The story "musical superhero saves performance from disastrous accident" is much older than 1967, it must date from the 18th century when such traveling virtuosi came into fashion and needed PR gimmicks. Paganini was a virtuoso also in that second discipline.

Stories of accidents, averted or not, true, embellished, or invented, are the staple of post-concert pub rounds. Most Mudcatters can tell them, and did so in other threads. Warning: like a good music performance, a good folk tale should have a powerful punchline beyond "s/he was so good ...".