Session guitarist Vic Flick has died at the age of 87 (Picture: Getty Images)
Vic Flick, the guitarist who played the famous riff in the James Bond theme tune, has died.
Flick’s son, Kevin, announced on social media that his father died at the age of 87 after previously being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The musician’s claim to fame was not exactly a windfall, as he was only paid £6 to rearrange and record Monty Norman’s theme tune for Dr No, the first James Bond film released in 1962.
The riff, which has become synonymous with the action franchise, was played on a 1939 English Clifford Essex Paragon Deluxe guitar plugged into a Fender Vibrolux amplifier. The guitar is displayed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Flick recorded the theme song along with several other musicians in 1962 when he was just 25 years old.
‘It had an edge to it, sort of a dynamic sound,’ Flick told Jon Burlingame of the riff for his 2012 book The Music of James Bond.
The guitar Flick played the riff on is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Picture: Valerie Macon/Getty Images)
‘I overplayed it – leaned into those thick low strings with the very hard plectrum, played it slightly ahead of the beat, and it came out exciting, almost “attacking,” which fit the James Bond image.’
Composer Monty Norman, who wrote the theme song, gave Flick a lot of the credit for capturing Bond’s ‘essence.’
The main riff was originally meant to be played on the sitar, but when it was switched to Flick’s electric guitar, Norman knew they’d made something special.
‘His sexiness, his mystery, his ruthlessness – it’s all there in a few notes,’ he said of Flick’s ability to capture 007 in just a brief guitar part.
In a 2021 interview with Guitar Player magazine, Flick described how the famous riff came to be, saying the sound came from ‘the plectrum I used and the guitar’s strings. I placed the DeArmond pickup near the bridge.
‘I put a crushed cigarette packet underneath it to get it nearer the strings. That helped to get that round sound … it was a sound we created, to a certain extent, and it had a bite that they loved.’
Born in Surrey in 1937, Flick was an accomplished guitarist who contributed far more to the world of music than one riff.
Throughout his decades long career, he worked with the likes of The Beatles, Tom Jones, the Bee Gees, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Cliff Richard.
The riff has become a vital part of the James Bond ethos (Picture: Danjaq/Eon/Ua/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
His guitar playing can be heard on huge songs like Peter and Gordon’s A World Without Love, Petula Clark’s Downtown, Tom Jones’ It’s Not Unusual and What’s New Pussycat?, Bee Gees’ Spicks and Specks, and Ringo’s Theme (This Boy) for the Beatles’ 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night.
In 2013, Flick received a lifetime achievement award from the National Guitar Museum and was honoured as ‘one of the world’s great guitarists’ for his countless contributions as a session guitarist.
‘We have been proud of our association with him. He will be missed,’ a spokesperson for the organisation said, per the BBC.
Flick’s association with 007 didn’t end in 1962, as he also performed on several other 007 soundtracks, including Shirley Bassey’s theme for the 1964 film Goldfinger.
He leaves behind his wife Judith, his son Kevin, and one grandchild.
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