Late startes that became greats?

[drumkid]

just passing on information from a guitarist friend. could be wrong - i'll check that one out

[Clintuplet]

Taken directly from Allan's book, 'Reaching for the Uncommon Chord':

"At age seventeen Allan had never actually played a guitar. He hoped somehow to get together enough cash to purchase a "decent" saxophone. One day his father gave him an old acoustic guitar, which he had bought from Allan's uncle. Allan gradually became more interested in the instrument and soon purchased an electric guitar and amplifier and began to sit in with some local musicians. During the first four or five years after he began playing, Allan practiced and listened whenever time permitted."

There you have it. [img]biggrin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/smarty.gif[/img]

[drumkid]

Born on August 6, 1946 in Bradford, Yorkshire.

His father who was a pianist taught him music, and although Allan first wanted to become a sax player (the instrument was too expensive), Allan starts guitar at around 17.

Sorry about that

[Klemme]

17 is pretty sick too though, but hey... isn't that the same time Zappa picks up his Guitar? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

He played drums first though, lemme find my Zappa book, he mentions it in an interview.

[Clintuplet]

Originally posted by Rudy_Ment:
Virgil Donati only started 6 months ago, but look at him now!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah Virg is working out of the "Haskell Hardy Har Har" book!!! [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]biggrin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/smarty.gif[/img]

[funkycarnivore]

I think Rick Marotta started at 19.

[FuseU1]

That's about right.
I knew Allan was in his 50s...evidently late 50's - 58, to be exact.
I guess to be able to shred like a total mutha' as he does takes a few years... [img]wink.gif[/img]
Glad he never got that sax...because he turned out to be the modern-day Coltrane of the guitar. [img]cool.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

==========================
LOL Clint.

...Virgil "breezed" through Gary Chester's book around age 7 or so [img]tongue.gif[/img]

... yeah...dont let anyone kid ya's...it is a little known, well-kept, secret-until-now fact that he was actually conceived in secrecy under tight security in The Drum Lab from cloned Colaiuta cell cultures, mixed with "Bionics"...his code name was "Li'l Stevie Austin-Einstein" at the time ...WHADDUP, YO! WOOT [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ November 29, 2004 09:06 PM: Message edited by: fuseU1 ]</font>

[Dazzler]

I believe that Elvin Jones made his first recording aged 30. I may be wrong.

[drumkid]

Cheers clintuplet , we must have posted around the same time

[CLWarunki]

There are many cases of this in the arts.

I recall there being a (now famous) french painter in the impressionism era that began at age 20. His name escapes me [img]frown.gif[/img]

There is a guy in Vancouver that is doing well for himself as a drummer who started at age 17. Mike Michalkow... he is a yamaha endorser and educator too!