Information AboutEsteban |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ESTEBAN | |
| 1940s births | |
| musicians from pittsburgh | |
| living people | |
| american guitarists | |
| carnegie mellon university alumni | |
|
EARLY LIFE Esteban is the son of a steel worker and one of four children. Some of his earliest influences were Benny Goodman , Andrés Segovia , and Vincente Gomez . It was Esteban's uncle who bought him his first guitar, a nylon-stringed Goya, at eight and a half. Esteban taught himself to play and was soon winning talent shows at his school. By the age 12, he was already teaching his peers for $3 a lesson. Esteban was also a decent baseball pitcher but was blinded in his left eye by a line drive as a 12 year old. SEGOVIA YEARS At . Eventually, Segovia gave private lessons to Esteban at his home in Madrid . For the next four years, Esteban studied under his idol before returning to California but was always bothered by Segovia's objection to flamenco music. During this time, Segovia gave Esteban his alias. In 1978, Esteban received Segovia's endorsement with the following message: "To Stephen Paul, who loves the guitar and the guitar loves him -- an artist." MUSICAL TRANSFORMATION Later that year, Esteban moved to allowed Esteban to regain feeling in his hands, although his left hand has never fully regained coordination. COMMERCIAL SUCCESS Esteban returned to the guitar by playing at a Hyatt Regency with a five-piece band. His charisma and charm always won over the audience. Esteban was playing five times a week, five hours a night, when he released his first album in 1991. It reflected his new approach, which was really a combination of many different music styles. His expressive songs and engaging personality continued to captivate audiences. One of Esteban's fans recommended him to Ingenious Designs LLC, a subsidiary of QVC. Executives of QVC were skeptical of the relatively unknown guitarist but after seeing him play, he was immediately offered a contract. He sold 50,000 albums after six concerts on QVC. Soon after, Ingenious Designs LLC was bought out by HSN and Esteban's commercial success soared. He sold 132,000 CDs after just two TV appearances and after one week his sales reached 53 on the Billboard 200 . Naturally, he quit his Hyatt gig to focus on his music and his career. He has since been featured in '' The Wall Street Journal '' and '' People Magazine ''. Esteban has also started a music division in which he sells affordable guitars to the masses. This has fulfilled a dream for Esteban. As of 2005, Esteban has been featured in various television commercials parodying his own success as a teacher and provider of music to the masses. CRITICISM Esteban's guitars sold through QVC and HSN have been criticized as shoddy, difficult to play, impossible to tune, and guilty of high action. Owners have reported their guitars breaking and being barely playable. Many HSN customers also found customer service to be greatly lacking, finding it difficult to return the guitar. The newer Esteban American Legacy Guitar featured in TV infomercials have received a mix of good and bad reviews. {Link without Title} DISCOGRAPHY
REFERENCES |
|
|