Paul McCartney’s all-time favourite guitarist: “I admired him so much”
Paul McCartney is often regarded as a bassist rather than a traditional guitarist, but as he’s demonstrated throughout his career, he’s a musician first and foremost. In fact, if McCartney had his way, he would have been the lead guitarist of The Beatles. However, fate had other plans, and he ended up picking up the four-string, ultimately shaping his iconic role in the band.
As McCartney once remarked in 2007, “Nobody wants to play bass, or nobody did in those days.” It may not have been as fashionable as other instruments, but after Stuart Sutcliffe left The Beatles, McCartney was designated the role. While he reluctantly accepted the position in the band with The Beatles, Macca made himself one of the most recognisable bassists to grace the musical landscape by cultivating a unique style.
However, he still has a discernable love of the six-string guitar. Long before he ever dreamed of holding a bass, he had ambitions to replicate his childhood icon, Eddie Cochran. Although that dream never came to fruition, he never stopped admiring those who could wield the instrument like an axe.
On the McCartney trilogy, Paul took pride in playing every instrument, giving him the opportunity to revisit his first love: the electric guitar. When it comes to choosing his favourite guitarist of all time, McCartney’s answer is simple and unwavering—Jimi Hendrix.
When Hendrix arrived in London in 1966, The Beatles were the act that everybody aspired to emulate, but it wasn’t long before the name of a young American was on everybody’s lips. The two operated in a similar circle and got to know each other during the magical summer of 1967 after McCartney witnessed Hendrix cast a spell at London’s Saville Theatre. The concert took place only days after the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but that fact didn’t stop the guitarist from covering the titular track after learning Macca and George Harrison were in attendance.
If this was a clever ploy by Hendrix to win the affection of The Beatles, then it worked a charm. After that moment, the Fab Four thought he walked on water and in a different league than anybody else on the planet. In McCartney’s eyes, there’s never been a guitarist who has got close to matching Hendrix, and the concert remains a precious memory for him.
During an interview with Stephen Colbert, McCartney shared his memories of that life-changing night when Hendrix redefined his opinion of guitar playing, recalling, “Brian Epstein used to rent it when it was usually dark on Sunday. Jimi opened, the curtains flew back, and he came walking forward, playing ‘Sgt. Pepper’, and it had only been released on Thursday, so that was like the ultimate compliment.”
At this stage, McCartney was yet to know how illustrious Hendrix’s legacy would eventually become. Nevertheless, it was a gesture that continues to amaze him all these years later, adding: “It’s still obviously a shining memory for me because I admired him so much anyway; he was so accomplished. To think that that album had meant so much to him as to actually do it by the Sunday night, three days after the release.”
For McCartney, it remains a mystery how Hendrix successfully learned how to play the album’s title track in such a short timeframe. The Beatle added, “He must have been so into it because normally it might take a day for rehearsal, and then you might wonder whether you’d put it in, but he just opened with it.”
He also claimed it was among the most significant achievements of his career, stating, “It’s a pretty major compliment in anyone’s book. I put that down as one of the great honours of my career. I mean, I’m sure he wouldn’t have thought of it as an honour. I’m sure he thought it was the other way round, but to me, that was like a great boost.”
Given the unforgettable legacy of that sacred night and all that Hendrix went on to achieve, it’s no surprise that he’s McCartney’s favourite guitarist. During a televised Q&A with an audience, McCartney fondly recalled his first impression of Hendrix, having seen him live for the first time at the famous London club Bag of Nails. After naming Hendrix his favourite guitarist of all time, McCartney shared how that initial performance left a lasting impact on him. Although, by McCartney’s admission, the artists who typically performed at the Bag of Nails weren’t destined for greatness, Hendrix was different. According to McCartney, word had spread of his remarkable talent within two days of that initial performance, and he was the hottest ticket in town.
While McCartney’s choice of a favourite guitarist is somewhat predictable, that’s because nobody has replicated Hendrix in the wake of his leave, and unlike most of us, Macca was fortunate enough to witness his rise in the flesh.
