Post by wingsj0 on Feb 26, 2006 17:52:36 GMT
Laurence Juber is a world class acoustic guitarist who was born and raised in the East End of London. Affectionately known by many of his fans as LJ he may best be remembered as Paul and Linda McCartney's lead guitarist in Wings.
LJ's guitar skills have also taken him to Hollywood and his talents can be admired on movie soundtracks such as Dirty Dancing, Men In Black II, Disney¹s Pocahontas, Snow Day, Good Will Hunting, and Splash to name but a few!
Over the years, LJ has worked hard to perfect his skills as a guitarist and along the way has become a very well respected session player. He is not only respected by the world of rock stars, but also loved by hundreds of music lovers and idolized by guitar fans with many looking up to LJ for guidance! To think that all those years ago he too was sat in his bedroom, learning from a guitar great such as Hank Marvin and now years later he is admired by hundreds of guitar lovers wanting to recreate the guitar style of LJ!
Laurence was named as "Finger Style Guitarist of the Year" in 1999.
It was one Wednesday evening that I found myself having a fascinating conversation with Laurence Juber. I found him to be a very nice guy and sincerely thank him for taking part in my tribute to Wings.
Where did you grow up?
Laurence Juber: I was born in London.... well actually, I was born in the East End of London in a place called Stepney, which technically makes me a Cockney. We later moved to North London, where I grew up and went to school.
Who inspired you to play the guitar?
Laurence Juber: I loved the instrument even before I started playing it. As a kid growing up in the 60's it was a very exciting time. I was listening to Cliff Richard and The Shadows and I fell in love with the sound of the guitar. Hank Marvin was my inspiration and guitar hero. I mean it was 1963 in England and it was like, you know the Beatles had just come on the scene, and everything was happening, we had The Stones, and electric guitars were very cool.
Can you remember your first guitar?
Laurence Juber: My parents bought me my first guitar for my 11th birthday. It was a cheap acoustic and it wasn't a very good one, but it was wonderful to me. I used to practice for ages and constantly try to learn new things - I used to trade chords with other local guitar players. Around this time The Beatles came out and I loved them.
Did you ever think you would be working in a band alongside an ex-Beatle?
Laurence Juber: I used to imagine what it would be like to be in The Beatles. I never truly expected that I would get to play with Paul (Laurence joined Wings in 1978) and later Ringo and George too. Three out four is not bad!
Can you remember your first band?
Laurence Juber: Some friends and I put a band together and we used to practice every Saturday night. We would buy the singles that came out that week and learn the A & B sides of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Kinks records till we knew the tunes inside out. We practiced in the basement but unfortunately the other guys in the band were not as dedicated, we never took it to professional level. We all decided to stay in school and moved onto different things. I found myself playing in a pop band that I found through an ad in Melody Maker, which was one of our British weekly pop newspapers.
How did your parents feel about your love for music and the guitar?
Laurence Juber: I didn't get a lot of encouragement, playing the guitar was like a teenage rebellion kind of thing. It was my self expression and however much my parents and school teachers tried to dissuade me from it as a career, I was in love with the instrument. I had a passion for it so everything else was secondary, but I did stay in school and get an education because I owed my parents that much. I ended up getting a music degree at London University where I studied for three years. In those years I studied nothing but music and musicology.
Were you self-taught or did you have lessons?
Laurence Juber: I had lessons very early on in my first year of playing and then later took some classical guitar lessons. I also learned to read music in my second lesson from a book by Bert Weedon called "Play in A Day". It was absolutely clear to me how that worked and I didn't have a problem with it. I started earning money with it when I was about 13. A local band leader took me out on gigs like weddings and parties.
At what age did you turn professional?
Laurence Juber[/b]: I kind of figured out quite early on that's what I wanted to do. I turned professional at the age of 18, though, but I suppose it was before that because I was actually earning money as a guitar player at 13!
At what age did you become a session musician and want a career in showbiz?
Laurence Juber: I didn't really want a career in showbiz itself. I decided that I would go into session work and get some real "pro-musician" experience. I made that decision when I was 16. I was offered to join a band that was about to get a record contract and go out on the road. I agonized over that decision and decided to stay in school and pursue a more legitimate course. Eventually I established myself as a studio player and worked constantly until I joined Wings.
