Bassist and co-founder of Southern California band War dies at 71

LOS ANGELES (LA TIMES) » Few bass lines can be said to define an entire West Coast vibe, but War cofounder B.B. Dickerson’s funky maneuvers on “Low Rider” — along with a well-placed cowbell — did just that.

Dickerson, who died Saturday at 71, made his name driving the bottom end of a seven-man Southern California musical institution known for hits including “Cisco Kid,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” “Slippin’ Into Darkness” and “Spill the Wine.”

Howard Scott, War cofounder and Dickerson’s uncle, said that Dickerson died in a Long Beach retirement home due to complications from a series of strokes.

Sampled by hundreds of artists including Janet Jackson, Kanye West, De La Soul, Mac Miller, Madlib, the Beastie Boys and DJ Quik, the rhythms that Dickerson built with drummer Harold Brown and percussionist Thomas “Papa Dee” Allen united the sounds of rock, soul and Latin music to create an essence that was distinctively Californian.

“Some people call it - - - music, others call it street boogie,” Dickerson told Rolling Stone in 1974 — before landing on a single word that separated their music from others: “Rhythm. Our rhythm is different.”

Born in Torrance and raised in Harbor City, Morris “B.B.” Dickerson started playing piano before he was 5, performing and singing at church. When he was 12, he and Scott, who was four years his senior, learned how to play bass and guitar. The Vietnam War put the band’s plan on hold after Scott was drafted.