Sir Paul McCartney, 78, will always be one of the Beatles, no matter how much more than that in his 60 years on stage. His successes after the breakup of the legendary Liverpool group are so unquestionable as to remain active without anyone questioning him or suggesting a withdrawal. Below are the 5 Reasons Why Paul McCartney Is A Bass Legend:
He Was Not “Really” A Bass Player
To become the bassist icon that Paul McCartney became, he had to be a bassist – prepared from the ground up to go out and buy his first bass. Of course, this was not the case. Beatles bassist Stu Sutcliffe stayed in Hamburg after one of his stints there and they needed someone to replace him. By default, that was Paul.
Hofner 500/1 Violin
How Paul McCartney started playing bass is a fairly common story among bass players. Initially a guitarist, he switched to the four-stringed instrument to take a place in his band. And with the Hofner 500/1 violin bass made famous in McCartney’s hand, he elevated the bassist’s role in traditional rock groups with his melodic innovations as well as identity.
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Paul McCartney Made Bass Playing Cool
Before the Beatles, and especially before Paul McCartney helped bring the bass to the fore, the bass player in a band was usually the least talented guy at playing guitar. Then it suddenly became cool to be the bass player. This, in itself, was an absolute major change in the music scene around the world. It is a change whose weight is difficult to define properly.
Come Together
Here we have another legendary piece in music history. This is one of the best-known bass lines ever recorded. We can be happy that the Beatles recorded it because if it had appeared during John’s solo career it could have been very limited in terms of the impact of the bass.
One of the Most Influential Bass Players
McCartney’s main influence as a bass player took place in the 1960s. Paul’s own evolution as a bass player and, since he influenced the bass world in such an incredible way, on the evolution of bass music into rock. He also tries to be fun by discussing what was most likely behind the bass recording – and sometimes the other instruments – in a selection of Beatles songs.