During a recent episode of The Mistress Carrie Podcast, legendary bassist Billy Sheehan, known for his work with Mr. Big, The Winery Dogs, and David Lee Roth, expressed his deep admiration for Paul McCartney. Speaking passionately about The Beatles’ bassist, Sheehan declared, “Almost anything McCartney did is just brilliant.”
Expanding on his statement, Sheehan acknowledged that not everyone immediately recognizes McCartney’s genius. “Some people don’t get it. I think if I give myself enough time, I’ll get them to get it. I’ve been lucky to sit down with somebody, and they would explain a piece of music to me, and then I’d hear it, and go, ‘Oh, I get it now.’ A buddy of mine sat me down, ‘Okay, this is Stravinsky, and it’s called ‘The Rite Of Spring.’ And this was so controversial, there were riots on the streets of Paris when it debuted.’ I said, ‘Wow.’ And then, ‘Oh, I get it now.’ If I would have just heard it, I would have thought, ‘I don’t know. It’s just some classical music that I don’t like.’ So sometimes you need to explain.”
Sheehan offered to play the role of teacher for anyone needing help to appreciate McCartney’s brilliance: “And I would be happy to explain to anyone why Paul McCartney is probably the greatest — really, just a really great, great player. James Jamerson, of course — anything by The Temptations or any Motown that he played on, very similar. The bass was all over the place. McCartney’s bass is all over the place, but it’s so musical and woven in so well with what’s going on with every other component of the song and the music, it’s quite amazing.”
The conversation shifted to a personal and emotional story when Sheehan revealed an extraordinary gift he received from AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams. “I don’t know if I’ve told the story in public, but a friend of mine worked with — I hesitate to say, ‘cause I don’t want to blow his cover — AC/DC bass player Cliff Williams. And a buddy of mine went to do some business with him. He was getting rid of some old gear. And I don’t know any of the AC/DC guys, and I’m the biggest AC/DC fan of all time. I love that band with every cell of my heart. And he came back to Nashville. He goes, ‘Bill, are you home?’ I go, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘What’s going on? I gotta come over.’ ‘Oh, okay.’”
“He comes over and he brings a case. And I go, ‘What’s that?’ He goes, ‘Open it up.’,” Sheehan continued. “It’s a Höfner 1973 Beatle bass. And he said, ‘Cliff wanted you to have it.’ I had tears in my eyes. Just amazing. Apparently, he knew that I was a big Beatles fan. I didn’t even know he knew who I was. It’s one of my most valued treasures to get a gift from that man. And he, as a bass player too — man, what a great, great player. AC/DC, the sound of those records and his bass playing on it, is just so amazing. But you could have knocked me over with a feather. I had tears in my eyes.”
When asked by Mistress Carrie how he wrote a “thank you” for such a meaningful gift, Sheehan explained, “He was kind enough to give me Cliff’s number, so I thanked him in person. And what a wonderful guy and what an incredible player. And wow. I was completely blown away. One of the nicest things anyone’s ever done for me. And as I mentioned, I still float up to the moon — just the idea of it. And the thing is just perfect. And so playing McCartney on that is just so enriching and so cool. I will sit down with that bass, I think, on my next birthday and have a bottle of wine and put “Sgt. Pepper’s” on and play the whole thing on that bass. It’ll be so great.”
Sheehan’s heartfelt admiration for McCartney and his appreciation for Williams’ generosity shine a light on the connections that transcend music genres and generations. In both McCartney’s groundbreaking bass lines and Williams’ thoughtful gesture, Sheehan sees a reflection of the artistry and camaraderie that define the best of the music world.