Or "session musician". The people who make the music you hear on TV and radio commercials, film soundtracks, or even your fave hit CD. Generally faceless, but here's part of one family tree: you see Will Lee on TV, but you've also heard him sing and play bass on commercials (you may also have seen him singing in the Orange Bowl halftime show a few years ago); Paul Shaffer got a big break in the 70s, after Roy Bittan's E Street Band duties took him out of the studio.

A session player is generally a far better musician than most rock stars, and many session players have gone on to become stars in their own right, including:
Jimmy Page - played on records by the Kinks,Joe Meek and others before joining the Yardbirds and forming Led Zeppelin
John Paul Jones - also a session player before joining Zeppelin, playing with, among others Donovan and P. J. Proby.
Glen Campbell - Played on records by Phil Spector, Nancy Sinatra, the Monkees and the Beach Boys among many others before his solo career.
Leon Russel - Another of Phil Spector's 'Wrecking Crew', also played for the Beach Boys
Mac Rebennack (Dr John) - Played for Spector, Sonny And Cher and Nancy Sinatra among others.
Luther Vandross - started out as a backing vocalist for David Bowie
Elton John - played with Long John Baldry and The Hollies

And many, many more...

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