Lefty Frizzell
USA, 1950–1975
American singer (1928-1975). He sang honky-tonk by bending and sliding across the vowels rather than hitting the note, and that phrasing - not the songs - is what Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and George Jones all took from him.
MusicRoots documents 1 artist who influenced Lefty Frizzell and 3 artists Lefty Frizzell influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.
Who influenced Lefty Frizzell?
- Jimmie Rodgers — Frizzell idolised the blue yodeller and recorded a whole album of his songs.
Which artists did Lefty Frizzell influence?
- George Jones — The sliding, vowel-bending phrasing Jones is known for is the Texas honky-tonk manner Frizzell defined.
- Merle Haggard — Haggard spent years learning to sing the way Frizzell slurred across a vowel, and has always been emphatic about it.
- Willie Nelson — Frizzell is among the singers Nelson names, and the source of the habit of phrasing a line late.