Post by wingsj0 on Jan 1, 2006 13:13:18 GMT
Jimmy McCulloch - Wings - By Jo Rishton
James McCulloch was born in Glasgow (Scotland) on June the 4th 1953. Unlike many musicians hoping to become rock stars McCulloch's parents backed their son’s dream of possible stardom one hundred percent. Knowing the music industry was mainly situated in London the McCulloch family up-rooted from their home town of Glasgow and moved to London to ensure that their son would hopefully be in the right place at the right time of fulfilling his dream. By the age of (13) Jimmy McCulloch was performing professionally in a band called One In A Million and he was the main attraction. Three years later, the word had spread through the grapevine to Pete Townshend, who invited Jimmy (just 16) to take part in a recording session for the group Thunderclap Newman. The success of the song they recorded, Something In The Air, introduced this outstanding talent to the unsuspecting public!
Jimmy McCulloch was then recruited by John Mayall- he was one of Britain’s top Bluesmen and an influential figure in the blues/rock world. Through Mayall, McCulloch got to rub shoulders with some of the greatest guitarist ever in rock 'n’ roll, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor. In the company of such greats, he was rapidly earning a reputation as a "guitar hero", which was a lot to live up to for someone so young.
After Mayall, Jimmy was asked to join a band called Stone The Crows. McCulloch (21) became the band’s Lead Guitarist and Vocalist alongside the band’s lead singer, fellow Scot Maggie Bell, and Colin Allen (drums). It was actually Allen who, during McCulloch's years with WINGS, became his song writing partner for hits such as Medicine Jar on the Venus and Mars album and Wino Junko on Speed Of Sound. Unfortunately for McCulloch, Stone The Crows didn’t get the kind of rave reviews he had hoped for. Instead, the band became the target of a critical press. This eventually led the band to split, and left Jimmy searching for his musical success elsewhere.
On leaving Stone The Crows, McCulloch signed a contract with an agent called Robert Stigwood and had a stint in a band named BLUE. This again was not a commercial success. He left the group and started to write a solo album which featured some of his own songs and collaborations with Colin Allen. McCulloch admitted to the press that he was getting fed up with drifting from band to band and wanted to have something more permanent where he could gain more recognition. That group was to be Paul McCartney's super group Paul McCartney and WINGS. A chance meeting with Paul and Linda McCartney in 1974 was to change Jimmy McCullouch life forever. His child hood dream of being a permanent member in a successful ROCKSHOW was about to begin.
Jimmy joined (WINGS) in May 1974 and he stayed with them until September 1977 when he left to join up with Steve Marriott (of Small Faces and Humble Pie fame). The first single Jimmy performed on with WINGS was called ‘Juniors Farm’ and soon after this, in the middle of recording the band’s new album (Venus And Mars) Wings changed their drummer, Geoff Britton, with the amiable American, Joe English, his replacement. With the line up finally in place Jimmy McCulloch toured the world with WINGS and took centre stage on the band’s first ever tour of AMERICA, singing his Wings’ song Medicine Jar to crowds the world over. Playing his trusty Gibson SG, he added a real raw edge to the band’s live sound. The band played to blockbuster audiences, as WINGS MANIA swept across the United States of America.
As with so many great talents, Jimmy lived his life in the fast lane, but as with so many before him this caught up with him, and sadly his death (not long after leaving Wings) left the music world in mourning. Jimmy McCulloch was a truly great guitarist and listening to his work now it is sad that we have lost such a talent. He was a player with a very distinctive sound, listen to Clapton, or George Harrison and you can tell it is them straight away, and the same can be said of the late great Jimmy McCulloch.
Jo Rishton
Please note all articles on this site are (C) to The Beat Goes On And On Fanzine and may not be used without permission.
James McCulloch was born in Glasgow (Scotland) on June the 4th 1953. Unlike many musicians hoping to become rock stars McCulloch's parents backed their son’s dream of possible stardom one hundred percent. Knowing the music industry was mainly situated in London the McCulloch family up-rooted from their home town of Glasgow and moved to London to ensure that their son would hopefully be in the right place at the right time of fulfilling his dream. By the age of (13) Jimmy McCulloch was performing professionally in a band called One In A Million and he was the main attraction. Three years later, the word had spread through the grapevine to Pete Townshend, who invited Jimmy (just 16) to take part in a recording session for the group Thunderclap Newman. The success of the song they recorded, Something In The Air, introduced this outstanding talent to the unsuspecting public!
Jimmy McCulloch was then recruited by John Mayall- he was one of Britain’s top Bluesmen and an influential figure in the blues/rock world. Through Mayall, McCulloch got to rub shoulders with some of the greatest guitarist ever in rock 'n’ roll, Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor. In the company of such greats, he was rapidly earning a reputation as a "guitar hero", which was a lot to live up to for someone so young.
After Mayall, Jimmy was asked to join a band called Stone The Crows. McCulloch (21) became the band’s Lead Guitarist and Vocalist alongside the band’s lead singer, fellow Scot Maggie Bell, and Colin Allen (drums). It was actually Allen who, during McCulloch's years with WINGS, became his song writing partner for hits such as Medicine Jar on the Venus and Mars album and Wino Junko on Speed Of Sound. Unfortunately for McCulloch, Stone The Crows didn’t get the kind of rave reviews he had hoped for. Instead, the band became the target of a critical press. This eventually led the band to split, and left Jimmy searching for his musical success elsewhere.
On leaving Stone The Crows, McCulloch signed a contract with an agent called Robert Stigwood and had a stint in a band named BLUE. This again was not a commercial success. He left the group and started to write a solo album which featured some of his own songs and collaborations with Colin Allen. McCulloch admitted to the press that he was getting fed up with drifting from band to band and wanted to have something more permanent where he could gain more recognition. That group was to be Paul McCartney's super group Paul McCartney and WINGS. A chance meeting with Paul and Linda McCartney in 1974 was to change Jimmy McCullouch life forever. His child hood dream of being a permanent member in a successful ROCKSHOW was about to begin.
Jimmy joined (WINGS) in May 1974 and he stayed with them until September 1977 when he left to join up with Steve Marriott (of Small Faces and Humble Pie fame). The first single Jimmy performed on with WINGS was called ‘Juniors Farm’ and soon after this, in the middle of recording the band’s new album (Venus And Mars) Wings changed their drummer, Geoff Britton, with the amiable American, Joe English, his replacement. With the line up finally in place Jimmy McCulloch toured the world with WINGS and took centre stage on the band’s first ever tour of AMERICA, singing his Wings’ song Medicine Jar to crowds the world over. Playing his trusty Gibson SG, he added a real raw edge to the band’s live sound. The band played to blockbuster audiences, as WINGS MANIA swept across the United States of America.
As with so many great talents, Jimmy lived his life in the fast lane, but as with so many before him this caught up with him, and sadly his death (not long after leaving Wings) left the music world in mourning. Jimmy McCulloch was a truly great guitarist and listening to his work now it is sad that we have lost such a talent. He was a player with a very distinctive sound, listen to Clapton, or George Harrison and you can tell it is them straight away, and the same can be said of the late great Jimmy McCulloch.
Jo Rishton
Please note all articles on this site are (C) to The Beat Goes On And On Fanzine and may not be used without permission.