Bass player Owen Biddle leaves The Roots, Mark Kelley joins the band
Bass player Owen Biddle has left Philadelphia hip-hop and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon house band The Roots, and will pursue his own New York-based art-jazz-rock-funk project Mister Barrington, according to Roots manager Richard Nichols.
Bass player Owen Biddle leaves The Roots, Mark Kelley joins the band
Dan DeLuca, Inquirer Music Critic
Bass player Owen Biddle has left Philadelphia hip-hop and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon house band The Roots, and will pursue his own New York-based art-jazz-rock-funk project Mister Barrington, according to Roots manager Richard Nichols. The Plymouth Whitemarsh-grad, who's pictured at the far left, studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and has also played with Philadelphia indie pop band Trolleyvox, joined the The Roots in 2007, after the departure of longtime bassist Leonard Hubbard Jr.
Biddle will be replaced by Mark Kelley, a Houston native who's the son of classical pianist, and who also plays cello and piano. He's played with the Berklee College of Music's All Star Quartet. You can check him out doing so below, and see him teaming with Me'Shell Ndgeocello on a cover of Prince's "Lady Cab Driver," in a clip in which the music kicks in around the 4 minute mark. (Also, check out Biddle playing with Mr. Barrington at New York's Rockwood Music Hall.)
Kelley, who immediately gives Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson competition for the best hair in the band, starts work on Monday when Fallon returns from summer vacation. No word on whether he'll also take over Biddle's role as the bass player's alcoholic spouse in the Fallon sketch "The Real Housewives of Late Night."
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Couldn't they have just said "the white guy"? Sort of like "The Asian guy in Smashing Pumpkins," or "The Asian guy in Air Supply"?— J H- pretty good bass player. I remember watching him july 4th— looneytune
- I think he grew tired of playing on the Jimmy Fallon show.— Tyrone Biggums
- BOOOO. I really liked his "Contrast". He was awesome on YO GABBA GABBA!— summerdaleSULLY
- Bye bye Biddle, the token white guy is gone.— phillyfanboy
- Telltale comments from idiots and a holes who have never played in a band. Or apparently ever saw an integrated band before. Seems to me wome people need a refresher on the adage "better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool...."— CiceroSpuriousDeodatus
- Oh no! I was so looking forward to the next episode of "The Real Housewives of Latenight!" How can we replace "Renee Biddle?" I'm sure Mark Kelley is a great and talented fellow, but I'll still miss "Renee!" By the way -- I've played in many bands and I've sung in many more, so I understand that the music business is an ever-evolving, ever-changing experience. The new bass player, Mark, is definitely a remarkable talent as a bassist. I was just wondering...does he sing too? Good luck to Owen in his new music venture, but I'll still miss the highly entertaining "Renee Biddle!"— Candy McC
