Early Years
Giammarese was born in northwest Chicago, Illinois. His study of guitar began in 1960 and continued at Catholic grammar school St. Thomas of Canterbury and high school at Lane Tech in Chicago, . His first musical influences were The Ventures’ Don Williams and Bob Bogle, and the Chantays, who started the craze of surfer rock, with their unique guitar riffs. Influenced by a high school teacher, Giammarese’s musical interests expanded from surfer rock to jazz and early rhythm and blues. His first guitar was a used Harmony open top guitar, a gift from his father in 1960. At home, Giammarese took in the big band sounds favored by his parents. His next musical influence was James Burton, who played guitar for Ricky Nelson’s band every week on The Ozzie and Harriet Show. Future legend and neighborhood guitarist Harvey Mandel was Giammarese’s next instructor, from whom Carl took lessons while part of his first band, The Centuries. By this point, he was using a solid-body Gibson SG guitar to play dates.
Read more about this topic: Carl Giammarese
Famous quotes containing the words early and/or years:
“Early rising is no pleasure; early drinking’s just the measure.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)
“Under bare Ben Bulben’s head
In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.
An ancestor was rector there
Long years ago, a church stands near,
By the road an ancient cross.
No marble, no conventional phrase;
On limestone quarried near the spot
By his command these words are cut:
Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman pass by!”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)