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Bakithi Kumalo (; born 10 May 1956) is a South African bassist, composer, and vocalist. Kumalo is best known for his fretless bass playing on Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland, in particular the bass run on "You Can Call Me Al".
In 1985, Kumalo was introduced to Paul Simon by producer Hendrick Lebone during the sessions for Simon's Graceland album. Kumalo traveled with Simon to New York City to finish the sessions, and after the accompanying concert tour, "spent several years commuting between Soweto and New York City" before permanently settling in the United States. Kumalo has toured regularly with Simon since then. He has also released several solo records, and continued to perform as a session musician with artists such as Joan Baez, Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Randy Brecker, Grover Washington Jr., and Mickey Hart.
He purchased his first fretless bass, a Washburn Guitars B-40 model, because "it was the cheapest bass in the store . . . nobody wanted to play it."9780879307639, Backbeat Books. . ISBN 9780879307639 Paul Simon has described Kumalo's sound on this instrument as "enormous . . . almost like a horn, but so primal." As of 2014, he also plays a signature model Kala U-Bass.
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