Lefty Frizzell
| Lefty Frizzell | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Orville Frizzell |
| Also known as | Lefty Frizzell |
| Born |
March 31, 1928 Corsicana, Texas, United States |
| Origin | El Dorado, Arkansas |
| Died | July 19, 1975 (aged 47) Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-Songwriter |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1942 – 1975 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Hank Williams, David Frizzell, June Stearns |
| Notable instruments | |
| 1949 Gibson J-200 (customised) | |
William Orville Frizzell, known as Lefty Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975), was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer. A vocalist who set the style of singing "the country way" for the generations that followed, Frizzell became one of the most successful and influential artists of country music throughout his stellar career. He gained prominence in 1950 after two major hits, and throughout the decade was a very popular country performer. He smoothed out the rough edges of a honky tonk song by sounding out syllables longer and singing longer. Because of this, his music become much more mainstream without losing its honky-tonk attitude and persona.
Frizzell is an influential artist in country music history. Among the artists he influenced are George Jones, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Keith Whitley, Merle Haggard, and John Fogerty. He laid a foundation for the many generations of country music performers that followed him. Because of this, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Though he started his career being influenced by other country musicians, in the 1950s Frizzell became one of country music's most well-known artists. After the death of Hank Williams in 1953, Frizzell released many songs that charted in the Top 10 of the Hot Country Songs charts. His success did not carry on into the 1960s, and after suffering from alcoholism, he died at age 47.
William Orville Frizzell was born to the son of an oilman, the first of eight children, in Corsicana in Navarro County in Central Texas. During his childhood, his family moved to El Dorado in Union County in south Arkansas. As a child he was called "Sonny", but later took the name "Lefty". It is believed they called him "Lefty" because he had won a neighborhood fight, however it turned out that this tale was a part of a fake publicity stunt set up by his label. Frizzell's largest influences included the blue yodeler Jimmie Rodgers. He began listening to Rodgers' records as a boy. He began singing professionally before his teens, even earning a spot on the local radio-station KELD El Dorado. Frizzell's teens were spent singing in nightclubs and radio and talent shows throughout the south. During his tour of Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Las Vegas, he began to draw a style of his own, shaped from artists like Rodgers, Ernest Tubb, and Ted Daffan.
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