How did joining Wings come about?
Laurence Juber: I was working on a TV show with David Essex, you may remember his hit 'Rock On'. Every week we had a different musical guest and Denny Laine appeared one week on the show. I guess he remembered me because 6 months later I got a phone call. I was doing a session in Abbey Road and I got a call asking me to jam with Denny and, "by the way Paul and Linda will be there............"
Can you remember your audition?
Laurence Juber: Yeah, we jammed to Chuck Berry tunes and Reggae sort of things and then they asked me what I was doing for the next year? I thought it over for about a nanosecond! I took it because you don't turn down that kind of job. I was 25 and ripe for a change of direction and I looked at it as a furthering of my musical education, sort of my Masters at McCartney University!
Tell me about your experience with Wings?
Laurence Juber: I was brought in for the album "Back to the Egg" and the subsequent tour. And that's when I really began to learn what it means to be an artist and producer because I watched it all going on. Being a studio musician sometimes means making up your own parts which is how I learned to be an arranger and to some extent a composer. It gave me the tools I needed to work collaboratively in a band situation. I did write an instrumental for the album ("Maisie", which appears on some bootlegs), but it didn't make the final cut. It did however give me a direction for writing my own music.
What was Paul McCartney like to work for?
Laurence Juber: Creatively, I thoroughly enjoyed it because it was very challenging and it was quite an education watching him work in the studio. He gave me a lot of freedom but was always there to nudge me in the right direction. I learned a lot from Linda too she had a keen sense of rock-n-roll.
Can you tell us how Paul came to choose a castle to record Back To The Egg?
Laurence Juber: Wings always choose a different location to record their albums and Paul and Linda chose the castle for convenience. It was near their home in the South of England and was a short drive to get there. It was also a beautiful location, the castle was cool to record and write in and we had a lot of fun. I remember trying out the spiral staircase for different guitar sounds, the acoustics sounded great. Parts of the album were also recorded in Abbey Road Studio 2 , on the McCartney farm in Scotland and in the basement of the office in Soho Square.
What are your memories of Rockestra?
Laurence Juber: That was really an exciting day - we had my original guitar hero present, Hank Marvin. I remember glancing down the line at Hank thinking WOW!, then looking further down the line you had Pete Townshend and Dave Gilmour, it was for me an amazing honor to be performing with these music legends. Wings won a Grammy for the recording, which was quite an honor.
What was your most memorable moment in Wings?
Laurence Juber: We did a one-off show at Hammersmith Odeon in London ("Kampuchea") and many of the musicians that attended Rockestra joined us on stage! We all performed the song and then we did Let It Be. Eventually, it came to the lead guitar solo (George Harrison's part) and nobody was for taking it and I was waiting and thought "looks like it¹s got to be me then!" I remember stepping forward and felt the spot light on me I looked side ways to Pete Townshend, who I grew up learning from and here I was, this kid taking the lead on The Beatles Let It Be! I remember thinking - "What am I doing here?" I hope I did George Harrison proud.
What are your thoughts on your Wings line up?
Laurence Juber: I think we were an exciting line up. Steve Holley was an excellent and powerful drummer and were becoming a cool rock-n-roll band. The live version of "Coming Up" is proof of that. I feel the public never really got to know our line up after Paul got busted in Japan for the possession of Marijuana in January 1980.
What were your thoughts and memories of this?
Laurence Juber: It was an awful time, I mean, we were very worried about Paul, we didn't know what was happening to him and nobody was for telling us, let alone Linda, what was going on. We had to cancel the tour and that was it for us as a live band although we continued in the studio through early 1981. Also, because the band had a cool rock "edge", it wasn't quite right for the softer Tug of War stuff that Paul was writing at the time.
I really appreciate it when fans tell me that "they think that 'Back To The Egg' was the best album from Wings and you guys were the best line-up". It was a great experience for me and I've always appreciated it.
I'd like to thank LJ for taking the time out to talk to me, and for approving this interview.
