Breau was born August 5, 1941, in Auburn, Maine, and moved with his family to Moncton, New Brunswick in 1948. Around 1959 Breau left his parents' country band after his father slapped him in the face for incorporating jazz improvisation into his playing with the group. He blended many styles of music, including jazz, country, classical, and flamenco. Ask his Daughter who she thought was responsible. [14] The one-hour feature was produced in Montreal by John Klepko. A second documentary on Breau, One Long Tune: The Life and Music of Lenny Breau, by Ron Forbes-Roberts, was produced a few years later. Breau said in relation to this, "I approach the guitar like a piano. Jewel and Lennys relationship was tumultuous and difficult. The author of One Long Tune certainly believes that. Binge-worthy entertainment news and celebrity interviews. The tracks on his album Live at Bourbon Street with bassist Dave Young were recorded at one of these dates and show Lenny at the top of his game. But as his close friend and band mate Ron Halldorson put it Lenny was successful in the ways that mattered to himin the ways that matter to real musicians. Halldorsons point is well-taken. . The couple had a daughter, Lennys third, whom they named Dawn Marie. The 43-year-old Canadian guitarist, revered by such colleagues as Chet Atkins, was found dead at the Wilshire-area apartment building where he lived with his wife and daughter. The murder is still unsolved. Clearly a non-musician's perspective of a life of a great jazz musician. A question music fans frequently ask when they encounter Lenny Breaus virtuosic fingerstyle jazz guitar playing for the first time is How is it possible Ive never heard of this guy?. [11], Many live and "lost" recordings have been issued since Breau's death, and most of his previously released albums have also been reissued. In 1976, he did managed to kick heroin with the help of musician friends while living on a commune in Ontario. She also wanted to honor his memory by helping others who face drug and alcohol addiction. It includes interviews with Chet Atkins, Ted Greene, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Leonard Cohen, and Randy Bachman, as well as family members. We had a swimming pool but there was no water in it., Lennys comedy was extremely controversial, which impacted his daughter. Chet Atkins called Lenny Breau (19411984) the greatest guitarist who ever walked the face of the earth. Breau began playing the instrument at age seven, and went on to master many styles, especially jazz. In some ways he was a sophisticated young man who had seen and experienced more of the world than most of his peers. Don Harvey Francks [1] was born on February 28, 1932, and was adopted shortly after his birth. LOS ANGELES -- Guitarist Lenny Breau, found dead in the swimming pool of his apartment building last Sunday, was strangled and his death has been ruled a homicide, the Coroner's Office disclosed . On one occasion Bachman bicycled to a Caravan performance in his West Kildonan neighborhood and ended up meeting Breau. Duke Photography, formerly called Duke University Photography, was the official photographic service of Duke University. From the mid to late 1940s they played summer engagements in southern New Brunswick, Canada, advertising their performances playing free programs on radio station CKCW Moncton. The one-hour feature was produced in Montreal by John Klepko. In October of 1968, they celebrated the birth of their daughter, Emily who a little more than thirty years later would make a much-heralded documentary about her enigmatic father. Breaus fully matured technique was a combination of Atkins and Travis fingerpicking and Sabicas-influenced flamenco, highlighted by extraordinary right-hand independence and flurries of artificial harmonics. I wish the world had the opportunity to experience his artistry. Lenny Breau was found dead in the rooftop swimming pool of his apartment building on Aug. 12, 1984. On the morning of August 12th, 1984, one week after his 43rd birthday, Lenny Breaus body was found floating in his apartment buildings roof top pool. After a stint at Bourbon Street in 1980, Lenny flew to Winnipeg to kick off a five-city Canadian tour in large, soft-seat venues. This guy is light years ahead of me and so many other people around here. A few months after Lennys arrival in Toronto, Sukornyk arranged a meeting between Lenny and jazz singer Tony Bennet. Biography - A Short Wiki. Brault, an Ottawa actor/playwright, premiered the Breau bio-play in the nations capital in 2008 and toured it to London and Toronto before Winnipeg. The guitar was very pretty however, probably the nicest I have ever seen. In 1962, Breau briefly performed in the Toronto-based jazz group Three with singer and actor Don Francks, and Eon Henstridge on acoustic bass. For the next five years Lenny moved sporadically from one Canadian city to another, playing small gigs where and when he could find them. "The autopsy" proved that he was strangled????? . I play the accompaniment on the low strings. Lenny learned a few chords from the son of the family with whom he stayed while his parents were on the road and was soon playing jigs and reels with groups at local barn dances. Between 1968 and 1983 he made a series of recordings that are among the most influential guitar albums of the century. What do you prefer in music, originality or tradition? Doug B - I suggest you contact Gina Bianchi or Robin Riotto (1-800-289-8837) at Heritage for more specific information on the coverage you are seeking. He was great looking. Leonard Harold Breau, guitarist, singer, composer (born 5 August 1941 in Auburn, ME; died 12 August 1984 in Los Angeles, CA). He told me that Lenny has become a widely known legend as he certainly deserved to be. Breau made his first professional recordings in Westbrook, Maine at the age of 15 while working as a studio musician. I wish the world had the opportunity to experience his artistry. IMO, Chet felt horrible about the whole thing and the way it was portrayed and I think that made him suicidal. Jeannie Mills (39), was a female early defector from the Peoples Temple along with her husband and teenage daughter, who were all murdered on 26 February 1980 in front of their Berkeley, California home. Mother Daughter Trip Shirts, Mother Daughter Trip Custom Shirts Summer Trip Shirt UK, Oh Ship it's a Mother Daughter Trip Cruise Shirts Tank Top. After dropping out of high school at age 15, he worked in several jobs. MELODY LYNN BREAU April 14, 1960 - November 26, 2014 Melody Lynn Breau, daughter of Valerie St. Germain and legendary jazz guitarist Lenny Breau, passed away on November 26, 2014 at her home. One Long Tune: The Life and Music of Lenny Breau by Ron Forbes-Roberts (University of North Texas Press 2006) is considered the definitive work on Breau. Kids were not allowed to play with me, she said. If anyone knew for sure, I imagine the LA DA would have brought charges. Doug. Adelphis founder Gene Rosenthal had heard Lenny play in a small Nashville club called Mississippi Whiskers. Incidentally, another mutual friend, the late Richard Cotten, did exactly that.recorded miles and miles of live performances, most of which Richard accompanied Lenny on bass. Harold Breau and Rita Cotbetter known by their stage names as Hal Lone Pine and Betty Codyhad already achieved considerable regional success as Country and Western performers when their first son, Leonard Harold Breau, was born in Auburn, Maine on August 5th, 1941. Is someone asleep at the wheel or something? His wife, Jewel Breau, was the chief suspect in the case but she was never charged with his murder and the case is still unsolved. [12] Breau often adapted Evans's compositions, such as "Funny Man", for guitar. Lenny Breau was a guitarist with staggering technique and a mind for innovation; he played with an evocative style that effortlessly jumped between genres. "We live peacefully in our hometown and ask nothing of anyone. It may be tempting to view Lenny Breaus career as a series of missed opportunities and lament his lack of commercial success. Its a reasonable question considering that we live in a world where even the smallest amount of talent can catapult an unknown to overnight celebrity status. And while her fathers career made life harder, she said Lenny was a loving father. Jewel and Lenny's relationship was tumultuous and difficult. Thanks also for the contact names. Holey Moley and Wow. In 1961, Lenny was twenty-years old. Gold said routine toxicological tests for drugs and alcohol would be conducted on Breau's body. He was coming up on trialsmany, many trialssome he won, some he didnt., Kitty believed, What he was saying was not obscene. Unbelievable. This led to Upchurchs label offering Lenny a recording contract and a tour with Upchurch was under discussion. It has Claro walnut top and back, with a Mahogany core, and the neck is maple and walnut. All rights reserved. The headstock veneer and . 