Lefty Frizzell

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Lefty Frizzell

William Orville 'Lefty' Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music

Country music

Country music is a blend of popular American music forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in Traditional music, Celtic music, gospel music, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s....
singer and songwriter

Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
of the 1950s and a leading exponent of the Honky Tonk

Honky tonk

A honky tonk is a type of bar with musical entertainment that is common in the Southwestern United States and Southern United States United States....
style of country music. His relaxed style of singing was a major influence on later stars Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard

Willie Nelson

George Jones

George Glenn Jones , is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
.

zell was born in Corsicana

Corsicana, Texas

Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, Texas, United States. It its located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas....
, the seat of Navarro County

Navarro County, Texas

Navarro County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of United States 2000 census, the population was 45,124. Its county seat is Corsicana, Texas....
in east Texas

Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
, but moved with his family shortly after his birth to El Dorado

El Dorado, Arkansas

El Dorado is a city in Union County, Arkansas, Arkansas, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,467....
, Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States of the United States. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River....
, where the Frizzells remained until the early 1940s.

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Encyclopedia

William Orville 'Lefty' Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music

Country music

Songwriter

Honky tonk

Merle Haggard

Willie Nelson

George Jones

George Glenn Jones , is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
.

Life

Frizzell was born in Corsicana

Corsicana, Texas

Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, Texas, United States. It its located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas....
, the seat of Navarro County

Navarro County, Texas

Navarro County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of United States 2000 census, the population was 45,124. Its county seat is Corsicana, Texas....
in east Texas

Texas

El Dorado, Arkansas

El Dorado is a city in Union County, Arkansas, Arkansas, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,467....
, Arkansas

Arkansas

Guitar

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
as a young boy. By the age of twelve, he was appearing regularly on a children's show at a local radio station

Radio station

This article is about radio broadcasting, for other uses see Radio .Radio broadcasting is an audio broadcasting service, traditionally broadcast through the air as radio waves from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device....
.

The family returned to Texas

Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
when Frizzell was still a teenager, his music career having received a significant boost when he won a talent contest in Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third largest city in the state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population in the United States.The city, with a population of over 1.3 million, is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex which contains 6.1 million people, and is the fourth-largest United States metropolitan area...
.

Called "Sonny" by his family, Frizzell got the nickname

Nickname

A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
"Lefty" after a schoolyard scrap at the age of fourteen. Part of Frizzell's early music lore pushed by his record company suggested the name came from winning a Golden Gloves

Golden Gloves

For the honor in Major League Baseball, see Gold Glove.The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States....
boxing

Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
match, but this version was deemed untrue.

In his late teens, he was performing at fair

Fair

A fair is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment....
grounds and other venues, developing a unique, soulful voice. Like his father, he got work in the oilfields, but his growing popularity as a singer soon gave him regular work on the Honky Tonk

Honky tonk

A honky tonk is a type of bar with musical entertainment that is common in the Southwestern United States and Southern United States United States....
nightclub circuit. At the age of nineteen, he had a half-hour show on a small Texas radio

Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic radiation with frequency below those of visible light.Electromagnetic radiation radio propagation by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space....
station, getting a big break when a record producer, Don Law heard him sing. Signed to Columbia Records

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders....
, he immediately had a string of hits that broke into country music's top ten; several of them reached # 1. In 1950, he was invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry

Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music radio programming and concert broadcast live on WSM radio in Nashville, Tennessee, Tennessee, every Friday and Saturday night, as well as Tuesdays from March through December....
; the following year he appeared on the prestigious Louisiana Hayride

Louisiana Hayride

The 'Louisiana Hayride' was a radio broadcast from the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music....
radio program that broadcast from Shreveport

Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport is the third-largest city and the principal city of the third largest metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Louisiana, as well as being the 99th-largest city in the United States....
, Louisiana

Louisiana

The State of Louisiana is a U.S. state located in the U.S. Southern States of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans....
and then he and close friend 'Cowboy' Ralph Spicer began touring with country music's biggest star of the era, Hank Williams. Handbills of the time refer to them as "Kings of the Honky Tonks". A prolific songwriter

Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
, Frizzell had four songs in the country top ten at the same time in 1951 — a feat that would not be repeated on any chart until The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were a rock music and pop music band from Liverpool, England that formed in 1960. During their career, the group primarily consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr ....
one-upped him, on the popular music/pop charts, with five songs in 1964.

