WHO WAS THE MUSICIAN THAT FIRST MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THE INSTRUMENT THAT YOU NOW PLAY? IF YOU DON’T PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHO WAS IT THAT PLAYED SOMETHING THAT OPENED UP TO YOU THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF MUSIC?
FOR ME, MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF MUSIC THAT I LOVED WAS DURING THE OLD “OZZIE AND HARRIET” TV SHOW WHERE “LITTLE” RICKY NELSON WOULD SING WITH HIS BAND. IN THE BACKGROUND ALL OF THOSE YEARS WAS JAMES BURTON, WHO DELIVERED SOME OF THE TASTIEST AND SUBTLY SWINGING SOUNDS FROM HIS FENDER. OTHER FAMOUS SIDEMEN OVER THE YEARS THAT HAVE PERFOMED IN THE BACKGROUND BUT STILL HAVE MADE THEIR STAMP ON OUR EARS HAVE BEEN AMOS GARRET, WHOSE FAMOUS SOLO ON “MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS” IS ONE OF THE CLASSICS OF THE 70S.
LIKEWISE ALBERT LEE, WHO HAS WORKED ON FAMOUS RECORDINGS WITH EMMYLOU HARRIS, THE CRICKETS AND ERIC CLAPTON, IS ONE OF THE FEW GUITARISTS RESPECTED IN GENRES RANGING FROM JAZZ TO ROCK TO ROCKABILLY. RECENTLY LEE, BURTON AND GARRETT GOT TOGETHER WITH FAMED CANADIAN GUITARIST DAVID WILCOX FOR A SUMMIT OF “GUITAR HEROES” IN VANCOUVER ISLAND, RESULTING IN A 24 STRING LOVE FEST THAT TURNED OUT THE ALBUM “GUITAR HEROES” (STONY PLAIN RECORDS). THE SONGS ON THAT ALBUM RANGE FROM KC SWING LIKE “FLIP, FLOP AND FLY” TO THE CLASSIC BALLAD “SLEEP WALK.”
WE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH ALBERT LEE, WHO HAS MADE A CAREER OF BEING ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED, VERSATILE AND INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS SINCE HE CAME ONTO THE SCENE BACK IN THE DAYS OF THE BRITISH BLUES HALCYON DAYS OF THE 60S.
SUMMIT MEETINGS ARE NOT NEW TO YOU. A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO YOU DID A “MASTERS OF GUITAR” SERIES WITH 3 OTHER GUITARISTS THAT EACH DID 30 MINUTES OF THEIR OWN PERSONAL STYLE.
That was great fun. We only did it twice. The great thing about it was that it was such as great mixture of players, especially working with Tal Farlow for the first time. Also Jerry Douglas. It was certainly a thrill.
WHEN YOU GREW UP, WHO WERE YOUR GUITAR HEROES?
First of all, there was Chris Gallup, with Gene Vincent. There were some great rock and roll guitar players, but you could tell that he was influenced by some of the older guys. You could tell that Les Paul was in there and Chet Atkins. And you know that he was able to swing, which seems to be a lost art amongst guitar players lately. But, he was a big influence upon me. His solos were like exercises themselves; they were like scales. Of course Scotty Moore, James Burton and of course Hank Garland who was not known to be a great jazz guitar player be he actually was excellent at jazz guitar and he was on a lot of great Elvis records and great country and Everly Brothers records. All of those guys were an influence when I started.
SO, WHAT MAKES SOMEONE TO BE A “HEROE” ON GUITAR?
Good question! Having a constant flow of ideas and great solos. I don’t really count myself as a guitar hero, but I supposed I’ve been told along the way that I’ve influenced a number of players, so that helps towards it. But for my heroes, it wasn’t just one solo; it was a number of them that influenced the way that I played. Over time, you look back and you can say “This guy was definitely a hero of mine.”
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR YOU TO THINK “I’VE GOT MY OWN SOUND”?
By the early to mid 60s I was able to copy a lot of my favorite solos by other players, but I guess it was by the mid 60s when I was working-I was on the road from 1960 so I had a lot of experience in those years-I was able to pinpoint a sound that was my own but still obviously recognize the influence of other players in my playing.