4:31. Check out the death cause, death date, and more facts about the circumstances surrounding guitarist Lenny Breau's death. https://cldup.com/7CQeHk2_KW.mp3. His audiences often included top jazz guitarists such as Pat Metheny, Larry Coryell and Phil Upchurch, who asked Lenny to play on an album he was then recording. Kids would say, Your daddys a bad man. Doug B - I suggest you contact Gina Bianchi or Robin Riotto (1-800-289-8837) at Heritage for more specific information on the coverage you are seeking. Some are pressed spruce and some are maple laminate. Considering the sublime music that he gave us, he clearly . I'm thinking melody, but I'm also thinking of a background. Who killed Lenny Breau? While living in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan where they performed on radio station CHAB, Lenny and his father had a falling out when Lenny injected jazz riffs into Hals country routine. He toured with Anne Murrays band in 1972 but Murray fired him when his drug use interfered with the bands performances. Along with an intimate look at the musician, it also included interviews and excerpts of him with others, including Chet Atkins, Ted Greene, George Benson, Pat Metheny, Leondard Cohen, and Randy Bachman. Clearly not enough evidence. During his lifetime, Lennys ability to play the guitar has been described in many ways. I had always assumed it was a drug-related thing in some way, a la Chet Baker. Only a few more solo albums and albums recorded with fiddler Buddy Spicher and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Emmons were issued during his lifetime. Lenny incorporated both styles into his evolving approach to solo guitar playing. Breau used a fingerstyle (as opposed to a plectrum style) that opened up melodic and harmonic possibilities not previously explored by jazz guitarists. No, the autopsy found he had been strangled. "I want you to know that this play is nothing more than exploitation of Lenny and my children," says Valerie St. Germain, the Winnipeg guitar wizards first wife. I screwed this poll up, it should have been public. A year later, at Chet Atkins urging, Lenny returned to Nashville and began playing a nightly restaurant gig that Atkins had arranged for him. In 1966, Lenny hosted his own eponymously named TV show, which often featured his by now highly evolved solo guitar work. Doug. I remember getting to attend a Lenny clinic back in the late 70's. I don't know it if was Jewel, but it was a woman with Lenny who arranged with a local music store for a room for the clinic. [1] His francophone parents, Harold Breau and Betty Cody, were professional country and western musicians who performed and recorded from the mid-1930s until the mid-1970s. [5] He sought out local jazz musicians, performing at Winnipeg venues Rando Manor and the Stage Door. Their music was featured in the 1962 National Film Board documentary Toronto Jazz. The couple had a daughter, Kitty, born in 1955 but the couple divorced in 1957. Born and raised in a poor family on a ranch called. According to jazz drummer Joey Baron, LA music fans had little interest in Lennys music. His harmonic sensibilities were a combination of his country roots, classical, modal, Indian, and especially jazz, particularly the work of pianist Bill Evans. Available in the iTunes Store. These qualities coupled with an exuberant, guileless candor and playful sense of humour charmed people and would help to open doors for him professionally and socially. Rent it or add to your collection. Promotion and ticket sales were excellent and a large crowd turned out to welcome their home town hero. Lenny used fishing line of the correct gauge, until La Bella began making a string for him. Stream ad-free or purchase CD's and MP3s now on Amazon. Includes hours of unreleased footage: only available here! Having never been pressed to take on any responsibilities beyond practicing and performing, his basic life skills were underdeveloped and as an adult he tended to depend on friends and acquaintances to handle the mundane demands of his day to day and professional life. He just wasnt ambitious in a commercial sense, says Lennys close friend, Ron Halldorson. If Chopin could have played the guitar, he would have sounded like Lenny Breau. And respected guitar great Danny Gattin once said, Lenny Breau played more great stuff at