By the end of the 1950s, rock and roll

Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
was dominating the North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
n music scene, but although no one would ever mistake Frizzell's music for anything but country, his 1959 hit, "Long Black Veil," gained wide acceptance with a variety of music fans in addition to country, and was the first recording of this "standard." A few years later, Frizzell recorded "Saginaw, Michigan," which took the #1 spot on the country music charts and broke into the pop charts as well. The song earned him a Grammy Award

Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
nomination.

In the early 1970s, Frizzell changed record labels and moved to Bakersfield

Bakersfield, California

Bakersfield is a large city at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California, California, United States. It is one of the fastest-growing large-population cities in the USA, and is located roughly equidistant between Los Angeles and Fresno, California, to the south and north respectively....
, California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, where he recorded several more country music hits and became the first country singer to perform at the Hollywood Bowl

Hollywood Bowl

The Hollywood Bowl is a famous modern amphitheatre in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances....
. Alcoholism

Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions to describe the detrimental effects of alcohol intake.In common and historic usage, alcoholism refers to any condition that results in the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages despite health problems and negative social consequences....
by then was a problem: mood swings

Mood Swings

Mood Swings is a 1993 album by the Canadian Hard rock band Harem Scarem. A music video was shot for the song "No Justice". The album charted at #85 on the Canadian charts....
and irrational anger

Anger

Anger is an emotional state that may range from minor irritation to intense rage. The physical effects of anger include increased heart rate, blood pressure,and levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline....
became a trademark, and his constant failure to meet recording commitments strained his relationship with his recording company.

In 1972, Lefty Frizzell was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States....
and his song "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" earned him a Grammy Hall of Fame Award

Grammy Hall of Fame Award

The Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"....
. Success and money only added to Frizzell's alcohol addiction, and on July 19, 1975 at age 47 he died after a massive stroke

Stroke

A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
. He was buried on "Music Row" at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens

Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens

Established in 1960, Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens located at 1150 Dickerson Pike in Goodlettsville, Tennessee is only a few miles north of Nashville, Tennessee, the Country Music capital of the world....
in Goodlettsville

Goodlettsville, Tennessee

Goodlettsville is a city in Davidson County, Tennessee and Sumner County, Tennessee counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Goodlettsville was incorporated as a city in 1958 with a population of just over 3,000 residents; at the United States Census, 2000, the city had a total population of 13,780....
, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States United States. In 1796, it became the sixteenth state to join the United States....
. In October 1982, Lefty was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Lefty's Guitar

Lefty Frizzell's signature guitar was a Paul Bigsby

Paul Bigsby

Paul Adelburt Bigsby was the designer of the Bigsby vibrato tailpiece and proprietor of Bigsby Guitars. He built an early steel guitar for Southern California steel guitarist Earl "Joaquin" Murphy of Spade Cooley's band, then built an electric guitar conceptualized by Merle Travis to have the same level of sustain as a steel guitar by anch...
customized 1949 Gibson J-200

Gibson J-200

Gibson J-200 is an acoustic guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation.Gibson entered into production of this model in 1938 as its top-of-the-line flat top guitar, initially called the Super Jumbo, changing the name in 1939 to the Super Jumbo 200....
(Model SJ-200). Originally built by the Gibson Guitar Company, it was retrofit in early 1951 with a custom neck and pickguard by guitar maker and innovator Paul Bigsby

Paul Bigsby

Merle Haggard

Merle Ronald Haggard is an United States country music singer, guitarist, instrumentalist, and songwriter.Merle Haggard has become one of the true giants of country music, as a singer, guitarist, songwriter, and instrumentalist....
recalled, "When I was a teenager, Lefty got me onstage [at the Rainbow Garden in Bakersfield, California] and handed me that guitar. That is the first guitar I played on a professional stage." For many years it had been on loan to and displayed at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the Capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis, Tennessee....
. In January 2005 it was returned to the Frizzell family.

