Brian Ray has been living that dream for the past two decades, playing guitar and bass in Paul McCartney's band, but it didn’t come easy. He only got the gig after passing a one-song audition in front of millions of TV viewers and thousands of football fans.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Ray explained how he landed the gig playing in McCartney’s band.
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“I had done an album with Shakira [2001 ’s Laundry Service] and was asked to go on tour with her. I told her people what I needed for a salary, which they agreed to, but then I said I required Business Class travel because there would be a lot of long flights,” he told the publication.
“This became a problem, and they got somebody else. I was kind of kicking myself over that because I would have had years of work,” he added.
Fortunately, an even better gig was lurking on the horizon.
Drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. came to Ray’s birthday party. The pair had played together in France backing a few musicians there and Laboriel had since become McCartney’s drummer. He informed Ray that McCartney and his band were considering playing a song at Super Bowl XXXVI on Feb. 3, 2002, prior to the National Anthem.
“So I asked, 'Who's going to play guitar when Paul plays bass, and who's going to play bass when Paul plays guitar?' Abe said, ‘Actually, we're looking for a guitar player who plays a little bass.’”
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Ray threw his hat into the ring and met and played some guitar and bass for producer David Kahne, who worked with McCartney. Kahne informed him there were four others vying for the job, and the decision was out of his hands.
“I thanked him and split,” Ray recalled. “The next day I got a call: ‘Can you be on a plane tomorrow to go to New Orleans to play one song with Paul McCartney?’”
“Playing ‘Freedom’ at the Super Bowl was my audition,” he added.
That night, McCartney and the band hung out in the hotel bar, telling stories, but before the former Beatle left, he came up to Ray and said, “’Goodnight, Brian. Welcome aboard. Stick with Rusty [Anderson, guitarist] – he’ll show you the ropes.”
With that, Ray knew he’d passed the audition and he’s been a fixture in McCartney’s band ever since.
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