Vic Flick recording in London

Circa 1989

Victor Harold Flick (1937-2024) was an English studio guitarist, best known of playing the guitar riff* in the "James Bond Theme" recorded in 1962 for the iconic, film Dr. No.  This film was released in the United Kingdom on October 5, 1962 and in the United States on May 8, 1963. Flick continued to contribute to the James Bond soundtracks from the 1960s through the late 1980s.  One of Flick's guitars, A Clifford Essex Paragon de Luxe, on which he played the original "James Bond Theme" is displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.  

Flick first picked up a guitar in 1951.  He studied piano from the young age of seven until he was 14 when his father started a dance band.  He first electric guitar was a Hofner he bought with the money he earned from laying concrete floors during a summer break.  He was so proud of it with all its decorative inlay and built-in electronics.

Flick worked with many recording artists including Dusty Springfield (I Only Want to Be With You), Nancy Sinatra, Cliff Richard and Shirley Bassey among countless others.  He played his Vox 12 string guitar on the Peter and Gordon 1964 #1 record A World Without Love.  He is heard on all of  Tom Jones' early hits including It's Not Unusual and What's New Pussycat? and is the guitarist for the #1 hit song Downtown by Petula Clark.  He also recorded with Herman's Hermits playing the distinctive guitar riff in the intro and bridge of Silhouettes, a 1965 UK Top 5 hit.

Flick played on every Bond smash though Diamonds are Forver and even recorded with Eric Clapton on the 007 soundtrack, License to Kill.  You can further hear the guitarist in the film scores such as Midnight Cowboy and The Return of the Pink Panther.

Flick's career has not just been limited to visual mediums.  In the swingin' 60s, he recorded with a veritable who's who of pop royalty including Beatles producer, George Martin, Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini and Motown Diva, Diana Ross.

Flick lived in Las Vegas, but the Surrey-born guitarist will always be remembered and associated with suave secret agents and Brit-pop hitmaking!  

*A guitar riff is a repeated sequence of notes or chords that gives a song structure and character.  Riffs are often catchy and can be found in many genres of music including rock, funk, jazz and Latin. Some characteristics of a guitar riff are as follows:  repeated, memorable, sets the tone and gives the song its voice. The term riff seems to go back in musicology to the Jazz era with the song, In the Mood.  This jazz standard was first recorded and released by Edgar Hayes and His Orchestra in 1938.  Later, a single by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was recorded and released.  For most these days the song, In the Mood is related to Glenn Miller.

Edgar Hayes and His Orchestra 

playing the iconic jazz favorite

In the Mood

RIP Big Flick

Job Well Done