B.B. Dickerson: Bassist for Band War, Dead at 71

Earlier this month Los Angeles Harbor Area native B.B. Dickerson died following a long bout with an undisclosed illness at the age of 71. The bassist — whose real name was Morris — was one of the founding members of the band War.

Shortly after Howard E. Scott returned from West Germany, he and Harold Brown, both founding members of War, got together with Lonnie Jordan and B.B. Dickerson to form The Nightshift. The band included the late Deacon Jones, the NFL Hall of Fame defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams. 

While playing at a North Hollywood club in 1969, The Nightshift met famous producer Jerry Goldstein, Danish harmonica player Lee Oskar and Eric Burdon from the band, The Animals. It was at this point that the band War was formed.

Dickerson was born in 1949 in Torrance, and was reared in Harbor City. He started playing bass at the age of 12.

In 1962,  Scott and Brown formed a group called The Creators, with B.B. joining the line-up a few years later.

They went on to become War in 1969, and hit the height of their popularity in the 1970s.

He co-wrote and played on popular War songs including  Low Rider and  Summer. 

War had a Billboard chart number one album in 1973 with  The World Is a Ghetto, while their single The Cisco Kid reached number two.

B.B. also regularly contributed vocals to songs, with him taking the lead on title track The War Is a Ghetto. 

Dickerson was playing with the group in London on Sept. 18, 1970 when Jimi Hendrix joined them onstage for the final 35 minutes of the set in what would be Hendrix’s last public performance.

Arguably the most popular funk group in the 1970s, War featured influences from soul, Latin, rhythm and blues, rock, jazz, reggae and blues. Much of this musical amalgamation was courtesy of the various backgrounds of the band members. In fact, War was touted as transcending racial and cultural barriers, promoting harmony and brotherhood through its music.

War was plagued with band member fractures and lawsuits, some of which actually prevented the founding members from using the band’s name in association with their music. 

To work around the issue, Scott, Dickerson and Harold Brown began performing under the band name, The Lowrider Band, referencing one of War’s biggest hits.

The musician reportedly died peacefully at his home in Long Beach on April 6, survived by his mother and children.