MusicRadar

Rusty Anderson on stage with Paul McCartney in Quebec City © Mathieu Belanger/Reuters/Corbis

Since 2001, guitarist Rusty Anderson has been a key fixture in Paul McCartney's touring band. In addition, the California born-and-bred musician has played on several of Macca's recent albums.

"I still feel like I'm living a dream," says Anderson. "Everytime I go on stage with Paul, it's the most exciting thing in the world. There's not a day that goes by when I don't realize how lucky I am."

So how did this self-described "journeyman guitarist," who has played in dozens of bands and hundreds of studio sessions (he even played the solo on Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca!), score what Anderson calls "the gig of a lifetime"? And what kind of advice does he have for other musicians hoping for their big break?

MusicRadar asked him just that.

How did you come to play in Paul McCartney's band?

"Basically, it all came about through the producer David Kahne. David and I had worked together on a number of albums, like The Bangles and a few others, and one day he called me and said he was going to be producing the new Paul McCartney album - this would have been Driving Rain.

"I said, 'Great, man! That sounds awesome.' And then he said, 'And you know, I might be needing some extra guitar on it.' I knew he meant me, but I didn't want to actually believe it until I knew for sure, until I got the firm phone call, you know - 'Come on down, Rusty!'" [laughs]

Next: Auditioning for McCartney

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