Legacy and influence

Frizzell's style of singing influenced a great many singers, particularly Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard

Willie Nelson

Keith Whitley

Jesse Keith Whitley , known professionally as Keith Whitley, was an American country music singer. Whitley's brief career in mainstream country music lasted from 1984 till his death in 1989, but he continues to influence an entire generation of singers and songwriters....
, and Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam

Dwight David Yoakam is an United States singer-songwriter and actor, most famous for his country music. Active since the early 1980s, he has recorded more than twenty albums and compilations, and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts....
. In addition, he was widely recognized for his songwriting talents.

George Strait

George Strait

George Harvey Strait is a Grammy Award -winning United States country music singer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend....
recorded a Sanger D. Shafer

Sanger D. Shafer

Sanger D. "Whitey" Shafer is an American country music songwriter and musician. He wrote numerous hits for stars such as George Jones, Lefty Frizzell, and George Strait....
song called "Lefty's Gone" on the album Something Special. In addition, Willie Nelson's

Willie Nelson

Willie Hugh Nelson is an United States country music singer-songwriter author, poet and actor. He reached his greatest fame during the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, but remains Cultural icon, especially in American popular culture....
1977 album, To Lefty From Willie
To Lefty From Willie

To Lefty From Willie is a tribute album to Lefty Frizzell recorded in 1977 by country music singer Willie Nelson. The album features some of the biggest hits by Frizell like "I Never Go Around Mirrors " and "That's the Way Love Goes"....
was a tribute to Frizzell and consisted entirely of cover versions of Frizzell songs. Frizzell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment hall of fame....
. He is also in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame

Rockabilly Hall of Fame

The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on March 21, 1997 to present early rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities involved in this pioneering United States music genre....
.

Fellow Texan Roy Orbison

Roy Orbison

Roy Kelton Orbison was an influential Grammy Award-winning United States singer-songwriter, guitarist and a pioneer of rock and roll whose recording career spanned more than four decades....
was a devout fan of Frizzell's sound, and in 1988, as a part of the supergroup, the Traveling Wilburys

Traveling Wilburys

Traveling Wilburys were a 1980s Supergroup consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan. The band recorded two albums during the two years they were together....
, he chose the name "Lefty Wilbury" to honor his musical hero.

Frizzell's younger brother, David Frizzell

David Frizzell

David Frizzell is an United States. He is the younger brother of Country Music legend Lefty Frizzell. His career first started back in the late 50s, but his biggest success came in the 80s, thirty years into his career....
, is also a country singer. His biggest hits were 1982's "I'm Gonna Hire a Wino (To Decorate Our Home)" and "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma", a 1981 duet with Shelly West

Shelly West

Shelly West is an United States country music singer. Her mother was the country music star Dottie West, whose career spanned three decades. Shelly West is best-known for having hit duets with David Frizzell, and for their #1 hit "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma." She also was a successful solo artist, having her own #1 hit, "Jos? Cuervo...
.

In 2003, Lefty Frizzell ranked #31 on CMT
CMT

CMT can refer to:* Cadmium Mercury Telluride* California mastitis test* California Musical Theatre, a nonprofit arts organization in Sacramento, California...
's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music.

In 2006, J.D. Crowe and The New South released the album Lefty's Old Guitar. The Song "Lefty's Old Guitar" was written about his custom Gibson J-200 customized by Paul Bigsby in 1951.