DURING THAT TIME, YOU WERE PART OF THE BRITISH BLUES SCENE WITH THE THUNDERBIRDS
That’s right; during that time we played the same circuit as John Mayall, Zoot Money and Georgie Fame. I’d run into Eric (Clapton) regularly as well as John McLaughlin who was then playing with an R&B band. Andy Summers was in an R&B band. We all kind of ran into each other. I didn’t see Jeff Beck too much during those days because he was more deeply on a blues circuit and didn’t play the same clubs that we did. But Jimmy Page and I go back to 1961 when we were both first playing for a living, so we were both influenced by each other and by the same guys like Scotty Moore. He was a big James Burton fan also, of course.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A COMRADERY AMONGST GUITARISTS THAT YOU DON’T FIND AMONG OTHER MUSICIANS
Well, there are so many of us out there and lots of publications with a lot of give and take amongst players. We all run into each other fairly regularly and we keep our ears to the ground to see what other people are doing.
HOW DID YOU GET LINKED UP WITH ALL OF THOSE FAMOUS LONDON SESSIONS?
I was signed to Atlantic Records with a band called Head Hands and Feet in the early 70s. I very quickly got a reputation amongst the players in London that was recognized by American record companies, because Ahmet Ertugen had signed me to Atlantic. It was in vogue at that time to have Americans go over there to London and record. I didn’t do the Howlin’ Wolf sessions but I did do Jerry Lee Lewis, Herbie Mann and a couple others.
YOU PLAY WITH ARTISTS RANGING FROM HERBIE MANN TO BO DIDDLEY. DO YOU CHANGE YOUR STYLE FOR EACH ENVIRONMENT?
I try to be away of being in style and vogue with what they’re doing rather than being totally different. I want to embellish their sounds and not make it my record, you know. But, I was surprised that I got involved with Herbie Mann. It was peculiar: I was on a plane from Nashville to London. I had just been helping mix some tracks by The Crickets that I had played on. Buddy Holly’s old band. I was stuck at the airport and had to stay overnight in New York. The next morning I was at the airport and was chatting with these two guys that were really friendly. I guess I looked like a musician and we got to talking and as it turns out, it was Herbie Mann and his keyboard player Pat Rebillot, and he says “Oh, you’re playing on our record next week!”
It was great fun; I did two albums in a week. We did a reggae album, and one that was a bit more rock based. Then, back here in Los Angeles I did a couple of short terms with him. I was really honored that he would call me up to these gigs. It was good fun.
ARE THERE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AUDIENCES WITH JAZZ, ROCK AND ROCKABILLY?
I think at that time, especially with Herbie Mann, there was more of a blending of rock and jazz that was happening. The jazz musicians felt, “Hey, this might be a good bandwagon to get on” so they got to play with some rock players, stretch out a bit and get more recognition. Maybe it worked for some and not for others, but I felt quite honored. I never thought of myself as a jazz player, but I like swing guitar which was so prevalent with the Gene Vincent things I first listened to. Then with country you’ve got western swing. It’s not “far out” jazz, but the swing is all related.
BLUEGRASS, JAZZ, ROCK AND ROCKABILLY-YOU FEEL THERE’S A MISSING INGREDIENT IN TODAY’S MUSIC
They all have links to swing
WHAT WAS THE IMPETUS BEHIND THE “GUITAR HEROES” CONCERT WITH BURTON, WILCOX AND GARRETT?
There’s a festival in Vancouver Island that I’ve done a couple of times. We were billed to do our own sets and to then have a big jam together as well. And someone had the bright idea of recording it. As it turned out it was quite possible. So they said, “You might want to think about making a record of this.” And we felt if everyone was in agreement, why not?
HAVE YOU PLAYED WITH ALL OF THESE GUYS BEFORE?
I’ve played with James (Burton) a number of times over the years. I’d never before played with David Wilcox, the Canadian player. I’d met up with Amos Garrett a couple of times; he was a big influence, going back to the days when he was playing with Ian and Sylvia up in Canada. One of the first country rock bands; really good music and he certainly influenced me. Of course, he made a landmark recording when he did “Midnight at the Oasis” with Maria Muldaur. It was great to play with him and just watch what he does. No one can do it like him; he’s got these big fat fingers and these heavy strings, and he’s able to whack those frets with his right and bend the notes as he does it. It’s like a steel guitar; so unique in the way he does it. I’ve never seen anyone else do it like that.
HOW ABOUT ALL OF THOSE YEARS YOU TOURED WITH CLAPTON? ANYTHING YOU LEARNED FROM HIM?
