His real name is Stanley Edward Gilbert, but he could just as easily be called "Mr. Modesty'' for, despite a well-deserved reputation as one of the Island's best bass players (many say the best), the tall, slender Bermudian quickly dismisses any suggestion that he owes his present status to exceptional talent.

"Maybe a certain degree of talent helps, but that only takes you so far,'' he asserts. "It takes a lot of work, motivation, and practise, practise, practise.'' Despite such protestations, the fact remains that the man who originally took up the electric bass guitar as a hobby has managed to successfully parlay his skills into a full-time career as a musician, while many of his fellow countrymen have been less fortunate.

The Stan Gilbert success story begins in 1967 when he returned from studying electronics in Canada, and decided he needed a hobby.

"I took up the electric bass guitar because electronics was my field, and I bought a book and taught myself,'' he says.

He also bought a metronome, thanks to the advice of guitarist and teacher Norman Astwood, who happened to be in the music store at the time of his purchase.

"He told me, `If you want to keep good time you need a metronome to practise with,' -- advice I have never forgotten,'' the bass player says. "Every night after work I would practise at home. It was really intriguing.'' One year later, with word of his prowess out, young Stanley was asked to be the bass player in a newly-formed band called The Invaders.

"Actually, we did fairly well,'' he recalls. "One of the band members wrote a song called Spacing Out, which was number ten on Bermuda's top 100.'' After a few enjoyable years rockin' with The Invaders, Mr. Gilbert received another telephone call -- this time from Milton Robinson, another very talented local musician who, in mid-season, had lost his trio's bass player.

"I was really flattered, but I told him I didn't think I was up to his standard. Since I was a rock player, I didn't know a lot of standard songs,'' he relates. "But he just said, `Well come on down and we will try it anyway',''.

Thus it was that Stanley Gilbert ultimately became a valued member of The Milt Robinson Trio, playing in the Princess Hotel's Gazebo Room.

"I was fortunate to be asked to play with such a great player at a very early stage in my musical career,'' he says. "I was just in my 20s and didn't know that much about music, but Milt really helped me along. Every night he would give me a new piece of music to go home and study, which I would play the next night. After a year you can imagine how many songs I learned. Milt really gave me an opportunity to get started, and I consider him my mentor.'' The delightful musician allows, however, that he still has one promise to fulfill.

"Milt has been talking to me about learning the string bass for years,'' he smiles. "I promised him I would play it some day.'' With the passage of time and success, Mr. Gilbert gave up his career as an electronics technician in the 1970s to become a full-time musician.

"I was sorry about it, but maybe music was my calling,'' he muses.

Maybe? Just listening to him reel off the names of musicians and singers with whom he has subsequently worked reads like a Who's Who of Bermuda's finest -- Violetta Carmichael, Tony Cox, Graham (Tootsie) Bean, Ron Lightbourne, Steve Dupre m, Ernie Leader, Gandhi Burgess, Andrew Chamberlain, Tony Bari, Gita Blakeney, Gene Steede, among many, many others.

From each, Mr. Gilbert says, he has learned something. Indeed, like all musicians of his calibre, his inquiring mind never stops.

"Milt helped me with reading music, and so did Tommy Ray,'' he admits. "I love to ask questions -- that's how you learn. You never, ever stop learning.

As a matter of fact, I don't think I've even scratched the surface.'' There goes "Mr. Modesty'' again.

His time at The Princess was followed by four years in the Doug Frith Quartet at the Castle Harbour Hotel which included Tommy Ray on piano, Eddie Ming on drums, and Mr. Frith on saxophone.

"Those were the days,'' Mr. Gilbert recalls. "We played in the dining room and the night club, and also backed local bands. It was a lot of fun, and had a lot to do with my development because it involved a lot of reading music. As a matter of fact, Doug was another mentor. He really helped me with my reading.'' When the hotels closed their night clubs and moved on to convention business, Mr. Gilbert also moved on -- this time to the Grotto Bay Hotel, where the late Violetta Carmichael held sway, and here he joined the trio that included Ron Lighbourne on piano and Tony Cox on drums.

