Trini Lopez, the guitarist and singer whose versions of “If I Had a Hammer” and “Lemon Tree” climbed the charts in the 1960s and an actor who appeared in movies and more. The Dirty Dozen, died of complications of COVID-19, the Hollywood Reporter reports. He was 83.
The news was confirmed to THR via Lopez’s songwriting and business partner Joe Chavira. The couple had recently completed a song called ‘If By Now’, which was intended to benefit food banks during the pandemic. “And here he is dying for something he was trying to combat,” Chavira said United Press.
Born in Trinidad Lopez II, Dallas, Texas, to Mexican parents, Lopez began his music career at the age of 15, when he formed his first band. One of his bands, The Big Beats, signed to Columbia before hitting on his own as a solo artist and he signed to King Records in the late 1950s. After releasing several singles who failed to chart, he left the label and shortly thereafter began a stint at Los Angeles club PJs. Frank Sinatra recorded Lopez during his stay and in 1963 Sinatra signed Lopez to Reprise Records.
Lopez’s Reprise debut of 1963, called a live album Trini Lopez by PJ’s, produced several hits, including his rendition of ‘If I Had a Hammer’, written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays which hit number one and eventually won gold status, and his version of the Will Holt-penned “Lemon Tree”. ” The album also included his recording of the traditional Mexican song, “La Bamba.” He continued to release albums and hits by the Sixties, as well as nightclubs in the US, including regular stints as a Las Vegas headline.
He also designed two guitars for Gibson, The Trini Lopez Standard and the Lopez Deluxe, which were produced from 1964 to 1971. His guitars are praised by musicians, including Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl.
‘Today, the world has unfortunately lost yet another legend, Trini Lopez. Trini not only left behind his own legacy, but also unknowingly helped shape the sound of the Foo Fighters, ‘Grohl tweeted via the Foo Fighters’ Twitter rack. “Every album we’ve ever made, from the first to the last, was recorded with my red Trini Lopez signature guitar. It’s the sound of our band, and my most appreciated possession of the day I bought it in 1992. Thank you, Trini for all your contributions. “
In addition to his music career, Lopez also pursued acting. In 1967 he died alongside an ensemble cast that included Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine, John Cassavetes, Lee Marvin, Donald Sutherland and Telly Savalas in Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen. He also appeared as himself in the 1970 film The Phynx and starred in the title role of Claudio Guzman’s 1973 film, Antonio. In addition to the big screen, he appeared on several TV shows, including Adam-12.
Filmmakers P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes have recently shot a documentary about Lopez’s life.
