A guitar prodigy, Jimmy McCulloch was Hank Marvin’s protégé before he reached a teen age. It’s a little surprise, then, that the youngster bloomed into a master whose instrument colored such classic as 1969’s “Something In The Air” by THUNDERCLAP NEWMAN that Jimmy rose to prominence with before replacing Les Harvey in STONE THE CROWS in 1972, where he delivered powerful blues on the likes of “Good Time Girl.” After that, in 1974, came the pinnacle of McCulloch’s career: an invitation to join Paul McCartney‘s band. In WINGS, he was a vital force, not only playing but also writing and singing, and though his “Medicine Jar” and “Wino Junko” weren’t so much on par with Macca and Denny Laine’s songs, they provided a nice relief to the overall tuneful acrobatics. Later on, the guitarist became a part of the SMALL FACES reunion and one of WILD HORSES founders, alongside Kenney Jones, Brian Robertson and Jimmy Bain. His last band were THE DUKES, with Miller Anderson as McCulloch guitar foil, but there was no future as in 1979 the 26-year-old Jimmy died of heart failure due to morphine poisoning. It’s only an outline of the great late artist’s life – but there’s a book in the works, and everybody can help to put it out.
Paul Salley, a young man himself, has dedicated a good portion of his time during the last decade to keeping McCulloch memory alive. Having interviewed those who knew and loved Jimmy – among them John Mayall and Pete Townshend – and collected tons of photos and artifacts, now Paul’s writing a biography of his hero, to be titled “Little Wing.” It’s a costly enterprise, though, and Salley, needing $7,000 for editing, licensing etc, opted for crowdfunding. With less than a month to go, it’s vital that people who can help visit a dedicated Indiegogo page and make a donation. Jimmy McCulloch deserve this – and there are perks, of course.
Here’s the trailer Paul made for his project:
