Friday 12 July 1974 | Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Paul and Linda McCartney had dinner with country music guitarist Chet Atkins and his wife Leona in Nashville on 12 July 1974. The evening produced two significant creative outcomes: the decision to record 'Walking In The Park With Eloise' — a song written by Paul's father, Jim McCartney — and the inspiration for the Wings song 'Spirits Of Ancient Egypt'.
Wings in Nashville, July 1974
The McCartneys were in Nashville as part of a period of recording activity that would feed into the Venus And Mars album. The mood within Wings at the time was strained: tensions in the band, personal disagreements, and the heavy drinking of guitarist Jimmy McCulloch were all weighing on McCartney.
During the dinner, Paul played Atkins their Nashville recordings and discussed the difficulties within the band. The conversation then took an unexpected turn.
Walking In The Park With Eloise
McCartney mentioned a song written by his father Jim McCartney and played it to Atkins at the dinner table. Atkins suggested they record it together — which they did on 16 July 1974, with Floyd Cramer also in attendance. The recording was released as a single in October 1974, credited to The Country Hams.
My father did write a song – only the one, to my knowledge – and many years later I said, 'Dad, you know that song you wrote: 'Walking In The Park With Eloise'?' He said, 'I didn't write it – I just made it up.' Anyway, I told him that I'd recorded it with some friends of mine in Nashville. One of the friends was Chet Atkins, and he'd brought along Floyd Cramer. We got together and made a little recording of the song specially to play to my dad.
Paul McCartney
Anthology
Spirits Of Ancient Egypt
After dinner, Atkins steered the conversation in a direction that would inspire one of the standout tracks on Venus And Mars.
After dinner he suddenly turned to me and said, 'Are you interested in Egyptian mythology?' It was abrupt, a real non sequitur, but I'm not easily fazed, so I said, 'Well, kind of,' and he started talking about it.
He then gave me this book by Peter Tompkins, Secrets of the Great Pyramid, and it was fascinating. There were some great theories in it, including that the Egyptians knew much more than people thought they did, and that the measurements around the base of the pyramid are somehow connected to the circumference of the Earth. How did they know the circumference of the Earth? You couldn't go around it with a tape measure, but they'd figured it out. So I devoured the book, and I treasured it all the more because it had Chet Atkins's ex libris.
Paul McCartney
The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present
'Spirits Of Ancient Egypt' was recorded for Venus And Mars, released in May 1975. It was one of the album's more atmospheric tracks, with Linda McCartney taking a prominent vocal role.
Key Facts: 12 July 1974
| Date | Friday 12 July 1974 |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee, USA |
| Present | Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, Chet Atkins, Leona Atkins |
| Outcome 1 | 'Walking In The Park With Eloise' recorded 16 July 1974 with Atkins & Floyd Cramer; released October 1974 as The Country Hams |
| Outcome 2 | 'Spirits Of Ancient Egypt' inspired by Atkins's gift of Peter Tompkins' Secrets of the Great Pyramid; recorded for Venus And Mars (1975) |
| Song's composer | Jim McCartney (Paul's father) |
Nashville, Tennessee — where Paul and Linda McCartney had dinner with Chet Atkins on 12 July 1974, leading to two distinct creative outcomes.
Paul McCartney & Wings
The Nashville sessions of July 1974 fed directly into the Wings catalogue. Officially licensed Wings merch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote 'Walking In The Park With Eloise'?
'Walking In The Park With Eloise' was written by Jim McCartney, Paul McCartney's father. Paul recorded it with Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer in Nashville on 16 July 1974, releasing it as a single in October 1974 under the name The Country Hams.
What inspired Paul McCartney to write 'Spirits Of Ancient Egypt'?
After dinner with Chet Atkins in Nashville on 12 July 1974, Atkins gave McCartney a copy of Peter Tompkins' book Secrets of the Great Pyramid. McCartney was fascinated by its theories about Egyptian knowledge and used the inspiration to write 'Spirits Of Ancient Egypt', which appeared on the Wings album Venus And Mars (1975).
Who is Chet Atkins?
Chet Atkins (1924–2001) was one of the most influential guitarists and record producers in country music history. Known as "Mister Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", he was a key architect of the Nashville Sound and a long-time executive at RCA Records.
What is The Country Hams?
The Country Hams was the pseudonym used by Paul McCartney for the October 1974 single 'Walking In The Park With Eloise', recorded in Nashville with Chet Atkins and Floyd Cramer. McCartney used the alias to give the record a playful, informal feel in keeping with its origins as a tribute to his father.
What was the state of Wings in July 1974?
Wings were under strain in July 1974 due to tensions within the band, personal disagreements, and the heavy drinking of guitarist Jimmy McCulloch. Despite these difficulties, the Nashville sessions produced material that fed into the Venus And Mars album, released in May 1975.
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