Singles

1950 "If You've Got The Money (I've Got The Time)" # 1
1950 "I Love You A Thousand Ways" # 1
1951 "I Want To Be With You Always" # 1
1951 "Shine, Shave And Shower"
1951 "Look What Thoughts Will Do" # 8
1951 "My Baby's Just Like Money"
1951 "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" # 1
1951 "Mom And Dad's Waltz" # 2
1951 "Treasure Untold"
1951 "My Old Pal"
1951 "Travelin' Blues" # 8
1951 "Blue Yodel # 6
Blue Yodel

The Blue Yodel songs are a series of thirteen songs written and recorded by Jimmie Rodgers during the period from 1927 to his death in May 1933....
"
1951 "Lullaby Yodel"
1951 "Give Me More More, More (of Your Kisses)" # 1
1952 "Don't Stay Away" # 1
1952 "It's Just You"
1952 "Forever
Forever

Forever, etymologically, comes simply from for and ever .Forever may also refer to:In music:Albums:*4Ever , compilation album by Hilary Duff...
"
1952 "I'm An Old, Old Man (Trying To Live While I Can)"
1953 "Time Changes Things"
1953 "Never No Mo' Blues"
1953 "California Blues"
1953 "We Crucified Our Jesus"
1953 "Before You Go Make Sure You Know"
1953 "Hopeless Love"
1953 "Run 'Em Off"
1954 "My Little Her And Him"
1954 "King Without A Queen"
1954 "You're Too Late"
1954 "I Love You Mostly" # 11
1955 "Making Believe"
1955 "Moonlight Darling And You"
1955 "Sweet Lies
Sweet Lies

The title Sweet Lies can refer to:*a 1988 in film Sweet Lies starring Treat Williams;*the Sweet Lies to the film, sung by Robert Palmer ....
"
1955 "Your Tomorrow Will Never Come"
1955 "First To Have A Second Chance"
1956 "Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises

Promises, Promises is a musical theatre based on the 1960 film The Apartment by Billy Wilder. The music is by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David, and book by Neil Simon....
"
1956 "Waltz Of The Angels"
1956 "Heart's Highway"
1957 "Now That You Are Gone"
1957 "Lover By Appointment"
1957 "No One To Talk To (But The Blues)"
1957 "Tell Me Dear"
1958 "Silence
Silence

Silence is a relative or total lack of audible sound....
"
1958 "Cigarettes And Coffee Blues" # 13
1959 "Long Black Veil" # 6
1959 "Farther Than My Eyes Can See"
1960 "My Blues Will Pass"
1960 "What You Gonna Do Leroy"
1961 "Heaven's Plan"
1961 "I Feel Sorry For Me"
1962 "Stranger"
1963 "Forbidden Lovers" # 23
1963 "Don't Let Her See Me Cry" # 30
1963 "Saginaw Michigan" # 1
1964 "Nester
Nester

Nester was the long-time teenage mascot and comic strip star of Nintendo Power magazine. He also has occasionally appeared in video games. His name is a play on the acronym Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo's flagship system during the time period....
" # 28
1964 "Gator Hollow" # 50
1965 "She's Gone, Gone, Gone" # 12
1965 "Little Unfair" # 36
1965 "Love Looks Good On You" # 41
1966 "Mama
Mama

Mama may refer to:*Mother*Mama , a CBS television series 1949-1957*MAMA, Rotterdam, an art gallery in The NetherlandsIn music:*Mama , by Vitas...
"
1966 "I Just Couldn't See The Forest (For The Trees)" # 51
1967 "You Gotta Be Puttin' Me On" # 49
1967 "Get This Stranger Out Of Me" # 63
1967 "Anything You Can Spare"
1968 "Marriage Bit" # 59
1968 "Keep Them Flowers Watered"
1969 "Article From Life" # 64
1969 "Honky Tonk Bill"
1970 "My Baby Is A Tramp"
1970 "Watermelon Time In Georgia" # 49
1971 "Three Cheers For The Good Guys"
1971 "Honky Tonk Stardust Cowboy"
1972 "When It Rains The Blues"
1973 "Let Me Give Her The Flowers"
1973 "I Can't Get Over You To Save My Life" # 43
1974 "I Never Go Around Mirrors" # 25
1974 "Railroad Lady" # 52
1974 "Lucky Arms" # 21
1975 "Life's Like Poetry" # 67
1975 "Falling
Falling

Falling may refer to:*Falling , movement due to gravity*Falling *Falling *Falling , in which the goal is to hit the ground last*"Falling" in mathematics describes a scalar value that decreases with respect to time or another variable...
" # 50

Lefty Frizzell

Life

Lefty's Guitar

Legacy and influence

Singles

External links