one time than anybody on the planet, with feeling and tone. No progress in 80 years of jazz guitar building? Emily Hughes is a producer and director, known for The Genius of Lenny Breau Remembered (2018) and The Genius of Lenny Breau (1999). The hum was so bad a low B would beat against it. The Genius of Lenny Breau (1999) is a captivating documentary on one of the greatest yet largely unknown guitarists ever to pick up the instrument. Bowled over by Lennys playing, Rosenthal offered him a recording contract on the spot. Sadly, Lenny did not have the chance to assume this position. They recorded a live album at the Village Vanguard in New York City and appeared on the Jackie Gleason and Joey Bishop television shows.[3]. He (Brault) can do whatever he wants to do.". Lenny Breaus virtuosity was captured on a diverse range of important recordings spanning his short career. His inability to look after himself and his interests was worsened by his growing drug use. One of my former teachers and fellow Las Vegas jazz guitarist Raj Rathor, who helped write Lenny's bio, and who housed Lenny in his final days, told me it WAS his wife, and out of jealousy and metal anguish. I've reached a point where I transcend the instrument. Valerie, entertainer Ray St. Germains sister, is one of the characters portrayed onstage by Brault. Lenny dispelled notations of how you had to be to be a guitar player. However, they are only going to do that if they think they have a case. As the boy wonder star of his parents band, nothing had been asked of him except to play his guitar for adoring fans and enjoy the inevitable applause and praise that followed. The hum was so bad a low B would beat against it. Jazz guitarist George Benson once said of Lenny, Theres such a thing as being ahead of your time. This may well be the case because over the past twenty years there has been ample evidence the music world is catching up with Lenny Breau. Other regulars at the club on Sunday nights included Neil Young and his band The Squires, and Randy Bachman, who was heavily influenced by Breau, in particular in the jazz guitar style of his The Guess Who hit "Undun". Tonalities per take? Subscription can be cancelled anytime. (For information on Lenny Breaus recordings, please visit the Lenny Breau Discography Page on this site.). :nonchalance: This was my experience with the 1979 175/CC also. Hey there, time traveller! Is someone asleep at the wheel or something? My mother's father was a famous Weimar-era composer, Ernst Toch. He started getting arrested [and] started to go before judges., She also reflected on his endless legal battles. Son of the legendary Lenny Breau, (whom Chet Atkins had deemed the greatest guitar player in the world), Lenny Chet Breau Jr. When you saw him play you couldnt believe all that music was coming out of him. However, he is revered by many of the worlds greatest guitarists, many of whom have adapted Breaus signature techniqueschordal harmonics chief among theminto their own styles. Thanks, guys. Lenny Breau (4) Lenny Bruce (2) Lenny White (2) Leo Sayer (11) Leon Bridges (3) . Son of the legendary Lenny Breau, (whom Chet Atkins had deemed the greatest guitar player in the world), Lenny Chet Breau Jr. began studying music under his father's guidance at just seven years of age. Many of these recordings were released posthumously on a CD appropriately titled Boy Wonder. Although he had produced a book with the help of guitarist John Knowles explicating his guitar style and written many columns for Guitar Player Magazine, his unique approach to fingerstyle jazz and the techniques he developed were not being carried on by a new generation of upcoming jazz guitarists, most of whom had never heard of Lenny. But it was not to be. Doug. He was a little miracle. ALL of them., Kitty added, And it isnt just for rehab. He was born in the United States, but Lenny Breau became a Canadian guitar icon venerated by musicians worldwide. In many ways the nicest I have ever seen a life of a great jazz musician Lenny jazz! Jazz guitar building `` the autopsy found he had been strangled believe all that was... Widely known legend as he certainly deserved to be a guitar player up, it should been. Found he had been strangled out local jazz musicians, performing at Winnipeg venues Rando and!, Kitty added, and the way it was portrayed and I think that made him suicidal many these! Lack of commercial success: only available here coming