Metallica lead guitarist Kirk Hammett went into head-to-head, or shall we say pedal-to-pedal, battle with guitar virtuoso Mrs. Smith, a.k.a. actor and musician David Hanbury, in the “Cry Baby Battle Royale” at the Senate in Columbia, South Carolina on Sunday night (March 8th).
The seven-minute battle saw Hammett and Mrs. Smith trading licks over a reimagining of Isaac Hayes' Oscar-winning “Theme From Shaft,” the original recording of which became famous for the wah-wah guitar of the late Charles “Skip” Pitts.
In the end, Hammett conceded that he had “just been out-wah'd,” proclaiming, “A moment in history has just occurred.”
Mrs. Smith received a gold Cry Baby plaque certifying her position as “the new undisputed champion of the overuse of the Cry Baby wah-wah pedal,” after which she told Hammett, “I learned it all from watching you.”
The event also included a performance by the Metallica guitarist's covers project, The Wedding Band, also featuring Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo and Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane.