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Albert Lee

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For the electrical engineer, see Albert G. Lee. For the city in Minnesota, see Albert Lea, Minnesota.
Albert Lee

Albert Lee, born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England, is an English guitarist known for his finger-style and hybrid picking technique.

Early life

Albert grew up in Blackheath, London. His father was a musician, and Albert studied piano, taking up the instrument at age seven.[1] During this time, he became a fan of Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. He took up guitar in 1958 when his parents bought him a second-hand Höfner President which he later traded in for a Czechoslovakian Grazioso, the forerunner of the Futurama. Albert left school at the age of 16 to play full-time. awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome awesome ALBERT LEE is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Career

Early career in England

Lee was with a variety of bands from 1959 onwards, playing mostly R&B, country music and rock and roll. In addition to Buddy Holly, his early guitar influences included Cliff Gallup, Grady Martin, The Everly Brothers, Scotty Moore, James Burton and Jerry Reed.[2] Lee first experienced commercial success as the lead guitarist with Chris Farlowe and The Thunderbirds. Lee says that he enjoyed playing the Stax-type material, but he really wanted to play country music. Consequently he left Farlowe and the Thunderbirds in 1968.

During his time playing with Heads Hands & Feet, Lee became a "guitar hero", playing his Fender Telecaster at breakneck speed.[3] Heads Hands & Feet became a very popular live band in the UK, making appearances on The Old Grey Whistle Test and also in Europe, where they appeared on the German music programme Beat-Club.

International success

In 1971, Lee performed with Deep Purple's keyboard player Jon Lord on a live recording of Lord's Gemini Suite. That opus was a follow-up to Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra. Ritchie Blackmore had played the guitar at the first live performance of the Gemini Suite in September 1970, but declined the invitation to appear on the live studio version, which led to the involvement of Albert Lee. Other performers were Yvonne Elliman, Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Roger Glover (Deep Purple), Tony Ashton and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by the late Sir Malcolm Arnold.

Lee left for Los Angeles, California in 1974 and joined The Crickets through his friend bassist Rick Grech (Blind Faith) who also included Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison. The band cut three albums together including A Long Way From Lubbock. He also received many offers of session work. In 1976, Lee was asked to join Emmylou Harris's Hot Band, replacing one of his heroes, James Burton, who was returning to perform with Elvis Presley. The Hot Band featured other musicians such as Ricky Skaggs and Rodney Crowell. Starting in 1978, Lee worked for five years with Eric Clapton, playing and singing for a live concert recording at the Budokan in Japan.

Lee was responsible for The Everly Brothers 1983 reunion concert and was its musical director.[4] He played regularly with the Everlys for over twenty years.

In 1987, Lee was invited by Gerry Hogan to headline at a steel guitar festival in Newbury, Berkshire. Lee was at first intimidated by the prospect of having to front a band, however, the gig was successful and he now tours with Hogan's Heroes on a regular basis. Hogan's Heroes are renowned for attracting celebrities to their gigs. Stars such as Eric Clapton, Tommy Emmanuel, Lonnie Donegan, Dave Edmunds, Marty Wilde, Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith, Don Everly, Emmylou Harris, Sonny Curtis and Rodney Crowell have all jammed with the band at one time or another.

In 2002, Albert Lee appeared at the Concert for George. Also in 2002, Lee received a Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance for Foggy Mountain Breakdown from the CD Earl Scruggs and Friends. In September 2006 Lee took part in Primal Twang: The Legacy of the Guitar—the first definitive theatrical journey through the guitar’s colourful and surprisingly controversial 3500-year history. Albert Lee appeared at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival on 28 July and performed with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings at theAhmet Ertegun tribute show at The O2 in London on 10 December. A new Albert Lee and Hogan's Heroes album entitled Like This was released in spring 2008 to coincide with their European tour. Lee continues to work in the studio and tours on a regular basis with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. He lives in Malibu, California.

Awards, accolades and legacy

Albert Lee performing, 2006. The guitar is a Music Man Albert Lee

Lee has received many awards for his playing, including the five times consecutive winner of Guitar Player magazine's "Best Country Guitarist".[5] Lee is known within the music industry for his speed of playing and his technical virtuosity[6] and yet by the same token, one of the most melodic, playing slower passages approximating the sound of the pedal steel guitar with his Music Man and Telecaster guitars which are equipped with B-Benders.

He is known as "the guitar player's guitar player"[6] because of the presence of so many guitarists, famous or unknown, everywhere he performs. Albert Lee is also referred to as "Mr. Telecaster".[7] A long-time Telecaster player, Lee wrote a foreword to A.R. Duchossoir's book detailing the history of the instrument.

Albert Lee's song "Country Boy" helped to redefine country guitar for a whole generation of players, and was later to become a huge hit for multi-instrumentalist Ricky Skaggs.