Jo Rishton
With Laurence Juber
Official Site: www.laurencejuber.com
Please note all articles on this site are (C) to The Beat Goes On And On Fanzine and may not be used without permission.
LJ's guitar skills have also taken him to Hollywood and his talents can be admired on movie soundtracks such as Dirty Dancing, Men In Black II, Disney¹s Pocahontas, Snow Day, Good Will Hunting, and Splash to name but a few!
Over the years, LJ has worked hard to perfect his skills as a guitarist and along the way has become a very well respected session player. He is not only respected by the world of rock stars, but also loved by hundreds of music lovers and idolized by guitar fans with many looking up to LJ for guidance! To think that all those years ago he too was sat in his bedroom, learning from a guitar great such as Hank Marvin and now years later he is admired by hundreds of guitar lovers wanting to recreate the guitar style of LJ!
Laurence was named as "Finger Style Guitarist of the Year" in 1999.
It was one Wednesday evening that I found myself having a fascinating conversation with Laurence Juber. I found him to be a very nice guy and sincerely thank him for taking part in my tribute to Wings.
Where did you grow up?
Laurence Juber: I was born in London.... well actually, I was born in the East End of London in a place called Stepney, which technically makes me a Cockney. We later moved to North London, where I grew up and went to school.
Who inspired you to play the guitar?
Laurence Juber: I loved the instrument even before I started playing it. As a kid growing up in the 60's it was a very exciting time. I was listening to Cliff Richard and The Shadows and I fell in love with the sound of the guitar. Hank Marvin was my inspiration and guitar hero. I mean it was 1963 in England and it was like, you know the Beatles had just come on the scene, and everything was happening, we had The Stones, and electric guitars were very cool.
Can you remember your first guitar?
Laurence Juber: My parents bought me my first guitar for my 11th birthday. It was a cheap acoustic and it wasn't a very good one, but it was wonderful to me. I used to practice for ages and constantly try to learn new things - I used to trade chords with other local guitar players. Around this time The Beatles came out and I loved them.
Did you ever think you would be working in a band alongside an ex-Beatle?
Laurence Juber: I used to imagine what it would be like to be in The Beatles. I never truly expected that I would get to play with Paul (Laurence joined Wings in 1978) and later Ringo and George too. Three out four is not bad!
Can you remember your first band?
Laurence Juber: Some friends and I put a band together and we used to practice every Saturday night. We would buy the singles that came out that week and learn the A & B sides of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Kinks records till we knew the tunes inside out. We practiced in the basement but unfortunately the other guys in the band were not as dedicated, we never took it to professional level. We all decided to stay in school and moved onto different things. I found myself playing in a pop band that I found through an ad in Melody Maker, which was one of our British weekly pop newspapers.
How did your parents feel about your love for music and the guitar?
Laurence Juber: I didn't get a lot of encouragement, playing the guitar was like a teenage rebellion kind of thing. It was my self expression and however much my parents and school teachers tried to dissuade me from it as a career, I was in love with the instrument. I had a passion for it so everything else was secondary, but I did stay in school and get an education because I owed my parents that much. I ended up getting a music degree at London University where I studied for three years. In those years I studied nothing but music and musicology.
Were you self-taught or did you have lessons?
Laurence Juber: I had lessons very early on in my first year of playing and then later took some classical guitar lessons. I also learned to read music in my second lesson from a book by Bert Weedon called "Play in A Day". It was absolutely clear to me how that worked and I didn't have a problem with it. I started earning money with it when I was about 13. A local band leader took me out on gigs like weddings and parties.
At what age did you turn professional?
Laurence Juber[/b]: I kind of figured out quite early on that's what I wanted to do. I turned professional at the age of 18, though, but I suppose it was before that because I was actually earning money as a guitar player at 13!
At what age did you become a session musician and want a career in showbiz?
Laurence Juber: I didn't really want a career in showbiz itself. I decided that I would go into session work and get some real "pro-musician" experience. I made that decision when I was 16. I was offered to join a band that was about to get a record contract and go out on the road. I agonized over that decision and decided to stay in school and pursue a more legitimate course. Eventually I established myself as a studio player and worked constantly until I joined Wings.
