The one artist Paul McCartney called a “magician”
The arrival of The Beatles made the world a brighter place, filling millions with optimism and a belief that they could conquer their dreams. As a teenager, Paul McCartney‘s life was enhanced greatly by his exposure to music, which made him want to follow in the footsteps of his heroes.
McCartney’s adolescence was troubling due to the loss of his mother, which incidentally brought him close to John Lennon, who went through the same ordeal. Not only were they unified by the heartbreaking loss of a parent, but they also loved rock ‘n’ roll, which led to the formation of The Beatles.
Thanks, in part, to The Beatles, rock ‘n’ roll became a mainstream phenomenon. However, that wasn’t the case when McCartney was coming of age. Therefore, he felt a strong kinship with Lennon due to their shared obsession, which laid the groundwork for their friendship.
During these formative years, a flock of musicians penetrated McCartney’s life, forever changing his perspective. An important year was 1956, when he was 14 and secured a copy of ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ by Gene Vincent, the first record he purchased with his own money.
In conversation with BBC 6 Music, the former Beatle revealed that he “saved up my pocket money for months” before getting the bus to the record shop and instantly falling in love with his new prized possession.
‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ led McCartney to learn the guitar later that year and spend any spare change he had on fuelling his passion for music. Furthermore, also around this time, the Beatle witnessed skiffle singer Lonnie Donegan perform at the Liverpool Empire, an event that taught him about the power of live music.
McCartney began hero-worshipping these figures in a similar way that many would soon come to revere him once Beatlemania struck. Nobody was more instrumental in shaping McCartney as an artist than the late Chuck Berry.
Following Berry’s death in 2017, McCartney posted a heartfelt tribute to his teenage idol on his website. “From the first minute we heard the great guitar intro to ‘Sweet Little Sixteen,’ we became fans of the great Chuck Berry,” he wrote.
“His stories were more like poems than lyrics – the likes of ‘Johnny B. Goode‘ or ‘Maybellene’. To us, he was a magician making music that was exotic yet normal at the same time. We learnt so many things from him, which led us into a dream world of rock ‘n’ roll music,” McCartney continued.
After praising Berry as “one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest legends”, McCartney shared a sneak behind the curtain to reveal his encounters with Berry. On one occasion, he had the honour to meet Berry in his hometown, St Louis, which was of utmost significance to McCartney.
It wasn’t only McCartney who was touched by Berry’s magic wand, but his genius inspired the entire Liverpool music scene that birthed The Beatles. “It’s not really possible to sum up what he meant to all us young guys growing up in Liverpool, but I can give it a try,” he shared.
The Beatles often covered Berry, and John Lennon even had the privilege of performing live with the rock ‘n’ roll pioneer. Furthermore, the love was reciprocal, with Berry once remarking: “When a group or an artist continuously puts out a product that is absorbed by the public and in demand, it’s genuine. And this is what I thought about The Beatles when they continually put out hit after hit after hit.”
It wasn’t only McCartney who viewed Berry as a “magician”; he was a cultural touchstone that connected the entirety of the Fab Four. During their early days, when they didn’t have their own songs to perform or rehearse, they relied on his back catalogue, which was vital in their evolution. Without the impact of the trailblazer, The Beatles may have never grown into the band they became, and the same could also be said for The Rolling Stones as well as many more beloved rock acts.
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