Will Kimbrough laughs off the idea of retirement now that he’s received praise from Sir Paul McCartney.

“You know, I would if he wrote me a check!” Kimbrough says. “You want to brag on it, but at the same time, you don’t want to be that person either. I did share it on social media about a hundred times. I couldn’t help it!”

McCartney praised “Bubbles Up,” an inspirational tune by Kimbrough and the late, great Jimmy Buffett. A band leader in his own right, Kimbrough has worked as a songwriter or session musician on every Buffett album since 2004. He has also collaborated with John Prine, Todd Snider, Mark Knopfler, Rosanne Cash, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris and so many others.

His career stretches back to the ’80s, starting with his college band, Will & the Bushmen, which got some MTV exposure. Throughout the years, he’s continued making music with other groups like the Bis-Quits and Emmylou Harris’ Red Dirt Boys.

Hearing his lyrics performed by major stars, he says, is an honor and a joy. Although in his younger days, he admits to a tinge of insecurity that he was expected to be better than he was. At this point in his career, that feeling is gone.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, and I just feel grateful and lucky,” he says.

He’s not just a man behind the curtain, though; throughout his many collaborations he’s continued releasing his own albums, including April’s “For the Life Of Me,” and stepping up to centerstage to share his songs.

“I’ve never stopped touring on my own, even when I was on tour with someone else,” he says. He says there’s not as much division between the multiple roles he fills.

He credits his ability to always be his authentic self to his collaborators like “The King of Gulf and Western,” who insisted that he not change to match his “Cheeseburger in Paradise” style.

“Jimmy Buffett didn’t want me to try to be Jimmy Buffett. He already had that down,” says Kimbrough. “I just think he was super open-minded. He was ready to do anything. He didn’t necessarily want to be doing the same old thing.”

That’s carried over within Kimbrough’s career. When he plays guitar for Emmylou Harris — whose band has included James Burton, Albert Lee, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill and Buddy Miller — Harris doesn’t expect him to emulate his predecessors.

“I don’t consider myself in that league as a guitarist. I just think I’m different,” he says. “But I got the gig, and part of it is that I’m a singer, I’m a songwriter, and I like songs. And I think at this point in her career, she wants somebody who is more into songs than just super fast guitar playing or something like that.”

Not that he has a problem with super fast guitar playing. But his ability to stretch his sound into different genres — country to spacious rock to acapella — is an asset. Plus he plays accordion, banjo, and several other instruments.

“That’s a great pleasure to have that variety, and it feeds my own work that I do myself,” he says.

When not he’s not performing or writing songs for himself or for major recording artists, Kimbrough works with a program called Songwriting with Soldiers, leading songwriting workshops with veterans and first responders. While he doesn’t have any military training himself, he says that helping the participants cope with their trauma and process those feelings into songwriting is rewarding and keeps him making room for the workshops in his touring schedule — even missing big gigs to participate.

The program has brought him to Northwest Arkansas many times in the past. When he comes to Bentonville on July 20, he’ll be headlining the 20th annual Beach House on the Hill for Northwest Arkansas Parrothead Club. Proceeds from the event, which also includes live music from singer-songwriter Jim Hoehn and music from Even Keel Band, will benefit Sheep Dog Impact Assistance, a national nonprofit founded and headquartered in Rogers, that provides services benefiting the overall well being of veterans and first responders.

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FAQ

Beach House On The Hill:

Will Kimbrough

WHEN — 5 p.m. July 20

WHERE — Meteor Guitar Gallery in Bentonville

COST — $45

INFO — nwaparrotheads.com

FYI — The Beach House pub crawl starts at 11:30 a.m. and includes a $10 poker run.