Poppa ... Tell Us A Story

[Quarter]

With all the recent interest going on about the Albert Lee, I thought it may be cool to learn a bit more about the AL and the man its named for.
How / where did you guys meet? How did the design process go? Any pics of early proto types?

An AL will be my next ball
Thanks BP!

 

[Wide'Iwas]

Ya I would like to know too. I just ordered my first AL also and I cant wait for it! I have never played a AL but the specs look very close to what I like!

 

[PugNinjas]

I think the Albert Lee model was the first endorsed model of the company.

 

[brentrocks]

since we are on the subject, i thought this pic would be fitting. Look at Al's headstock! see anything different?

also, eddie has a Pink EVH on his shoulder, pretty odd! (since he didnt like that color)

 

[brentrocks]

Brent,

The author of that story became famous for bashing EVH

oh really?

 

[J_Alexander]

man that brings back some memory's. when ed was at the height of his carrer if you ask me. had a great guitar, excellent amp and made one of the best albums they ever did. my how some things change.

 

[Quarter]

Cool pic Brent, so the AL as we know it was called an Axis at one time.
Has anyone seen one of these in the wild?

 

[Spudmurphy]

Great photo Brent!

Yeah BP, I (we) would love to hear the story.

 

[Astrofreq]

Wow. that's interesting, because I would definitely name 1984 as the top of Ed's career. After that, it's all tragically downhill.

man that brings back some memory's. when ed was at the height of his carrer if you ask me. had a great guitar, excellent amp and made one of the best albums they ever did. my how some things change.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Wow. that's interesting, because I would definitely name 1984 as the top of Ed's career. After that, it's all tragically downhill.

There are plenty of forums for discussing the rise and fall of EVH. This is not one of them.

 

[Wide'Iwas]

I thought this was a thread about AL lets get off the has been! Before someone locks it!

 

[brentrocks]

everybody cool their jets!!!

 

[Big Poppa]

Thank you Norrin

THe musician Magazine piece was a great story.

Gordon Baird was the publisher of Musician Magazine (since kaput) Gordon was a hyper interesting New England weasel guy that was a tenacious sort of a good guy but you had to keep yor eyes on him, because he always had motives.

Whe I signed EVH He was aware that Biff Baby's was playing around LA with Albert,Steve Morse, EVH. Luke and Jay Graydon , Dweezil would also sit in. He also know that I had just finished touring with Biff Bay's in Europe and Australia and Japan.
Gordon called me and said that it really was a great story this Biff Baby's Allstars, you know this CEO that actually played with his artists and how much fun we had. He said " I want to do a cover story on Biff Baby's." I said ;that I wouldnt be interested if this was just a cheap way of getting close to Eddie. That he had to do a story in the context of the band and give Ferraro, Cox and Sherwood the same ink that he gave Eddie.

He also said "how about if Biff Baby's plays our NAMM JAM/." I said no but when I told Eddie about it he said "lets do it, it will be a blast...charge him ten grand" I said it would be good publicity for the new guitar and that the other guys could benefit by the story. We agreed to do the show.

Matt Resnicoff was the writer hired to do the story and hung with us for a pre NAMM gig in Mailbu and the weekend of the NAMM show. As each minute went by it became apparent that this wasnt about Biff Baby's. I called Gordon and warned him,, "he said that it was still aabout Biff Baby's but he could get the other guys later. I kept talking to Matt and he really was out of control in my opinion. At one point he even followed EVH into the bathroom with his recorder.

WE did a warm up show in Malibe and the NAMM one. At the Namm one Eddie didnt play well and was probably a little to buzzed and the La Times and Orange County Register pretty much ate Eddie alive. Saying that it was interesting to see him out of his comfort zone with really great players and that he was the weak link. Eddie's management went rip ****. Then the mag came out and it ended up being one paragraph about Biff Baby's and a hack job on Eddie. The band even posed for photo shoots and all....It was a scam. Resnicoff works with Vai and I have run into him and things have cooled down. Luke is actually a friend of Matts. I really dont know if it was Matt or Gordon but the whole deal was slimy.

I was saved by management because they were involved in the parameters of the gigs and article.

 

[Big Poppa]

Now the Albert Story


My dad came home from the record store with this double album from a band called Heads, Hands, and Feet from England. He played us this track called Country Boy and my dad was really blown away with this English kid named Albert Lee and how great he was on the guitar.

As fate would have it Heads hands and feet werre coming to town first to open up for Jethro Tull at the Forum and then a gig at the Whisky the next night. My dad and my brothers went to the Forum and I wanted to hear more so I went to Whisky gig and was talking to some girl that was wearing an Ernie Ball t Shirt and it tuns out she was a groupie hanging with Albert. She said that he would love to meet me so after the show I went back and met him and he was really nic and we hung for a hour or so. I said my Dad would really like to meet you and what were they doing tommorow. Albert said it was one of a few days off and so I invited him down to our then factory in Newport Beach. The whole family and ALbert hit it off and we stayed in touch.

Albert came back to the states shortly thereafter and needed a place to crash so He slept on the couch at my moms house while I was in High school (1972-73) He stayed for weeks and even did our winter dance with my band. He fell in love with our girl fluteplayer/lead singer and got divorced and they hooked up for Awhile. She became known as Michael Steele of the Bangles.

As ;years went on Albert and I were and still best of friends. I was best man at his wedding with his wife of 30 years now Karen and I am the godfather of all of his kids.

When I bought Music Man Albert was famous for his tele but he really liked the Silhouete and started playing it about half of the time. When Dudley made me that Axis prototype that is the one on the cover, Albert played our company Xmas party and I showed him my Xmas present and he fell in love....I said "Its yours now" That is how the Albert lee guitar came about.

 

[J_Alexander]

thanks for the story bp. even with all the down fall it seems you are defending the musician in that article. classy. for the albert lee yes it was called the axis before hand same as the evh. was kind of a working title. oh for the record i didnt know i couldnt coment on a picture bringing back good memory's. amazing i see a photo of you and it brings nothing. that wasnt for you bp but some others.

 

[dg5150]

Great insight into the fantastic Albert Lee !! and his guitar !!

Doug

 

[brentrocks]

thanks for those BP...a nice read, for sure!!!

 

[Big Mike]

Great stories BP. Thanks for sharing.

Albert's one of my heroes.

 

[Scarifi3d]

Thanks BP for the great stories!

 

[savannah_sean]

Awesome stories...thanks for relating them.