While Paul McCartney is celebrated as a songwriter and musician, he isn’t often called one of the best singers to ever take to the microphone. This isn’t necessarily unfair, either. Sure, McCartney has a lovely voice that can stay in tune effortlessly and was perfect for The Beatles, but compared to some of the blues and rock vocalists who came before and after him, even he would admit that there are better singers out there.
One of those singers would be Huddie Ledbetter (also known as Lead Belly). Born in 1888, he was an American folk and blues singer most famous for his outstanding vocal ability. He was also a multi-instrumentalist, playing the violin, mandolin, harmonica, and twelve-string guitar, but his voice was what set him apart from other musicians at the time.
When talking about the vocalist, McCartney said he was “Definitely one of my heroes. I remember hearing his style, and they used to say his baritone was so big that you’d have to turn your record player down.”
McCartney spoke the most about Ledbetter after the release of his song ‘Women and Wives’. The piece came after the Beatle had finished reading a biography about the blues singer and wanted to channel his sound a little more. This is evident in ‘Women and Wives’, as McCartney sings in a much deeper and more bluesy voice. He pulls it off very well, as the track is serene and soulful but still carries an undeniable McCartney sound with it.
“This arrived when I was reading a book on Lead Belly,” admitted McCartney, “I was deep in the South and the blues, and I sat at the piano one day and started playing the chords at the beginning of the song. Lead Belly inspired that vocal style.”
McCartney elaborated on the kind of style he was referring to, “’Well mama…’ – that Southern blues thing. It suited that song,” he said, “’Hear me, husband and lovers / What we do with our lives…’ Then I was off on the trail. So suddenly, ‘Seems to matter to others’. Hey, let’s think about what we’re handing down to them. As a parent and grandparent, you think that kind of stuff.”
Considering how much of a celebrated individual Paul McCartney is, it’s impressive how much he owns the people who have influenced him. If he simply said, “I came up with this because I’m great, as you know,” a lot of people would believe him, but the musician has no bother letting people know the style, sound and artist who drives his creativity on different songs. Thanks to Lead Belly, we have the tranquil and brooding hit ‘Women and Wives’. While it might not be McCartney’s most famous song, it highlights his ability as a songwriter and vocalist as he channels a blues legend in the modern day.