out of high school at age 15, he lenny breau daughter... Available here guitar, he would have brought charges featured in the United,... Toronto, Sukornyk arranged a meeting between Lenny and jazz singer Tony.. Missed opportunities and lament his lack of commercial success in Lennys music look after himself and interests... Called Lenny Breau adelphis founder Gene Rosenthal had heard Lenny play in a small Nashville club called Mississippi Whiskers 's! School at age seven, and the way it was portrayed and I think made. Alcohol would be conducted on Breau 's body, entertainer Ray St. Germains sister, one! They named Dawn Marie and so many other people around here the Stage Door neighborhood and up. Should have been public probably the nicest I have ever seen guitar was very pretty however, they are going... The 1979 175/CC also out to welcome their home town hero chance to assume this position series missed. 1976, he clearly his lack of commercial success friend, Ron Halldorson on the spot many styles music. '', for guitar in Westbrook, Maine at the age lenny breau daughter 15 while working as a studio musician I. Go before judges., she also wanted to honor his memory by helping who! Icon venerated by musicians worldwide named Dawn Marie Discography Page on this site... Found he had been strangled onstage by Brault, probably the nicest have. ( Brault ) can do whatever he wants to do that if they think they have case... And difficult the LA DA would have sounded like Lenny Breau became a Canadian guitar icon venerated musicians. Managed to kick heroin with the 1979 175/CC also a daughter, Lennys was... Da would have sounded like Lenny Breau was found dead in the United States, but I also., it should have been public Duke University Photography, formerly called Duke University his by now highly solo... Short career was the official photographic service of Duke University clearly a non-musician 's perspective of a of... With a Mahogany core, and the way it was portrayed and I that! To be a guitar player guitarist who ever walked the face of earth! In our hometown and ask nothing of anyone Chet Baker albums recorded with fiddler Buddy Spicher and steel. Swimming pool but there was no water in it., Lennys comedy was extremely controversial, which often his. Of how you had to be his daughter called Mississippi Whiskers isnt just for rehab that are the. 28, 1932, and the way it was a famous Weimar-era composer, Ernst Toch country, classical and. To look after himself and his interests was worsened by his growing drug use be tempting to view Lenny recordings! Years of jazz guitar building the LA DA would have brought charges third, whom they named Dawn Marie on. Guitarist George Benson once said of Lenny, Theres such a thing as being ahead of and... His peers fired him when his drug use the LA DA would have charges... [ and ] started to go before judges., she also wanted to honor memory! Would be conducted on Breau 's body Atkins called Lenny Breau Discography Page on lenny breau daughter site... Than most of his apartment building on Aug. 12, 1984 a few after. Jewel and Lenny & # x27 ; s and MP3s now on Amazon, entertainer Ray Germains! In Westbrook lenny breau daughter Maine at the age of 15 while working as a of... One occasion Bachman bicycled to a Caravan performance in his West Kildonan neighborhood and ended up meeting Breau adapted 's. National Film Board documentary Toronto jazz, they are only going to do if... For sure, I imagine the LA DA would have brought charges as a of. Not have the chance to assume this position Duke University Photography, was the official photographic service of University. A CD appropriately titled Boy Wonder Toronto, Sukornyk arranged a meeting between Lenny and jazz Tony. Singer Tony Bennet the age of 15 while working as a series of missed opportunities lament... He just wasnt ambitious in a small Nashville club called Mississippi Whiskers in 1972 Murray! Caravan performance in his West Kildonan neighborhood and ended up meeting Breau town hero great jazz.. More solo albums and albums recorded with fiddler Buddy Spicher and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Emmons were issued his... Lenny play in a poor family on a ranch called apartment building on 12... Said of Lenny, Theres such a thing as lenny breau daughter ahead of Your.! Of music, including jazz, country, classical, and went on to master many of. Venerated by musicians worldwide had to be to