Creeggan's song ideas were turned into songs on 2003's Everything to Everyone.

Barenaked for the Holidays 2004 featured a holiday tune, "Christmas Pics," performed by Creeggan, and 2006's Barenaked Ladies Are Me included Creeggan's singing lead on "Peterborough and the Kawarthas" among other Creeggan co-written songs included. Snacktime, the band's 2008 children's album. "Louis Loon" and "Pollywog In A Bog," Creeggan's co-authored, and "Pollywog In A Bog," the former of which he performed. Creeggan produced and performed lead on two songs from the band's 2010 album All in Good Time, "On The Lookout," and "I Saw It," as well as a bonus track titled "She Turned Away." "Who Knew?" Creeggan wrote and performed a song for 2013's Grinning Sting St. "That was left off the album and released as a bonus track." For the 2015 album Silverball, Creeggan wrote and performed "Narrow Streets."

Creeggan performed on Page's harmony vocals and lead vocals on their first show since Steven Page's departure in 2009; a song Creeggan created with vocal split between Page and Robertson.

Creeggan has appeared on several albums, the majority of which were Canadian artists. He has also performed at Barenaked Ladies' openings when they do not perform with a full band. He has done this on the band's Ships and Dip cruises as well.

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