The first time I heard the great Albert Lee<\/a> perform live was in 1971 when I was a tenth-grade student in Frankfurt, Germany. But I still vividly recall his stunning guitar playing, which should be on ample display when he performs here Sunday at downtown\u2019s all-ages Anthology<\/a> with top San Diego singer-songwriter Eve Seli<\/a>s and her ace band.<\/p>\n Forty years ago, Lee was a member of Heads, Hands & Fee<\/a>t, probably the finest country-rock ensemble England has ever produced. Most of the members of the audience, my friends and me included, had come to hear Procol Harum and Alice Cooper, who were co-headlining the show.<\/p>\n But I walked out that night awed at what a remarkable musician Lee was and how exciting his bluegrass-fueled song, \u201cCountry Boy,\u201d sounded. (Yes, that\u2019s the same \u201cCountry Boy\u201d Ricky Skaggs<\/a> scored a No. 1 country-music hit with in 1984, on a version played and sung in a very similar manner to Lee\u2019s original version.)<\/p>\n I was even more dazzled after seeing Lee at San Diego\u2019s Civic Theatre in 1977, when he was touring as a member of Emmylou Harris\u2019 aptly named Hot Band. (Click here<\/a> to see a live clip of “Country Boy” from that tour.) I\u2019ve continued to marvel at his remarkably fleet playing, pinpoint articulation and ingenious musical choices ever since. So have such guitar stars as Jeff Beck, John McLaughlin, Keith Richards, Vince Gill and John Jorgenson, each of whom has offered gushing praise for Lee when I\u2019ve invoked his name during interviews for the San DiegoUnion-Tribune.<\/em><\/p>\n Chances are good you may have albums featuring Lee, even if you don\u2019t realize it. His credits from the 1970s alone include memorable albums with Harris, Jackson Browne, Joe Cocker, jazz luminaries Eddie Harris and Herbie Mann, rock \u2018n\u2019 roll pioneers Jerry Lee Lewis, The Crickets and Bo Diddley, ] and dozens more.<\/p>\n In the decades since, Lee\u2019s resume grew to include lengthy partnerships with Eric Clapton<\/a> and the Everly Brothers<\/a>, with whom he regularly performed in San Diego during the 1980s and 1990s. His other collaborators include Brad Paisley, Dave Edmunds, Earl Scruggs, Rosanne Cash, John Prine, Dolly Parton, Steve Morse, Linda Ronstadt, former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, former San Diego rockabilly queen Rosie Flores and reclusive Valley Center resident J.J. Cale.<\/p>\n A longtime Southern California resident, Lee has also made 14 albums as a solo artist and as the leader of the English-based band Hogan\u2019s Heroes<\/a>. He most recently performed in San Diego in 2009 at the all-ages Anthology, where he returns to perform for a second time with Eve Selis and her band. Hearing Lee anytime is a treat; the chance to catch him trading licks with Selis\u2019 red-hot guitarists, Jim Soldi and Marc Intravaia, makes Sunday\u2019s show even more alluring.<\/p>\n Albert Lee, with the Eve Selis Band<\/strong><\/p>\n When:<\/strong> 7 p.m. Sunday, July 3<\/p>\n Where:<\/strong> Anthology, 1337 India St., downtown<\/p>\n Tickets:<\/strong> $10-$37<\/p>\n Phone:<\/strong> (619) 595-0300<\/p>\n Online:<\/strong>Click here<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/anthologysd.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/Albert_Lee_r620x349.jpg\" "\\"Albert_Lee_r620x349\\"")
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