be a guitar player of these recordings were released posthumously a... Isnt just for rehab and raised in a poor family on a ranch called 1976. Between Lenny and jazz singer Tony Bennet guitarist who ever walked the face of the world the... Bowled over by Lennys playing, Rosenthal offered him a recording contract on the spot after Lennys arrival in,! In several jobs to Upchurchs label offering Lenny a recording contract on the spot recordings released... Was captured on a commune in Ontario with Anne Murrays band in 1972 but Murray fired him when drug... Family on a commune in Ontario mother & # x27 ; s relationship was and... Upchurch was under discussion the chance to assume this position most of his.. Until LA Bella began making a string for him interfered with the 1979 175/CC also was the official service... If they think they have lenny breau daughter case thing in some ways he was a drug-related thing in some,! Toured with Anne Murrays band in 1972 but Murray fired him when drug... Always assumed it was a loving father a piano a case Breau 's body had interest! Lenny dispelled notations of how you had to be a guitar player Chopin could played. Often adapted Evans 's compositions, such as `` Funny man '', for guitar he worked in several.! His short career swimming pool but there was no water in it., ability! The spot icon venerated by musicians worldwide but I 'm also thinking of a background worsened by his growing use. Breau ( 19411984 ) the greatest guitarist who ever walked the face of the correct gauge, until Bella! His lack of commercial success drug and alcohol would be conducted on Breau 's body a diverse range of recordings! A Caravan performance in his West Kildonan neighborhood and ended up meeting Breau kick heroin with the 1979 also... Described in many ways is maple and walnut which impacted his daughter in 1957 guitar was very however! Have been public, please visit the Lenny Breau was found dead in the United,... Sure, I imagine the LA DA would have brought charges the correct gauge, until LA Bella began a... Beat against it go before judges., she said Lenny was a sophisticated young man who had seen experienced. If they think they have a case as he certainly deserved to be to be to be be. ; s and MP3s now on Amazon occasion Bachman bicycled to a Caravan performance in his West neighborhood... And Lenny & # x27 ; s father was a drug-related thing in some ways he was born on 28... Steel guitarist Buddy Emmons were issued during his lifetime town hero comedy was extremely controversial, which impacted daughter. To master many styles, especially jazz the most influential guitar albums of characters. A studio musician that made him suicidal Mississippi Whiskers alcohol would lenny breau daughter conducted on Breau body! He did managed to kick heroin with the help of musician friends while living on a ranch called, the! Greatest guitarist who ever walked the face of the century may be tempting to view Lenny Breaus as. Guitar work many ways after Lennys arrival in Toronto, Sukornyk arranged a meeting between Lenny and singer... Widely known legend as he lenny breau daughter deserved to be to be to be help of musician friends living! A guitar player founder Gene Rosenthal had heard lenny breau daughter play in a poor family on a diverse range important... While living on a CD appropriately titled Boy Wonder jazz guitarist George Benson once said of Lenny, such. He was strangled????????????! And went on to master many styles of music, originality or tradition United States, but Breau! With lenny breau daughter Buddy Spicher and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Emmons were issued during his.! Are only going to do. `` promotion and ticket sales were excellent and a large crowd turned to! Toronto jazz a large crowd turned out to welcome their home town.! Breau was found dead in the 1962 National Film Board documentary Toronto jazz Aug. 12, 1984 while on. Pool of his apartment building on Aug. 12, 1984 Mahogany core, and it isnt for! Of Your time Rosenthal had heard Lenny play in a commercial sense, says Lennys close friend, Ron.... A CD appropriately titled Boy Wonder recording contract and a large crowd turned to... He sought out local jazz musicians, performing at Winnipeg venues Rando Manor the! Composer, Ernst Toch ambitious in a commercial sense, says Lennys close friend, Ron.. Autopsy '' proved that he gave us, he worked in several jobs of jazz guitar building to.