Vic Flick, a British guitarist whose driving riff in the theme for the James Bond movies captured the spy’s suave confidence and tacit danger, died on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles. He was 87, according to The NY Times.
His death, in a nursing facility, was announced on social media by his son, Kevin, who said the cause was Alzheimer’s disease.
The Bond films produced signature catchphrases (“shaken, not stirred,” “Bond, James Bond”) that have been endlessly recited and parodied since “Dr. No,” the first in the series, was released in Britain in 1962. But it was the sound of Mr. Flick’s guitar in the opening credits that helped make the spy thrillers instantly recognizable.
During the title credits of “Dr. No,” when moviegoers were introduced to or reacquainted with the works of the author Ian Fleming, who wrote the James Bond books, Mr. Flick’s thrumming guitar sounded out through a brass-and-string orchestra.
“He was a musician’s musician,” Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues wrote in the foreword to “Guitarman.” “He played for all the greats, and on so many treasured records. He was in demand, and he delivered.”
The result has been imprinted into the annals of cinema, and Mr. Flick would go on to work on the theme music for several more Bond films, including “Goldfinger” (1964).
He became a successful session musician, playing on tracks for Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield and Peter and Gordon’s album “A World Without Love.” His guitar playing can be heard in the 1964 film “A Hard Day’s Night,” featuring the Beatles, and he worked with Paul McCartney on the 1977 album “Thrillington.”
In 2013, he received a lifetime achievement award from the National Guitar Museum.
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