An Interview With Laurence Juber, Formerly Of Paul McCartney & Wings

Feature Photo Courtesy of Laurence Juber

Best known as the lead guitarist for Paul McCartney & Wings in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Laurence Juber has appeared on hit records by Ringo Starr, Belinda Carlisle, Eric Carmen, and more.

These days, he’s busy with his solo career and is still friendly with McCartney, though the two aren’t working together anymore. As for his best advice to players looking to get into his line of work, Juber tells ClassicRockHistory.com, “In the studio world, you never know what you might be called on to play.

Adding, “For performing artists, life on the road can be hard and, for solo performers, quite solitary. It develops chops, style-refining opportunities, and audience interaction.”

What led to your joining Wings?

I was very active in London as a session guitarist in the mid ‘70’s. I was playing lead guitar on a TV show with David Essex. Denny was a guest, performing “Go Now,” The Moody Blues hit. He liked my playing and recommended me to Paul and Linda.

What’s the best piece of advice that Paul gave you, and what did you learn from working with Paul?

I learned to hold on to my music publishing. Also, what it takes to be an artist. Most importantly, not to take cannabis into Japan.

As for Denny, what can you say about him as a player, and how important he was to the Wings machine?

Denny was an essential component of the core band—an authentic rocker. Songwriter, guitarist, keyboard and bass player, plus a powerful vocalist – he had a rare combination of folky and soul-influenced rocker. He was a fine guitarist on both acoustic and electric.

Has being a former member of Wings been a hindrance or a help for your career?

Being in Wings certainly burnished my resumé and gave me a level of credibility. I had the experience of seeing up close how a Beatle worked creatively, as well as of playing on bigger stages than I would otherwise have done. Gaining insight into the machinery behind the record and publishing business was helpful, too.

When the band folded, I had no illusions about continuing on a rock ‘n’ roll path, and that wouldn’t have suited my lifestyle at the time. I already had the skill set to be a session player, so transitioning back to studio work was fairly seamless once I got to the US. Spending time in the control room was helpful in developing my engineering and production chops.

When I launched my solo acoustic fingerstyle trajectory, I found myself accepted as ‘Beatles adjacent’ by the fan base. So, really, no complaints. A great education and a springboard to the next career level.

Have you kept in touch with Paul over the years?

Yes, we’ve stayed on good terms.

After Wings, you hooked up with Ringo Starr. What was that like?

Wings was still going until April 1981. In the Summer of 1980, Paul asked me to work on Ringo’s Stop and Smell the Roses album at Super Bear Studio in France. That was exceptionally cool, being in the studio with half of The Beatles. Pedal steel legend Lloyd Green played on the sessions, too.

In the late ‘80s, you ended up on several hits by Belinda Carlisle and Eric Carmen and were on several popular film and TV soundtracks. What kept you in demand and staying versatile?

After Wings, I moved from London to New York and worked on projects and sessions there. I moved to LA later that year and started a family with Hope. My musical interests have always been diverse, and having the experience of London studio work and being a decent sight-reader, I found myself back in the studio.

Except now, instead of running from Olympic to Trident to Abbey Road, it was Oceanway to Capitol to Universal… records, many TV shows, movies, and the occasional video game score. I developed my composing skills and got into arranging and producing, too.

What led you to launch your solo career, and tell us about your new record?

My first fingerstyle guitar tune, “Maisie,” was an outtake from the Back to the Egg sessions in Scotland, with Paul on bass and Denny on harmonica. Post-Wings, I was writing solo guitar tunes and occasionally gigging during the 80’s.

I was offered a record deal in 1990 and shut myself in my studio for the Summer with a DAT machine, some great mics, and a batch of tunes. The result, Solo Flight, got radio airplay and encouraged me to keep doing it. I started touring and doing clinics for Taylor Guitars. By the time of my third album, LJ, I was working in altered tunings, primarily DADGAD, and gaining a wider audience.

I released my first album of Beatles arrangements in 2000 after my wife Hope insisted that she wanted one to listen to in the car. I handed her the producer reins, and it worked, and continues to work, very well. That led to a series, of which I’ve Got a Feeling is the latest.

It breaks with its predecessors by being performed mainly solo on an electric archtop guitar, rather than on my usual Martin flattop. It’s still fingerstyle and employs some favored altered tunings, but with a sense of improvisational freedom that goes with the different tonal focus.

What song from your new record best represents the player you are today?

“I’ve Got A Feeling” is quite representative of the overall feel of the album and the sonic picture of the electric tracks. “Lovely Rita” is a favored acoustic outing and is the one track on the album that sticks quite closely to the original Beatles arrangement. I enjoy the interplay between the melody and the moving bassline. Both are in DADGAD tuning.

What gear are you going with these days?

Gear-wise, I have a couple of Martin OM cutaways from the custom shop that are based on the spec from my signature model. One is Honduran mahogany, the other is Cuban mahogany. Both have high Alpine ‘moon’ spruce tops and are all hide glue construction with a thin finish.

They are equipped with a custom Duncan Wavelength UST and an internal Audix omni mic, and the signals are blended through a Headway preamp/DI. Strings are my signature Martin Retro 13-56 Monel set. There’s one track recorded on an 1893 Martin 1-21strung with Monel 11s – an extraordinary sounding guitar.

For electric, I’m mostly working with an older model PRS Hollowbody Piezo, a Benedetto Bravo archtop, and a mid-90’s relic Fender Nocaster. My amp is a Carl’s Custom amps repro of a 5E3 circuit Tweed Deluxe. I also use an original ’65 Pro Reverb. Pedals are various Klon clones and ‘flavor of the month’ modulation and delay boxes. For travel, I like the Tech 21 Fly Rig, with a J Rockett Archer in front.

What’s your best piece of advice for young session players and players in general?

The transition from an analog to a digital world has changed so many things since I turned professional in the mid 1970’s. I’ll still turn up on a session with a bunch of pedals, a Fender amp, and a handful of guitars, so that hasn’t changed. I can’t give advice on the social media side of self-promotion, but clearly that has become a significant factor.

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