I've since found a few references to Paul flubbing the lead guitar job on a song in his
debut with The Quarryman at a meeting of The Conservative Club in Liverpool, a kind of high profile appearance at the time! To quote "The Last Days of John Lennon" :
John invites Paul to play a gig with the Quarry Men at New Clubmoor Hall in Norris Green, the northern part of Liverpool—a good distance by bus from where they all live. They open with “Guitar Boogie” by Arthur Smith and His Cracker-Jacks. The guitar solo is easy to play, a simple twelve-bar. But not only is this Paul’s first time playing with the band, it’s also his first guitar solo ever. Onstage, John and Paul take turns singing. When one leads, the other harmonizes. John’s strength is holding the lower key; Paul’s voice is more suited for the higher range. Paul starts his guitar solo. His fingers won’t move. It’s like they’re stuck to the fret board. Paul fights his way through it until his round face is flushed. Wet. After the show, everyone is looking at him, and he’s frightened. Yet he’s resolute on one point. “It wiped me out as a lead guitar player, that night,” Paul says. “I never played lead again onstage.”
A very humanizing story!
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