Despite positive press from Melody Maker and New Musical Express, Lee has never achieved any great commercial success in terms of record sales during his career, but more as a live performer, session player and sideman, perhaps due to his self-effacing stage presence. Lee has been described by his peers who include Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore, as a complete gentleman who does not know the meaning of the word ego.[3]

Earl Scruggs, commenting on Albert Lee has stated: "I have been a fan and admirer of his guitar work from the first moment I heard him play. I am constantly amazed at his talent. I am sure there are many guitar players who have been influenced by his style and will continue to be influenced for years to come. Albert is in every sense of the word, a genuine guitar wizard".[8]

It is widely quoted that Eric Clapton is on record as stating that Albert Lee is, in his opinion, "the greatest guitarist in the world." Emmylou Harris has stated that Lee is "a brilliant guitar player. His sound is unmistakable—often emulated, never equalled. When Saint Peter asks me to chronicle my time down here on earth, I'll be able to say (with pride if that's allowed) that for a while I played rhythm guitar in a band with Albert Lee."[9]

Reflecting on the Heads Hands & Feet period of his career, Lee has stated: "What amazes me is how many musicians in Nashville have a copy of our first album in their personal record collections, and still ask me what happened to the band."

Guitar collection

Albert Lee owns more than 25 guitars, including Don Everly's Gibson J-200. The Gibson Guitar Corporation made one for Don Everly and the other for Phil. The guitars have an all black, high gloss lacquered finish, and are equipped with twin Everly Brothers white pickguards. The Everly Brothers manager Wesley Rose had wanted the guitar to be presented to the Country Music Hall of Fame, but Everly informed him that guitars like that should be played, not kept sitting in a glass case. Don Everly presented it to Lee, along with his Gibson Everly Brothers model.[2]

Eric Clapton gave Lee the Gibson Les Paul Custom that he played while with Delaney and Bonnie. Lee also plays his signature Music Man (the guitar shown in the photographs) and a 1950's Telecaster (both with custom B-Benders), a 1958 Stratocaster and a Martin 000-28 acoustic.[2]

Confusion with Alvin Lee

Albert Lee is often confused with Alvin Lee. This confusion has led to Alvin Lee being incorrectly credited on many albums in the past.

Partial Band List

Discography

Solo albums

  • Albert Lee — Black Claw/Country Fever
  • Poet And The One Man Band — Poet And The One Man Band LP(actually Heads Hands & Feet) (1969)
  • Heads Hands & Feet — Heads, Hands & Feet LP(1971)
  • Heads Hands & Feet — Tracks LP(1972)
  • Heads Hands & Feet — Let's Get This Show On The Road!
  • Heads Hands & Feet — Jack Daniels Rare Old No.7
  • Heads Hands & Feet — Old Soldiers Never Die LP(1973)
  • Heads Hands & Feet — Home From Home - The Missing Album LP(1968; unissued until 1995)
  • Albert Lee — Hiding
  • Albert Lee — Albert Lee
  • Albert Lee — Speechless
  • Albert Lee — Country Guitar Man (Re-release of "Old Soldiers Never Die" by Heads Hands & Feet)
  • Albert Lee — Gagged But Not Bound
  • Albert Lee — Real Wild Child
  • Albert Lee — That's All Right Mama
  • Albert Lee — Heartbreak Hill
  • Albert Lee — Road Runner
  • Albert Lee — Advanced Country Guitar (DVD)
  • Albert Lee — Master Session (DVD)
  • Albert Lee — Country Legend (DVD)
  • Albert Lee — Highlights (DVD)
  • Albert Lee — Guitar Heroes (DVD)
  • Albert Lee — Country Boy (DVD)
  • Albert Lee — Guitar Techniques (DVD)
  • Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — In Full Flight!
  • Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — Tear It Up
  • Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — In Between The Cracks
  • Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — Live In Paris (DVD)
  • Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — Like This
  • Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes — Live at the Stazione Birra – Rome, 2009 (DVD)

References

  1. ^ Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. 2001. ISBN 0-7432-0120-5. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b c Fishell, Steve (May 1981). "Albert Lee: State of the Art Country-Rock Guitar". Guitar Player. Retrieved 2009-03-10. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b Larkin, Colin. The Guinness Who's Who Of Country Music: Albert Lee entry, Guinness Publishing, 1993. ISBN 0-85112-726-6
  4. ^ [1] Albert Lee biography (retrieved 26 August 2006)
  5. ^ "Albert Lee Bio". Riff Interactive. 1999-10-17. Retrieved 2009-03-10. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b Gumbel, Andrew (2006-06-13). "Unsung heroes: session musicians are given their own Hall of Fame". The Independent. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  7. ^ Mr. Telecaster
  8. ^ [2][dead link]
  9. ^ Elder, Bruce (2007-08-20). "Albert Lee - Gig Reviews". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-10-24.

Further reading

  • The Guinness Who's Who Of Country Music. Guinness Publishing. ISBN 0-85112-726-6
  • Watts, Derek, (2008). Country Boy: A Biography of Albert Lee. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., ISBN 978-0-7864-3658-3

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