Luis Villegas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Luis Villegas | |
|---|---|
 Onstage in 2007
|
|
| Background information | |
| Born | July 28, 1969 East Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Jazz, Latin,World, New Age |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | guitar |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Website | www.luisvillegas.com |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Custom-made Flamenco guitar made by Pedro Maldonado in Malaga, Spain in 1999 | |
Luis Villegas is a Mexican American guitarist known for New Age music, flamenco, and jazz. He also had a small role in the film Collateral as a member of a band.
[edit] Selected recordings
- Guitarras De Navidad (Tenure 2007)
- Casa Villegas (Baja/TSR 2003)
- Spanish Kiss (Baja/TSR 1999)
- Cafe Ole' (Domo 1998) Nominated for a Grammy for Best New Age Album
[edit] Bio
Luis Villegas is a first-generation Mexican-American born in East Los Angeles, CA and is now an Internationally renowned guitarist. Growing up he heard traditional music at home and the rock and roll of Hollywood's Sunset Strip. He fronted a number of rock bands as a teen-ager but eventually the music he heard inside of him was channeled through an instrument from his youth: the spanish guitar.
Luis and his band performed constantly in the Los Angeles area before signing his first recording contract in 1998. He released his debut CD, Cafe Ole (Domo), that year which won him a spot on the Grammy ballot for Best New Age Album of 1999 and gained Luis a following amongst fellow guitarists.
Even larger audiences found Villegas via his next CD, Spanish Kiss (Baja/TSR) in 1999 and the numerous compilation CDs he appeared in during the following two years. Guitarists worldwide took notice when Villegas' name appeared alongside guitar icons such as Al DiMeola, Steve Morse, Ottmar Liebert, Jesse Cook and Strunz & Farah.
Casa Villegas (Baja/TSR), his 3rd CD, was released in 2003 and marked Luis' debut as a producer as well as performer. It stayed on the SmoothJazz.com charts for six weeks after its release on the strength of its single, "Whittier Blvd."
Luis has worked with some of the leading artists and musicians in the world. He recorded a duet with classical guitarist Liona Boyd in 2001 which was nominated for a Juno Award (the Canadian Grammy). In 2003, he performed with Nuevo Flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook, and performed for Carmen Elektra and Dave Navarro's much-publicized wedding on MTV in 2004. He's also worked with Janet Jackson, Marc Anthony's acoustic band and Placido Domingo.
Luis is one of the few artists of Mexican descent heard daily on smooth jazz radio stations across the country. He is also heard regularly at some of the most prestigious Jazz Festivals such as The Playboy Jazz Festival, Catalina JazzTrax Festival, and The Sedona Latin Jazz Festival.
Luis is currently in pre-production on his 5th CD due out in 2008.
This information was taken from the bio on Luis' website with permission from Luis Villegas.
[edit] External links
 |
This article on a guitarist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
