Albert Lee is 78 years old today.
An English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique, Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also maintained a solo career and is a noted composer and musical director.
Growing up in Blackheath, London, Lee’s father was a musician and Lee studied piano, taking up the instrument at age seven. 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.
Lee left school at the age of 16 to play full-time. He was with a variety of bands from 1959 onward, 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.
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.
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 Lee. Other performers were Yvonne Elliman, Ian Paice, Roger Glover, Tony Ashton, and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by the late Sir Malcolm Arnold.
Lee left for Los Angeles in 1974 and, through his friend, bassist Rick Grech (of Blind Faith), joined The Crickets, who also included Sonny Curtis and Jerry Allison. The band recorded three albums including, A Long Way From Lubbock. Lee also received many offers of session work.
In 1976, he 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 including 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. He played regularly with the Everly Brothers for over twenty years.
In 1987, Lee was invited by Gerry Hogan to headline at a steel guitar festival in Newbury, Berkshire. He 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.
Lee is known within the music industry for his speed of playing and his technical virtuosity. He is also one of the most melodic performers — 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 also known as "the guitar player's guitar player" and "Mr. Telecaster." 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.