Born Trinidad López III on May 15, 1937 in Dallas Texas, Trini Lopez was a vocalist, musician, actor, and entertainer best known for his hits “If I Had a Hammer”, “Lemon Tree”, and others. While generally known by most pop music fans as a singer, his guitar playing has often been overlooked even though he designed two guitars for Gibson Guitars. Forming his first band – The Big Beats - at the age of 15, López connected with the late Buddy Holly’s former producer Norman Petty. Petty helped the band gain a contract with Columbia Records but after one single, López left to pursue a solo career. He rehearsed with some of the original Crickets, but when that project didn’t work out, he began building an audience thanks to his popular live appearances at PJ’s Night Club in Los Angeles. Signing to Reprise Records, he released his debut album, Trini Lopez at PJ’s, in 1963. The album featured “If I Had a Hammer”, the song he is most associated with. The single reached the Number 1 spot in 36 countries although it only hit Number 3 in the States. In 1964, he designed two guitars for the Gibson Guitar Corporation, both which are now highly collectible. Over the next five years, he released 13 charting singles, most notably “Lemon Tree”, “Sally Was a Good Old Girl”, and “I’m Comin’ Home, Cindy”. While the hits dried up by the late ‘60s, López continued to tour and record. Hoping to reconnect with a new generation of listeners, he released Transformed by Time, an album aimed at the disco market. The album was not a success, but that didn’t stop López, who continued to perform until his death on August 11, 2020 of COVID-19.
