Tal Farlow

This North Carolina native was kind of a late bloomer on the guitar, but quickly became a professional, and got his first break with Marjorie Hyams, the great woman vibraphonist in George Shearing's first quintet. He became well-known due to his association with Red Norvo and Charles Mingus in the late 40s and early 50s. After a run with Artie Shaw's famous small group, the Gramercy Five, he formed his own group. In 1958, he went to work as a sign painter and just played in his spare time on local gigs, making only one record as a leader for fifteen years. He came back on the scene some more in the 70s and 80s, and made a number of albums for Concord late in his career and did some touring in England before his death in 1998 from cancer. Although he chose to spend much of his life in relative obscurity, and many of his recordings are hard to find, Tal Farlow's work has been very influential for many younger jazz guitarists.


References: http://waer.org/25guitarists.html