William “Lefty” Frizzell
March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975
Lefty Frizzell was a country singer and songwriter, popular in the 1950s and one of the leaders of the honky tonk movement. His singing and playing style were a major influence on the likes of George Jones, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson. Frizzell kept very busy throughout most of the ’50s, either recording or touring the honky tonk circuit, and even as rock ‘n roll was dominating the Ameican phsyche by 1959, Frizzell was still scoring hits with his traditional country sound, including the Grammy nominated “Long Black Veil.” By the ’70s, Frizzell had moved to Bakersfield, California and became the first Country artist to perform at the Hollywood Bowl. But unfortunately, Frizzell’s battle with alcohol was starting to catch up with him, both physically and by damaging his business and personal relationships due to his heavy mood swings and angry tirades. Lefty Frizzell died on July 19, 1975 after suffering a stroke.
What You Should Own
R.I.P uncle Lefty. He was a major influence on the music scene, widely known as the most influencial country artist of all time, but also on our family. I am the nephew of David & Lefty and the son of Country Gospel great, Allen Frizzell. You check out my website here.
Well, the family lives on. That’s good to hear. I had not heard of your father, but had heard of David. I knew Lefty in the late 1950’s, and even though I had not seen him for years, my heart broke when he died. I found your site because I very recently wrote an article about Lefty. I am a contributing columnist to a local newspaper. I included in my column some in his group of fellow entertainers, even his relationship with Hank Sr. and Lefty’s travels to the San Diego Ca. area.
V Merle is a true American. I have most of the albums he ever wrote. I have been to numerous concerts and you would be hard pressed to find another artist that sings from the heart about real issues moving through the years. Silver Wings, Mama Tried, and the list goes on forever of the greatest country music.