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GARY
TALLEY
In 1967, while still an infant, Gary
Talley began his career as lead guitarist
for the Grammy-nominated group, The
Box Tops. Their
"blue-eyed soul" hits like
"The Letter," and "Cry
Like a Baby" hit the charts like a
tornado, selling millions of copies, and
they continue to sweep across the country
on radio stations today. The Box Tops
disbanded in 1970, but their reunion
nearly 30 years later in 1997 was kicked
off with a national tour at the House of
Blues in Hollywood. Gary still tours and
records with the group, contributing
original songs and background vocals.
After his initial stint with The Box
Tops, Gary's soulful (and highly
acclaimed) guitar sounds were in demand.
He found himself playing with music
carbuncles like
Jerry Butler, Billy Lee Riley, Hank
Ballard, and Ace
Cannon at the legendary
Sounds of Memphis Studio and later at
Universal Studios also in Memphis.
His reputation led him to the larger
market of Atlanta in 1972, where he added
jingle sessions and touring to his
growing number of master sessions for
major label artists. While playing guitar
with such legends as Pat
Boone, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Dobie Gray,
Freda Payne, Billy Joe Royal,
and many others, Gary still (barely)
found the time to write songs and teach
guitar.
At the encouragement of fiend and
producer, Chips Moman (Elvis, Willie
Nelson), Gary headed north to Nashville
in 1981. Chips hadn't steered Gary wrong,
because he soon found himself recording
with Willie Nelson,
Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Sam Moore
(of the duo Sam and Dave),
and others. As a songwriter, he has
penned cuts for Keith
Whitley, The Box Tops, James Cotton, T.G.
Shepard, Fish
Heads & Rice and
others. He has continued writing and
teaching, while at the same time playing
television appearances, live events or
touring with artists like Billy
Preston, Sam Moore, Pam Tillis, Brenda
Lee, Tammy Wynette, Rufus Thomas, Tim
McGraw, Sam "the Sham" Samudio,
David Lee Murphy, Bobby Whitlock, Tracy
Nelson, Dr. John, Mac Gayden, Bobby Bare,
Ray Vega, Deirdre Reilly, the Hombres,
Jason D. Williams, James Carr, Lloyd
Price, and Little Eva among
others.
It is Gary's wonderful and diverse
background which inspired him to develop
a unique, effective and streamlined
approach to teaching guitar which is
especially designed for songwriters.
Internationally renown publications like
Acoustic Guitar and American Songwriter
have published cover stories, articles
and lessons about his techniques. He
includes stars like Pam
Tillis, and Sherrié Austin,
along with hit songwriters like Amanda
Hunt-Taylor, Rory Bourke, Monty Powell,
Holly Lamar and Tom
Douglas among the many
satisfied students on his roster. In fact
Sherrié Austin claims she could not have
written some of the songs on her first
album without Gary's lessons. As word
spread throughout the trades and among
the song writing community, Gary was
being encouraged to share his sensational
teaching approach to a broader market.
That's what led to his fun and innovative
three-lesson 55-minute instructional
video, Guitar Playing for Songwriters.
Gary will be doing workshops and special
appearances at festivals and conferences
throughout 2004 to give more people
access to his proven methods.
To order Gary Talley's Guitar Playing for
Songwriters CLICK HERE. |
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