Vic Flick

Vic Flick
Flick in 1989
Flick in 1989
Background information
Birth nameVictor Harold Flick
Born(1937-05-14)14 May 1937
Worcester Park, Surrey, England
Died14 November 2024(2024-11-14) (aged 87)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresFilm score
Occupations
  • Guitarist
  • composer
  • conductor
Years active1957–2012
Formerly of

Victor Harold Flick (14 May 1937 – 14 November 2024) was an English studio guitarist, best known for playing the guitar riff in the "James Bond Theme".

Early life

Flick was born in Surrey on 14 May 1937.[1] Both of his parents were involved with music – his father taught piano and his mother sang.[2] He began playing guitar when he was fourteen.[2]

Career

In the late 1950s, Flick joined the John Barry Seven[3] who had a hit with his 1961 composition called “Zapata”.[4] His guitar work is prominent on "Hit and Miss", the theme song of the television show Juke Box Jury.[5]

On the Dr. No soundtrack, he was lead guitarist on the track "James Bond Theme". Flick continued to contribute to the James Bond soundtracks from the 1960s through the late 1980s.[3][6] One of Flick's guitars, a Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxe, on which he played the original "James Bond Theme", was displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.[7]

Flick worked with many recording artists, including Dusty Springfield, Nancy Sinatra, Cliff Richard, Shirley Bassey among countless others. He played his Vox 12 string guitar on Peter and Gordon's 1964 # 1 record "A World Without Love". He is heard on all of Tom Jones' early hits including “It's Not Unusual”[4] and “What’s New Pussycat?”,[8] and is the guitarist for the number 1 song “Downtown” by Petula Clark.[9] He recorded with Herman's Hermits, playing the distinctive guitar riff in the intro and bridge of "Silhouettes", a 1965 UK Top 5 hit.[n 1][10] With the George Martin Orchestra, he plays solo guitar, using his Olympic white 1961 Fender Stratocaster, on the song “Ringo's Theme (This Boy)” of the Beatles' 1964 film “A Hard Day's Night”, heard on the American soundtrack album. He was also the guitarist for Paul McCartney's "Thrillington" album.[4]

Flick also collaborated with Merchant Ivory Productions as composer/music arranger for Autobiography of a Princess (1975),[11] The Europeans (1979),[12] Quartet (1981),[13] and Heat and Dust (1983).[14]

In 1999, Flick worked with composer Nic Raine, backed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, on the James Bond tribute album titled Bond Back in Action.[15] In 2003, he recorded the album James Bond Now, featuring tracks from James Bond movies and new compositions.[6]

In 2005, he played on the soundtrack of the From Russia With Love video game by Electronic Arts.[16]

On 5 October 2012, Vic Flick was honoured at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for "The Music of Bond: The First 50 Years." He played the "James Bond Theme" to a live audience, on his 1939 Clifford Essex Paragon De Luxe “James Bond” Guitar. He also was interviewed on stage by Jon Burlingame, a writer on the subject of music for film and television.[17] He was also presented with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2013 by The National Guitar Museum for "contribution to the history of the guitar." He was the fourth recipient of the annual award.[18]

Personal life and death

In 1960, Flick married Judith Reavil; they had two children, one of whom predeceased them in 2000.[2][19]

In 2008, his autobiography, Vic Flick Guitarman: From James Bond to The Beatles and Beyond,[n 2] was published by Bearmanor Media.

Flick appeared on a 2013 episode of the History Channel show, Pawn Stars, titled "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service". He brought in his 1961 Fender Stratocaster guitar to shop owner Rick Harrison, who, after consulting Jesse Amoroso, settled on a price of $55,000 for the guitar.[20] In 2014, the guitar sold at auction for $25,000.[21] This guitar is owned by a private collector in Melbourne, Australia.

Flick died of complications from Alzheimer's disease at a care facility in Los Angeles on 14 November 2024, at the age of 87.[2][22]

Musical credits

Through some of London's top recording studios in the 1960's and 1970's like Decca Studios, Vic Flick played on original recordings with many famous musical artists including:

These song credits were researched in 2023 from Vic's own personal documentation[8] which is also briefly seen on the YouTube video of Vic Flick visiting Pawn Stars in 2013.

Discography

  • West of Windward – 1968 – Rediffusion
  • Bond Back in Action (Featured/1999)
  • James Bond Now (2003)

Notes

  1. ^ Although maintained by Flick, this was disputed by Karl Green of Herman’s Hermits in an interview on the Sky Arts programme “The British Invasion”.
  2. ^ ISBN 978-1593933081

References

  1. ^ Barnes, Mike (19 November 2024). "Vic Flick, Guitarist on the James Bond Theme Song, Dies at 87". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Lindner, Emmett (20 November 2024). "Vic Flick, Guitarist Who Plucked the James Bond Theme, Dies at 87". the New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b Perone, James E. (2008) Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion, Praeger, ISBN 978-0-275-99860-8, p. 31-2
  4. ^ a b c McQuade, Martin (14 June 2021). "Sixties Session King Vic Flick Reflects on Scoring Bond, His Most Famous Gigs, and Reminds Us To "Make Every Note Music"". Guitar Player. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Juke Box Jury". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b Simpson, Paul (2002) The Rough Guide to James Bond, Rough Guides, ISBN 978-1-84353-142-5, p. 225
  7. ^ "'Songwriters to soundmen. Vic Flick. Part 1.' - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". Catalog.rockhall.com. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  8. ^ a b "The Vic Flick Documented List of Song and Movie Credits". Vintage Electric. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  9. ^ Harrington, Patrick and Bobby Graham, The Session Man; The story of Bobby Graham the UK’s greatest session drummer, Broom House, Monmouthshire, 2004 p. 107
  10. ^ "The British Invasion".
  11. ^ Autobiography of a Princess (1975) - IMDb. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via www.imdb.com.
  12. ^ The Europeans (1979) - IMDb. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via www.imdb.com.
  13. ^ Quartet (1981) - IMDb. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via www.imdb.com.
  14. ^ Quartet (1981) - IMDb. Retrieved 12 July 2024 – via www.imdb.com.
  15. ^ "Bond Back in Action". Silvascreenusa.com. 27 March 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  16. ^ "James Bond 007". Mi6-hq.com. 10 September 2005. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  17. ^ "The Music of Bond: The First 50 Years | Events Presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". Oscars.org. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  18. ^ "The National GUITAR Museum Announces Presentation of "Lifetime Achievement" Award to Tommy Emmanuel". Guitar International Magazine. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  20. ^ Pawn Stars: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service (archived from the original on 2013-12-15)
  21. ^ "Vic Flick Owned And Played 1961 Fender Stratocaster". Julienslive.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  22. ^ Butler, Tom (19 November 2024). "Vic Flick, the man behind James Bond's legendary guitar riff, dies aged 87". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved 19 November 2024.