Many people might not know his name, but they know his voice and his songs. Song like “If you got the money, I’ve got the time” are still being played and loved by his fans today. William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell was born in March of 1928.
"Lefty", a name he obtained in a school yard fight, began playing guitar extremely young. He was proficient enough at a young age to play on a local radio show and began to get exposure in his pre-teen years. Lefty Frizzell developed a completely new country music sound. He was one of the first to sing the country honky tonk style. His style is mimicked by many country stars including Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Dwight Yokem. In between working the oilfields, Lefty continued to sing in places like the Ace of Clubs and other country bars and saloons. Producer Don Law heard him one night and signed him to a contract with Columbia. His career took off from that point on, and he eventually went on tour with Hank Williams. In his career, he had seven number one hits. He had the honor of singing at the Grand Ole Opry and was the first country singer to sing at the Hollywood bowl. Lefty Frizzell's guitar was as well known as he was. He played a Gibson J-200, which he had customized for him.
Lefty is honored in a number of ways. He is in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, he won a Grammy Hall of Fame Award and in 1982 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
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