"That was a great experience, and Lance Hayward would come down during the summer,'' the bass player remembers.

The gig also led to Mr. Gilbert playing bass on Violetta's album, for which Mr. Hayward wrote the music, and "Tootsie'' Bean played drums.

"It was an honour to play with such great musicians,'' he says. "We were like a family -- wherever one of us was you'd see the others. When Violetta died it was such a shock. We all loved her very much.'' Moving on to the Sonesta Beach hotel, he joined Graham Bean and the Latineers, again playing a wide variety of music over the next three years, including Latin, jazz, reggae and rock.

"That was really great fun,'' he remembers.

More fun was to follow when Mr. Gilbert joined celebrated local entertainer Gene Steede and the Bermuda Triangle Band on Department of Tourism tours. Last October, on another of the Department's tours, he played with Milt Robinson and steel pan player Steve Dupre m -- another musician whom he credits with helping to develop his skills.

"I don't like to be bragging, but I don't think there are too many bands or musicians in Bermuda that I haven't played with,'' says "Mr. Modesty.'' "Lance Hayward, Ernie Leader, Gandhi Burgess -- playing with the calibre of those musicians at a very early stage in my career was really an honour.

"I've also played for conventions, weddings, on Gita Blakeney's CD, the BMDS pantomimes, and with Dennis Fox, The Jacks at the Elbow Beach, Charlie Taylor, June Ventzos, and the late pianist Andrew Morrison -- what a beautiful person and a great musician he was. I really miss him, he was a good friend.. .'' In the last decade, Mr. Gilbert -- who admits to having "gone 50'' -- has been playing for visiting groups, with Tommy Ray's trio and quartet, and in the Princess Hotel's Colony Pub with the Vic Glazer Trio.

"That's a jazz night -- talk about fun! We have a lot of fun, and Vic is another talented musician who has really taught me a lot. I can ask him anything, he is so well schooled''.

The list goes on: backing Deletta Gillespie, LeYoni Junos, playing with blues and rock guitarist Robert Barry and Terry Cox at The Porch, and with the Jazz Masters (Jack Kripl, Andrew Chamberlain, Howard Rego) at the former Chancery Wine Bar.

"What I really enjoy about playing with different musicians is that you get to play different styles of music,'' he explains. "I have also listened to every bass player on the Island, and I can always learn something from everybody no matter how long I have been playing.'' When he's not playing, Mr. Gilbert is an avid listener to all kinds of music, which he regards as an integral part of his career.

Stan Gilbert: Mr. Modesty "I like to keep up to date because you never know when someone might call for a waltz, bossa nova, rock, cha-cha-cha, or calypso,'' he explains. "In fact, I have a clock radio that never goes off unless the electricity fails, so I am constantly listening to music. Soca is one of my favourites.'' Always lively and upbeat, Mr. Gilbert attributes much of his success to his versatility.

"If you are going to make a living at music in Bermuda it pays to be versatile,'' he says. "Most of the time, if you are versatile the phone should ring.'' His latest daytime gig is providing a musical welcome for visitors in the airport's arrival halls, along with drummer Allan Lottimore and Gene Steede.

"Allan is very witty, and Gene's so much fun to work with. He's taught me a lot about the entertaining side of the business,'' Mr. Gilbert notes.

As successful as he has been, however, the talented bass player says he would not be where he is today without the loving support of Sandra, his wife of 25 years, and his two children, Rio and Shomari.

"Now, let's see. I hope I have included everybody,'' he concludes. "If I haven't, you know who you are.'' It's all about not bragging, you see, but giving credit to everyone who has helped make Stanley Gilbert a living legend -- no matter what "Mr. Modesty'' may say to the contrary.