The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon has starred in a host music and guitar-related skits over the years. Who can forget his “intense” solo battle with H.E.R., More Than Words duet with Jack Black, or Jack White’s subtle dig about Fallon’s Fender Newporter, which he called a “children's guitar”? However, British singer-songwriter James Bay is now taking Fallon’s side and giving him credit for his guitar knowledge.
“I remember going to Jimmy Fallon, and he’s a bit of a musician himself,” Bay told UK TV show Sunday Brunch.
“And I had a certain type of pickup in my electric guitar, and with some of the lights in the studio it was making a weird buzz and he said ‘James, that was a great take, but would you like to do it again?’”
Turns out Fallon had keenly observed Bay's performance and, due to his extensive knowledge of TV sets, knew exactly what was causing the buzzing sound.
“He said - and this is a bit geeky - ‘Are those P-90 pickups?’ Yeah, they are,’ I said,” Bay recounts.
“And he said [to the floor manager] ‘Turn off this light, this light, and this light [pointing].’ They turned them off and the buzz coming off this guitar got a bit quieter. He really knows what’s going on, and then we did another take and it was a bit better.”
We can safely assume that Bay is referring to his 2016 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he played his Epiphone Century guitar, which, as the TV host correctly surmised, does indeed feature a single-coil Gibson P-90 pickup.
James Bay's new album, Changes All the Time, was released in October by Mercury Records, and the singer-songwriter is embarking on a European tour this January, followed by a North American leg in April.
