Hub (bassist)

Leonard "Hub" Hubbard is a former band member of The Roots and played bass for the Philadelphia outfit from 1992 to 2007. He has played on all of their records including 1999's "Things Fall Apart" and 2004's "The Tipping Point". He is known for always having a chew stick in his mouth, on and off the stage. Hub's smooth basslines and distinct style make The Roots stand out in their field of music. Hub studied classical upright bass at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?storyCode=3952] Hub also played bass for The Roots in the previous albums Do you want more and Illadelph Halflife.

Hub played his last show with The Roots on 2007-08-31.

Comeback

Leonard Hubbard was invited to the Roots Picnic concert that was held in Philadelphia on 2008-06-08. To his surprise, he was asked to play and borrowed a bass from The Dap Kings. The current Roots bassist, Owen Biddle, stepped aside as Black Thought welcomed back Hubbard. The band played "Mellow My Man" with Hub before stepping back to watch him solo. Following the solo, Hub shook hands with everyone onstage and watched from sidestage for the rest of the show.