The Beatles’ epic influence on stalwart Collective Soul bassist Will Turpin

“Everything sort of starts and stops with the Beatles.” Melodic ‘90s rock quartet Collective Soul‘s appreciation for the Fab Four is addressed full throttle by bassist Will Turpin in an exclusive chat. Seen here unleashed in glorious Technicolor, drummer Ringo Starr, bassist Paul McCartney, lead guitarist George Harrison, and rhythm guitarist John Lennon circa April 1966 when the double whammy rock collision of “Paperback Writer” b/w “Rain” was being tracked inside Abbey Road Studios. Image Credit: The Roger Viollet Collection

Arguably the most underrated American band of the 1990s, Collective Soul has sold 12.5 million albums starting with Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid and encompassing such mainstream rock nuggets as “Shine,” “December,” “The World I Know,” and “Precious Declaration.” Backwoods Barbie doll impresario Dolly Parton even covered “Shine” in a left field bluegrass arrangement and landed a Grammy.

Will Turpin, founding bassist for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame inductees, grew up in the Atlanta suburb of Stockbridge nearly obsessed with the Beatles. The musician spent hours dissecting Paul McCartney’s melodic bass playing and John Lennon’s diametrically opposed songwriting technique — nonsensical and confessional lyrics. Decades later Turpin and songwriter-frontman Ed Roland convinced the rest of the band to tackle Lennon’s “Revolution” every night on their Disciplined Breakdown world tour. Incidentally, Roland’s son is named Lennon.

Turpin waited until now to divulge his admiration for the erstwhile lads from Liverpool in an exclusive interview distributed below. Anecdotes you won’t wanna miss include learning the proto-newgrass “I’ve Just Seen a Face” from his recording studio-owning father, his essential Beatle records, whether he’s picked up a Hofner bass, if Lennon and McCartney’s solo…