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KVC-Arts

KVC-Arts 9/27/26 - Paul Brett and Ray Russell

By David Fleming
Published October 6, 2026 at 1:48 PM PDT

When Ray Russell was hired to replace Vic Flick as guitarist with John Barry - going on to record the next 7 James Bond themes, starting with The Man With the Golden Gun - they soon discovered he couldn't read music. Soon after, Dave Richmond, playing bass with the band started giving Russell lessons on their way to each gig.

David Fleming speaks with Ray Russell along with more from Paul Brett, author of Finding Fretless: The Story of George Harrison's Mad Guitar.

When Ray Russell was hired to replace Vic Flick as guitarist with John Barry - going on to record the next 7 James Bond themes, starting with The Man With the Golden Gun - they soon discovered he couldn't read music. Soon after, Dave Richmond, playing bass with the band started giving Russell lessons on their way to each gig.

David Fleming speaks with Ray Russell along with more from Paul Brett, author of Finding Fretless: The Story of George Harrison's Mad Guitar.

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