Vic Flick, the guitarist on the famous James Bond theme song, has died. He was 87.
The British session musician died last Thursday from Alzheimer’s disease, his family announced.
Flick was brought in by composer John Barry to rearrange Monty Norman’s original theme for 1962’s “Dr. No,” the first James Bond movie.
In a 2021 interview with Guitar Player magazine, Flick said he had to make some DIY changes to his guitar to get the songs’ twangy, surf rock sound just right.
“The recorded sound was due to the plectrum I used and the guitar’s strings,” he said. “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.
“Also important was the way the guitar was recorded. It was picked up by the mics for the orchestra, and it gave the guitar a mysterious, powerful sound. It was a sound we created, to a certain extent, and it had a bite that they loved.”
He went on to play on several other Bond themes, including Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger.”
He memorably played on Petula Clark’s “Downtown,” Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual” and in the Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night. He also collaborated with Jimmy Page, Herman’s Hermits, Eric Clapton, Dusty Springfield and others.
“He was a musician’s musician,” Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues wrote in the foreword to Flick’s 2008 memoir “Vic Flick Guitarman: From James Bond to The Beatles and Beyond.”
Flick was born on May, 14, 1937, in Surrey, England. He is survived by his wife Judith and son Kevin, as well as one grandchild, according to BBC News.