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Louie Shelton

Louie was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 6, 1941, and got his first guitar for his ninth birthday, a $13.00 Stella. While other young boys were out having a good time playing ball or fishing, Louie had his ear pinned to the radio for hours a day with his guitar in hand teaching himself to play. He lived and breathed music and by the age of twelve was so good he was in the country band 'Shelby Cooper & the Dixie Mountaineers', was featured every Saturday night on a Grand Ole Opry style show called the Barn Yard Frolics in Little Rock, which was broadcast live throughout the South on KRLA Radio and which featured performers like Johnnie Cash. Not only did young Jr. Shelton (as he was known) back up most of the artists on the show, he was given the opportunity to perform all of the "hot" guitar instrumentals he learned from listening to the recordings of Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant, Hank Garland and others. Best of all, Louie was able to graduate musically by purchasing himself a brand new 51 Telecaster.

At the age of twelve, Louie was becoming famous within the country music scene as a guitar virtuoso. He and the Dixie Mountaineers became one of the most sought after live gig bands throughout the South. Not only were they doing a radio show five days a week on KCLA, they performed every Wednesday night on K.A T.V., which was broadcast live on one of the first television stations in the area.

Although Louie spent more time playing his guitar than anything else, he was still a kid in school, and, surprisingly, that's where the life altering event took place that would change his musical views and direction forever. That event was "Elvis", an unknown singer from Memphis who performed in Louie's Junior High school auditorium in front of about two hundred kids. The impact on young Louie was so great he remembers it as if it were only yesterday. There was just Elvis on stage with two other musicians. No drummer, just Scotty Moor on electric guitar and Bill Black on bass. Elvis sang and gyrated through several songs, most memorable being, ""That's Alright Mama", which was soon released as Elvis' first single.

Within a short period of time everything changed musically. Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and all the others began coming to Little Rock to perform. Fourteen year old Louie joined his first rock band and began playing regularly at 'Club70', located on the Memphis highway just out of Little Rock. Staying with the band for two years he was able to hone his rock and blues skills. It was during this time that Louie became friends with fellow guitarist, Reggie Young, from Memphis, who introduced him to the recordings of Barney Kessel, Johnny Smith and Wes Montgomery. Louie became so completely absorbed in the licks and styles of these great guitarists, his true talent and capacity as a thoroughly versatile and accomplished musician reached unheard of dimensions for his age. As a modern guitarist, there was virtually no technique or style of music he hadn't mastered.

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2,380
Interview

Louie Shelton: In Session

Read "Louie Shelton: In Session" reviewed by Alan Bryson


Hundreds of millions of people have heard him play without having heard of him. A veteran session guitarist, Louie Shelton played on a slew of million-selling records during his three decades in Los Angeles. His credits include female vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Whitney Houston; soul stars James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and the Jackson Five; blues legends Otis Spann, Solomon Burke, and T-Bone ...

150
Album Review

Louie Shelton: Urban Culture

Read "Urban Culture" reviewed by John Sharpe


A quick read of guitaristLouie Shelton’sbio attests to the fact that he is a talented, much in-demand session player. Over the years he’s worked with artists like The Monkees, The Jackson Five, The Partridge Family, Lionel Ritchie, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, and on and on. Urban Culture features the guitarist noodling through ten instrumental tracks, all Shelton originals. They used to call this sort of stuff “elevator music” or “Muzak” till some smart record executive tagged it with a new, ...

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76

Interview

Ubiquitous Ace Session Guitarist/Producer Louie Shelton Interviewed at AAJ

Ubiquitous Ace Session Guitarist/Producer Louie Shelton Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz

Hundreds of millions of people have heard him play without having heard of him. A veteran session guitarist, Louie Shelton played on a slew of million-selling records during his three decades in Los Angeles. His credits include female vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Whitney Houston; soul stars James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and the Jackson Five; blues legends Otis Spann, Solomon Burke, and T-Bone ...

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