Nick Esposito (guitarist)

Nick Esposito Sr. was an American guitarist, band leader in the field of rhythm & blues and jazz, and instrument maker .

Live and act

Esposito began his musical career at the age of 18 as a violinist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, he also worked as an instrument maker and worked in a music shop. From 1936 on he shifted his interest to guitar making and developed into a jazz guitarist. He performed with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and is considered one of the pioneers of the electric guitar. In the early 1940s he played for Henry Busse . In 1946 he received a recording contract with Pacific Jazz Records ; When he first recorded his own name, he also created his most famous title, Empty Ballroom Blues . In another session, a cover version of Duke Ellington's C Jam Blues was created in 1946 with the help of Barney Bigard . Bill Smith (bass) played in his band during this phase; Merle Howard (tenor sax), Stan Ward (drums) and June Preston (piano).

On another recording of the Empty Ballroom Blues in 1949, Esposito played with Claude Gilroy (tenor saxophone), Billy "Buddy" Munsinger (piano), Vernon Alley (bass), Joe Dodge (drums), Cal Tjader (bongos) and Dottie Gray (vocals) . He also participated in recordings of the Nat King Cole trio, Viviane Greene and the singer Stan Wilson . In the 1950s he performed frequently with his sextet at the Black Hawk jazz club . Under his direction he recorded in March 1952 with Bennie Green , Flip Phillips , Oscar Peterson , Ray Brown and JC Heard for Mercury Records , including the Empty Ballroom Blues again .

By 1949 he had his own guitar workshop in Oakland , later he worked with companies such as The Guild Company and Fender, in Italy with the Eko Guitar Company. During his engagements in hotels in Las Vegas, where he accompanied stars like Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin , Sammy Davis Jr. and Julius La Rosa , he ran two music shops in the city from 1959, including Esposito's Music with his son Nick Esposito Jr. Mart , and with the onset of rock'n'roll and rock music, he became the “godfather of the 60s rock guitarists in Las Vegas”.

Discographic notes

• Mercury Blues 'N' Rhythm Story 1945-1955: West Coast Blues
• Swinging On the Golden Gate - Blues, R&B and Jazz on West Coast Indie Labels 1944-1958 (JSP)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Billboard Mar 2, 1946
2. ^ ^{A b} Charles Delaunay : Hot discographie encyclopédique 1952 Volume 3 (El-He) . Paris, Éditions Jazz Disques, 1952.
3. ^ Billboard Jun 1, 1946
4. ↑ Information on the album An Evening with Stan Wilson
5. ↑ Memories of Nick Esposito ( Memento of the original from November 20, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ Portrait at Las Vegas Rock Reunion  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.