Trini Lopez - Trini Lopez In London (1967 USA)

Trini Lopez - real name: Trinidad Lopez, III; born: May, 1937 (Dallas, TX, USA); 

american singer, guitarist and actor. 

Initially receiving very little success, Lopez landed a steady engagement at the nightclub PJ's, 

He was heard there by Frank Sinatra, who had started his own label, Reprise Records, and who subsequently signed Lopez. His debut live album, Trini Lopez At PJ's, was released in 1963, & his career took off from that point. 

Trini Lopez at PJ's included a version of "If I Had a Hammer", which reached number one in 36 countries and was a radio favorite for many years. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. He also performed his own version of the Mexican song "La Bamba" on the album; his recording of the tune was later reissued as a single in 1966. Another live album from PJ's was recorded later that same year under the title By Popular Demand More Trini Lopez at PJ's which contains the song "Green Green".

His popularity led the Gibson Guitar Corporation to ask him in 1964 to design a guitar for them. He ended up designing two: the Trini Lopez Standard, a rock and roll model based on the Gibson ES-335 semihollow body, and the Lopez Deluxe, a variation of a Gibson jazz guitar designed by Barney Kessel. Both of these guitars were in production from 1964 until 1971, and are now highly sought-after among collectors.

He scored 13 chart singles through 1968, including "Lemon Tree" (1965), "I'm Comin' Home, Cindy" (1966), and "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" (1968). On the adult contemporary chart, he racked up 15 hits, including the top-10 singles "Michael" (1964), "Gonna Get Along Without Ya' Now" (1967), and "The Bramble Bush" (1967). Beyond his success on record, he became one of the country's top nightclub performers of that era, regularly headlining in Las Vegas. In 1968, he recorded an album in Nashville entitled Welcome to Trini Country. In 1969, NBC aired a Trini Lopez variety special featuring surf guitar group The Ventures, and Nancy Ames as guests. The soundtrack, released as "The Trini Lopez Show" has him singing his hits with The Ventures as his backing band.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Lopez moved into acting, though his film career was not as successful as his music. He continued his musical career with extensive tours of Europe and Latin America during this period; an attempt to break out by releasing a disco album in 1978 proved a flop.

Trini Lopez recorded a series of upbeat tunes for Reprise during the mid-'60s, including a smash rendering of the folk standard "If I Had a Hammer" in 1963. The Dallas native cut some Ritchie Valens-influenced rockers for the King label prior to his discovery by producer Don Costa. Lopez's hits capture the excitement of his live performances, and his driving renditions of "Kansas City" (1963), "Lemon Tree" (1965), and "I'm Comin' Home, Cindy" (1966) were substantial sellers. Reportedly one of Dean Martin's favorite performers, Lopez hosted his own network TV variety program and co-starred as one of The Dirty Dozen in the popular 1967 movie.

On May 15, 2008, his 71st birthday, Lopez was inducted into the Las Vegas Walk of Stars.

Trini was still recording and appearing live in recent years. Trini Lopez has continued to record, and in 2008, his 63rd album, "Ramblin Man,” was released. "El Immortal" was released in 2010 and in 2011, Trini released his 65th album "Into The Future.”

mp3