Billed as "the most recorded guitarist
in history," Tommy Tedesco was certainly one of the top session
guitarists of all time, able to play convincingly in virtually
every style of music, but concentrating on pop/rock, jazz, and
soundtrack work. Tedesco was born July 3, 1930, in Niagara Falls,
NY; after moving to Los Angeles, he carved out a career as one
of the area's most in-demand session musicians, appearing on his
first recording in the late '50s. Tedesco's notable associations
during the '60s included the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Phil
Spector, Van Dyke Parks, the 5th Dimension, the Monkees, and Elvis
Presley. He also did some of his most acclaimed work in 1968 on
Frank Zappa's Lumpy Gravy; according to legend, Tedesco and some
of the other session men caught wind of Zappa's freaky reputation,
and showed up for the session dressed in wacky costumes, not realizing
Zappa's music would turn out to be too complicated for them to
play the first time through.
In the '70s, Tedesco appeared on Partridge Family recordings
and also worked with Herb Alpert, adding to his list of more
traditional pop and jazz credits which already included work
with Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, and Sarah
Vaughan. With the advent of the fusion era, jazz became Tedesco's
primary focus for a time; he began leading his own combo and
(finally) releasing albums under his own name, beginning with
1978's Autumn and When Do We Start. Alone at Last followed in
1979, as did the quintet album My Desiree in 1981. Two more
albums appeared in 1983: the live trio set Carnival Time, and
Thomas and Ocean Tedesco. However, they essentially marked the
end of Tedesco's flurry of activity as a leader; the 1986 trio
album Hollywood Gypsy would be his last for several years.
From the outset of his career, Tedesco also worked extensively
in the film and television industries. He lent his guitar to
the opening theme songs of shows like The Mickey Mouse Club,
The Ozzie & Harriet Show, The Twilight Zone, Bonanza, Green
Acres, Gilligan's Island, The Munsters, Happy Days, M*A*S*H*,
and Dallas, among others. As for his film work, just some of
his credits include the soundtracks toCool Hand Luke, The French
Connection, The Exorcist, The Deer Hunter, The Godfather, Jaws,
E.T., Blade Runner, and Field of Dreams.
In addition to his recorded work, Tedesco gave guitar lessons
and clinics around the country, and authored several instructional
books; he also wrote a regular column in Guitar Player magazine.
In 1992, he returned to solo work with the albums Fine Fretted
Friend and the symphonic Tommy Tedesco Performs Roumanis' Jazz
Rhapsody. However, that same year, he also suffered a stroke.
Within a year, Tedesco rebounded to write an autobiography,
Confessions of a Guitar Player, which was filled with behind-the-scenes
details of various sessions he had been involved in. Tedesco
was able to continue his teaching activities for a time, even
after he was diagnosed with lung cancer not too long afterwards.
On November 10, 1997, Tedesco succumbed to the disease at his
home in Northridge, CA, at the age of 67.
