Trini Lopez, Guitarist, Singer and Actor, Dead at 83

Trini Lopez - an acclaimed guitarist, singer and actor whose body of work spanned more than half a century - has died at the age of 83. He had been suffering from the coronavirus, according to his friend and collaborator, Joe Chavira.

Born in Dallas in 1937 to parents who had emigrated to the city from Morolean, Mexico, Lopez took up the guitar at 12 and - influenced by American R&B, early rock 'n' roll and the Mexican pop and folk tunes of his youth - became a fixture of Dallas' music scene by his early 20s.

It was at one of these local gigs that he met Buddy Holly, who put Lopez in touch with his producer, Norman Petty. Though Lopez's subsequent recording sessions with Petty were largely unsuccessful, they gave Lopez a foot in the door of the business that, a few years later, allowed him to land a regular gig at P.J.’s nightclub in Hollywood.

There, he caught the eye of Frank Sinatra, who signed him to his Reprise record label. Encouraged by the popularity of his nightclub act, Reprise released Lopez's debut album, Live at P.J.'s, in 1963.

An immediate smash, it contained Lopez's signature tune, a distinctly up-tempo version of Pete Seeger's “If I Had a Hammer." Selling more than a million copies, Lopez's version would go on to top the charts in 36 countries.

Lopez's enormous success, and obvious guitar skills, caught the eye of Gibson, who approached Lopez about creating a signature guitar. The resulting Gibson Trini Lopez Standard and Lopez Deluxe were produced from 1964 to 1971, and later found a remarkable second life in the hands of the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, whose Lopez Standard has been his number one guitar for almost three decades.

“Today the world sadly lost yet another legend, Trini Lopez,” Grohl posted on the Foo Fighters’ Twitter account. “Trini not only left a beautiful music legacy of his own, but also unknowingly helped shape the sound of the Foo Fighters.

“Every album we have ever made, from the first to the latest, was recorded with my red Trini Lopez signature guitar. It is the sound of our band, and my most prized possession from the day I bought it in 1992. Thank you, Trini for all of your contributions.”

Lopez was also a well-known actor, most prominently appearing in the 1966 World War II film, The Dirty Dozen. 

He recorded more than 60 albums in total, and was said to have just finished recording a new song to raise money for food banks overwhelmed by demand from the pandemic and its resulting economic effects.

"Trini Lopez - what a great guy and wonderful friend," wrote singer Pat Boone in a Facebook post. "We were blessed to make a good living doing what we loved - making others happy!"