Abraham Laboriel López (born July 17, 1947) is a Mexican-American bassist who has played on over 4,000 recordings and soundtracks. Guitar Player magazine called him "the most widely used session bassist of our time". Laboriel is the father of drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. and of producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo Laboriel. He is ranked No. 42 on Bass Player magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Bass Players of All Time".Laboriel was born in Mexico City. His brother was Mexican rock singer Johnny Laboriel. Their parents were Garifuna immigrants from Honduras. A classically trained guitarist, he switched to bass guitar while studying at the Berklee College of Music. Henry Mancini encouraged Laboriel to move to Los Angeles, California, to pursue a recording career.