Eldon Shamblin
| Eldon Shamblin | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Estel Eldon Shamblin |
| Born |
April 24, 1916 Clinton, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | August 5, 1998 (aged 82) Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Genres | Jazz, Western swing |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1930s–1990s |
| Associated acts | Bob Wills, Merle Haggard |
Eldon Shamblin (April 24, 1916 – August 5, 1998) was an American guitarist and arranger, particularly important to the development of Western swing music as one of the first electric guitarists in a popular dance band.
Born in Clinton, Oklahoma, Shamblin taught himself how to play guitar, read music, and arrange it. He learned by studying the solos of jazz guitarist Eddie Lang. He performed in clubs in Oklahoma City, and he sang and played guitar on his own radio show. In 1934, he joined the Alabama Boys, a Western swing band, and stayed with them for three years. He established a reputation as one of the best guitarists in Oklahoma City, an honor he shared with Charlie Christian.
After leaving the Alabama Boys, he joined Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. He became the band's musical arranger, as he had learned to read music by studying big band arrangements. His electric guitar style and musical knowledge were important to the success of Wills' Western swing band. On "Take Me Back to Tulsa" in 1940, he invented a two-beat rhythm arrangement which became his trademark sound. His guitar featured prominently on the band's 1946 hit "Ida Red", which was later rewritten by Chuck Berry as "Maybellene".
Shamblin's style incorporated a big band style similar to Freddie Green's from the Count Basie Orchestra, much of it based on what Shamblin had learned from studying Eddie Lang. He hired musicians who made an impact in jazz.
In 1941 Metronome magazine called him the most creative and inventive guitarist since Charlie Christian. They magazine acknowledged him as an emulator of Christian's style and said he was an innovator, not an imitator. Thirty years later, a Rolling Stone writer wrote a piece praising Shamblin's creativity and repeating Metronome magazine's assessment.Down Beat acknowledged his contributions, calling jazz-oriented and a swing musician, though he worked in Western swing and country bands.
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