How did joining Wings come about?
Laurence Juber: I was working on a TV show with David Essex, you may remember his hit 'Rock On'. Every week we had a different musical guest and Denny Laine appeared one week on the show. I guess he remembered me because 6 months later I got a phone call. I was doing a session in Abbey Road and I got a call asking me to jam with Denny and, "by the way Paul and Linda will be there............"
Can you remember your audition?
Laurence Juber: Yeah, we jammed to Chuck Berry tunes and Reggae sort of things and then they asked me what I was doing for the next year? I thought it over for about a nanosecond! I took it because you don't turn down that kind of job. I was 25 and ripe for a change of direction and I looked at it as a furthering of my musical education, sort of my Masters at McCartney University!
Tell me about your experience with Wings?
Laurence Juber: I was brought in for the album "Back to the Egg" and the subsequent tour. And that's when I really began to learn what it means to be an artist and producer because I watched it all going on. Being a studio musician sometimes means making up your own parts which is how I learned to be an arranger and to some extent a composer. It gave me the tools I needed to work collaboratively in a band situation. I did write an instrumental for the album ("Maisie", which appears on some bootlegs), but it didn't make the final cut. It did however give me a direction for writing my own music.
What was Paul McCartney like to work for?
Laurence Juber: Creatively, I thoroughly enjoyed it because it was very challenging and it was quite an education watching him work in the studio. He gave me a lot of freedom but was always there to nudge me in the right direction. I learned a lot from Linda too she had a keen sense of rock-n-roll.
Can you tell us how Paul came to choose a castle to record Back To The Egg?
Laurence Juber: Wings always choose a different location to record their albums and Paul and Linda chose the castle for convenience. It was near their home in the South of England and was a short drive to get there. It was also a beautiful location, the castle was cool to record and write in and we had a lot of fun. I remember trying out the spiral staircase for different guitar sounds, the acoustics sounded great. Parts of the album were also recorded in Abbey Road Studio 2 , on the McCartney farm in Scotland and in the basement of the office in Soho Square.
What are your memories of Rockestra?
Laurence Juber: That was really an exciting day - we had my original guitar hero present, Hank Marvin. I remember glancing down the line at Hank thinking WOW!, then looking further down the line you had Pete Townshend and Dave Gilmour, it was for me an amazing honor to be performing with these music legends. Wings won a Grammy for the recording, which was quite an honor.
What was your most memorable moment in Wings?
Laurence Juber: We did a one-off show at Hammersmith Odeon in London ("Kampuchea") and many of the musicians that attended Rockestra joined us on stage! We all performed the song and then we did Let It Be. Eventually, it came to the lead guitar solo (George Harrison's part) and nobody was for taking it and I was waiting and thought "looks like it¹s got to be me then!" I remember stepping forward and felt the spot light on me I looked side ways to Pete Townshend, who I grew up learning from and here I was, this kid taking the lead on The Beatles Let It Be! I remember thinking - "What am I doing here?" I hope I did George Harrison proud.
What are your thoughts on your Wings line up?
Laurence Juber: I think we were an exciting line up. Steve Holley was an excellent and powerful drummer and were becoming a cool rock-n-roll band. The live version of "Coming Up" is proof of that. I feel the public never really got to know our line up after Paul got busted in Japan for the possession of Marijuana in January 1980.
What were your thoughts and memories of this?
Laurence Juber: It was an awful time, I mean, we were very worried about Paul, we didn't know what was happening to him and nobody was for telling us, let alone Linda, what was going on. We had to cancel the tour and that was it for us as a live band although we continued in the studio through early 1981. Also, because the band had a cool rock "edge", it wasn't quite right for the softer Tug of War stuff that Paul was writing at the time.
I really appreciate it when fans tell me that "they think that 'Back To The Egg' was the best album from Wings and you guys were the best line-up". It was a great experience for me and I've always appreciated it.
I'd like to thank LJ for taking the time out to talk to me, and for approving this interview.
Jo Rishton
With Laurence Juber
Official Site: www.laurencejuber.com
Please note all articles on this site are (C) to The Beat Goes On And On Fanzine and may not be used without permission.