Trini Lopez
Trinidad López III (May 15, 1937 – August 11, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and actor.[1] His first album included a cover version of Pete Seeger's "If I Had a Hammer", which earned a Golden Disc for him. His other hits included "Lemon Tree", "I'm Comin' Home, Cindy" and "Sally Was a Good Old Girl". He designed two guitars for the Gibson Guitar Corporation, which are now collectors’ items. A documentary on his life and career, "My Name is Lopez" was released in April 2022.
Trini Lopez
Trinidad López III
August 11, 2020 (aged 83)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
- Singer
- musician
- actor
- Vocals
- guitar
1959–2020
Early life[edit]
Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas, on May 15, 1937. His father, Trinidad Lopez II, worked as a singer, dancer, actor, and musician in Mexico; his mother was Petra Gonzalez. They married in their hometown of Moroleón, Guanajuato, prior to moving to Dallas.[2] Lopez had four sisters (two are deceased) and a brother, Jesse, who is also a singer. He grew up on Ashland Street in the Little Mexico neighborhood of Dallas[3] and attended grammar school and N. R. Crozier Tech High School.[2] He dropped out of high school in his senior year in order to earn money to help support the family.[2][4]
Gibson Guitars[edit]
Lopez' popularity led the Gibson Guitar Corporation to ask him in 1964 to design a guitar for them. He ended up designing two: the Trini Lopez Standard,[20] a rock and roll model based on the Gibson ES-335 semihollow body, and the Lopez Deluxe,[21] a variation of a Gibson jazz guitar designed by Barney Kessel. Both of these guitars were in production from 1964 until 1971, and are now highly sought-after among collectors.[2] Owners of the guitar include Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters[22] and Noel Gallagher of Oasis.[2]
Acting career[edit]
During the 1960s and 1970s, Lopez moved into acting, though his film career was not as successful as his music.[2] Lopez's first film role was in Marriage on the Rocks (1965), in which he made a cameo appearance in a nightclub scene; Lopez's soundtrack song, "Sinner Man", became a hit single (no. 54 pop/no. 12 adult contemporary). He was one of The Dirty Dozen (1967), appeared as himself in The Phynx (1970), and played the title role in Claudio Guzman's Antonio (1973). He made two appearances (playing different characters) on the television program Adam-12. In 1977, he played the role of Julio Ramirez in “The Mystery of the Silent Scream” which was part of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series.[23][24]
Personal life[edit]
Lopez remained a lifelong bachelor and had no children.[2] His nephew, Trini Martinez, was the drummer for the Dallas indie rock band Bedhead.[27]
Lopez died on August 11, 2020, at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California.[4] He was 83, and developed complications from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in California.[28][29]