Guitarists from before the 60's

[icuker]

Looking for some notable guitarists that played steel string guitar during the first half of the 20th century. Not just jazz but pop guitarists also. Roy Smeck comes to mind but I mainly find his stuff playing other instruments. I've been using Mel Bay's guitar instruction books and would like to explore that style of music a little more.

[Bingoccc]

Nick Lucas http://www.nicklucas.com/biography.html

[Steve DeRosa]

Since you posted on the Archtop forum - and you're using the Mel Bay books - there was an entire school of "classical archtop" guitar that flourished from about 1925-1940, and upon which old Mel himself based his method; I too learned from the Mel Bay books in the early-60's, at which time they bore a statement that they were in fact designed and intended to place the plectrum-style guitar "in the same class as the violin, piano, and other 'legitimate' instruments" (and if you've never hung around in certain so-called "serious" music circles it's difficult to imagine the pejorative attitude directed toward the guitar, even in its "classical" incarnation)...

FYI, in its original form the classical archtop movement drew from the earlier American school of classical guitar exemplified by the likes of William Foden, Vahdah Olcott-Bickford, et al. (rather than that of Segovia and his Spanish contemporaries, which would become the accepted concert style and instrument), as well as the parlor, "light classical," and vaudeville music of late-19th/early 20th century America. In addition to transcriptions of well-known classical repertoire (which you'll find in abundance in the Mel Bay books - especially the older editions - and which ironically fueled much of the first-wave Spanish classical movement), a number of guitarists of the day produced original compositions in a late-Romantic style - music which, while largely out of fashion today, still retains its technical and artistic merit eighty or more years later. Bear in mind that the original L-5 archtop guitar was in fact envisioned as a "classical" instrument both tonally and visually, intended as a part of the mandolin orchestras of the late vaudeville era and designed for hall-filling acoustic projection in the days before electronic amplification; were it not for Segovia's sensational American debut in 1928, the plectrum-style archtop guitar - with its violin-family looks and construction - may well have become the accepted "classical" guitar...

There are a number of recordings of these period pieces on YouTube, either in the original (by the likes of Harry Volpe, Al Hendrickson, et al.) or re-recorded by contemporary revivalists; in addition, you might also want to check out some of the work of Eddie Lang, Carl Kress and Dick McDonough, and George Van Eps. Finally, there's an excellent collection published by Mel Bay (duh!) called Masters of the Plectrum Guitar, that should keep you busy for a while - and give you a taste of what might have been...

Hope this helps...

[Silly Moustache]

how long have you got?

Django, Charlie Christian, Eddie Lang, Robert Johnson, Nick Lucas, Freddie Green, Mickey Baker, Ivor Mairants, Les Paul, AND Mary Ford !!!, Teddy Bunn, Elmore James, Bill Broonzy,Jimmie Rodgers, (that ghastly) Perry Bechtel, Woodie Guthrie, Maybelle Carter, Lester Flatt, Pete, Seeger, Elizabeth Cotton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake, Muddy Waters, Chet Atkins, Davey Graham, Diz Disley, Charlie Byrd, Jim Hall, Carl Kress, Lonnie Johnson, Johnny Smith, T-Bone Walker, Hubert Sumlin, Willie Mctell, Leadbelly, Lightening Hopkins, Son House, Memphis Minnie, Rev. Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Charlie Patten, Tom Paley, Martin Carthy, Wizz Jones, John Pearse, Gerry Lockran, Jake Thackery, Al Caiola, Herb Ellis, Tal Farlowe, Buddy Holly, Lonnie Mack, Lonnie Donegan, Bill Haley, Scotty Moore, Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, Link Wray, Gene Vincent, Everly Brothers, Joe Maphis, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Merle Travis ........

That distracted me for an hour.

Soooo many bluesmen, Country players, and Jazzers. Not just American of course.

[Silly Moustache]

Yes, Vahdah Olcott-Bickford ... how could I forget that name! Don't know her music jusr remember seeing her in books about Martins.

[icuker]

Yes, this is exactly what I was looking for. Great explanation of the style Steve. I've seen older music books referring it to the Spanish Style and your explanation helps me understand why. Too bad the plectrum wasn't taken as seriously in the schools.

I heard a guy locally play some romantic selection (Italian, I think) where he'd go across the strings in a sweep plectrum style. (A female was singing the piece), but it sounded very cool and looked like a fun style.

All the names you put forth, S M, should keep me busy. Some I know but there are certainly new ones in there to me.

Thanks, and if you think of other info to add I'll keep checking back.

[Denny B]

The first guitar player who I really took notice of back in the day was James Burton...he's in the Rock n Roll HOF for all the right reasons...

The Telecaster Master...