Actually yes. We had known each other since 1965, I guess. He was always really friendly and I think he liked what I played, and I certainly liked what he does. We came from the same background and listened to Buddy Holly and the Crickets and rock and roll. By the early 60s I had started to listen to country, and he picked up on BB King and Freddie King and started to go more towards the blues. But we still had those influences from way back.
I ended up on the road with him in 1979. He had been working predominantly with American musicians throughout the 60s and 70s and I think he was glad to have an English guy in the band! We had a good time, and our styles were different enough. We didn’t clash; I think I listened well enough to play and not get in the way and try to complement what they were doing. I think it worked really well with Eric.
I can’t say that every guitar player that’s worked with Eric has done that. Most of them try to play like him, and I realized that I couldn’t play like him but I was pretty good at what I did on my own. He appreciated that too. We had a good five years together and I still do the occasional thing with him, like the Crossroads Concerts.”
AND I’M SURE BILL WYMAN APPRECIATED THAT YOU DIDN”T TRY TO SOUND LIKE KEITH RICHARDS, EITHER!
(laughs) No! He liked me for what I do because his band The Rhythm Kings is a mixture, really. It’s R&B and blues and swing. I’ve been able to cover a lot of ground with that band, so I think he really enjoyed having me in that group.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT LOTS OF GUYS YOUR AGE WHO PLAYED IN THE 60S GREW UP WANTING TO BE A BASIC BLUESER, LIKE LONNIE JOHNSON, AND THEN GOT SIDETRACKED BY BECOMING A ROCK STAR.
Yes, the influences came thick and fast in the late 50s and early 60s; we were just picking up on whatever American records we could find. There would be word of mouth about various players. I came to Lonnie Johnson fairly late and then realized what an influence he was with his playing and certainly his singing as well. Elvis was really influenced by Lonnie Johnson’s singing.
IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE NOWADAYS THAT ISN’T AS POPULAR AS HE OR SHOULD BE
That’s a hard one. I guess you can go back to Danny Gatton (“The Master of the Telecaster”). It was really a struggle for him to get known. I still think he was one of the best that ever was, doing what he did with the swing and the country rock. Just brilliant stuff. He did start to make a name for himself; I think he was really frustrated in how slowly it was happening. It was really sad.
I’m also astounded about how many people send me clips on Youtube and they’ll ask me “Hey-what do you think of this guy?” And they’re great, you know. I think it’s a lot easier now to get known because we all stand on the shoulders of others. Back in the 50s and 60s we just had this old records that would show up. Now, we can just go up to a computer and see everybody play, and people become stars overnight. It’s easy now to learn various styles because you can watch people doing it. You couldn’t back then.
BUT AS ONE WHO’S LIVED IN THE EARLIER DAYS, WHAT CAN YOU IMPART TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF PLAYERS?
The style now is very blues based with a lot of distortion and a lot of effects. The scales that they play are kind of limited to what I like to hear. They are all great players, and I won’t go into names, but it seems like everyone you hear is just going through the pages of Guitar Player magazine and a lot of them are playing the same style with a lot of effects on their playing. I don’t think that they have their own sound. They strive for a certain sound and a lot of them sounding alike. At least to me; perhaps I need to listen to them a bit more, but I don’t really get off on a lot of the things I hear. I tend not to even listen to the music that I play. I’m more likely to listen to a classical record to get away from it as I’m playing nearly every day!
ANYTHING YOU DO TO KEEP YOU INSPIRED?
Automobile manuals. I read those! I work on cars. I’ve got three cars out here that are rotting that need attention.
WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR LEGACY TO BE?
I think that a lot of players out there realize my contribution. I’ve come to the conclusion now as I approach my 72nd birthday that I’m not going to become a superstar. But, it will be nice to be remembered as a good player who influenced a lot of people.
TAKE SOME TIME TO CHECK OUT THE RECENT ALBUM, AND LOOK FOR ALBERT LEE COMING TO A LOCAL VENUE, EITHER ON THE FRONT OF THE MARQUEE, OR ON THE SIDE OF THE STAGE DELIVERING A PERFECTLY STYLED SOLO TO MAKE THE LEADER TAKE THE MUSIC INTO THE RIGHT DIRECTION. FOR HIS YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE MUSIC, ALBERT LEE RIGHTFULLY CAN BE CALLED ONE OF THE HEROES OF THE GUITAR.