Chris Chaney

Chris Chaney
Chris Chaney
	Chaney at Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in 2022.
Background information
Born	June 14, 1970 (age 54)
Genres	Alternative rock; hard rock; funk rock; pop rock; post-grunge; heavy metal; alternative metal; nu metal; rap metal;
Occupation	Bassist
Member of	AC/DC
Formerly of	Jane's Addiction; Camp Freddy; The Panic Channel; Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders; Alanis Morissette; Methods of Mayhem; Slash; Shinedown; Eddie Vedder and the Earthlings;

Christopher A. Chaney (born June 14, 1970) is an American musician. He is best known as the former bass guitarist of the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction, with whom he recorded two studio albums, and as a member of Alanis Morissette's touring and recording band for six years. He has previously been a member of Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders and Camp Freddy. In 2024, Chaney was announced as the touring bass guitarist for AC/DC, replacing longstanding member Cliff Williams on the band's Power Up Tour.

A prolific and versatile session musician, he has played with a variety of recording artists ranging from Joe Satriani, Joe Cocker, Shakira, Slash, Beth Hart, Adam Lambert, Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, Bryan Adams, Sara Bareilles, Gavin Degraw, Cher, John Fogerty, Lisa Marie Presley, Meat Loaf, Rob Zombie, Romeo Santos, James Blunt, Shinedown, Robben Ford, and Celine Dion.^[1]

Biography

Chaney was raised in Mill Valley, California. He attended Berklee College of Music, and then moved to Los Angeles in 1991 to pursue music and played at the L.A. jazz club The Baked Potato and the Dragonfly in Hollywood.^[2] Chaney was first invited to tour with Alanis Morissette in 1995 on the Jagged Little Pill Tour and continued to work with Morissette until 2001, appearing on three studio albums and two live albums.^{[citation needed]}

While working with Morissette, Chaney developed a reputation as a versatile professional bassist. He has since recorded and/or toured with a wide variety of artists. His next high-profile job was as the full-time replacement for Eric Avery in the 2002 reunion of Jane's Addiction, contributing to the album Strays. He then formed the band The Panic Channel with Jane's Addiction members Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins; the group released the album (ONe) in 2006. In 2006, he joined the band Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders, formed by Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters. Chaney and Hawkins had previously worked together in Morissette's band. The group released the albums Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders in 2006 and Red Light Fever in 2010. Chaney is also bassist for all-star cover band Camp Freddy.^{[citation needed]}

Chaney has played with several recording artists and over 25 film scores and soundtracks.^[1] Artists include: Celine Dion, Eddie Vedder, Ozzy Osbourne, Michelle Branch, Ben Taylor, Eric Hutchinson, Carly Simon, Rob Zombie, Joe Satriani, Andrew W.K., Tommy Lee's Methods of Mayhem, and Will Hoge. He joined Johnny Rzeznik of The Goo Goo Dolls for the song "I'm Still Here" from soundtrack to the animated movie Treasure Planet. He is also featured on the 2007 album Little Voice by Sara Bareilles, and the 2008 album The Sound of Madness by Shinedown (replacing departed bassist Brad Stewart). Chaney has worked with James Stephen Hart on his project Burn Halo.^{[citation needed]} Chaney is featured as the primary bassist on guitarist Slash's 2010 solo album, Slash. In March 2010, Slash described Chaney as a "godsend", stating: "Chris is just the best session player that I know so I called him up. I didn’t want to use Duff McKagan so I was tryin’ to think of bass players and Chris I’ve worked with so many times and he's easy going, and he learns quickly."^[3] In 2022, Chaney played bass^[4] on Beth Hart’s “A Tribute to Led Zeppelin” album and will join Eddie Vedder's band in the Earthlings tour.^[5]

On February 12, 2024, AC/DC announced that Chaney would support them on their upcoming European Tour as a replacement for Cliff Williams.^[6]

He is married to voice actress Tifanie Christun, daughter of Cheryl Saban and the stepdaughter of Haim Saban.^[7]

Influences

Chaney's influences include Geddy Lee, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, and Stevie Wonder.^{[citation needed]}

Gear

Chaney is endorsed exclusively with Fender.^[8] He also has endorsements with Aguilar Amps,^[9] Dunlop,^[10] and Audimute.^{[citation needed]} As of the June 2003 issue of Bass Player magazine, Chaney's gear listing for recording and touring is as follows:

Basses

’62 and ’66 Fender Jazz Basses
’58, ’59, and ’60 Fender Precision Basses
Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass with pearl-inlays and Basslines pickups
Two Lakland Bob Glaub models
Lakland hollowbody four-string
Lakland Joe Osborn five-string
Four Sadowsky Jazz Basses (two four-string and two five-string models)
Guild M85
Guild Starfire
Höfner hollowbody (strung with flatwound strings)
Gibson EB-2
Gibson Ripper
Epiphone Jack Casady model and El Capitan acoustic bass guitars
Rob Allen fretless four-string semi-acoustic bass with Basslines pickups and La Bella tapewound strings
Meisel plywood upright with Helicore strings.
D'Addario strings