Albert Lee's 70th Birthday Party

Thursday, July 24, 2014 | 7:30pm
The Lincoln Theatre   712 S First St.   Mount Vernon, WA   360-336-8955

Tickets available soon!
British Guitar Legend & Grammy Winner comes to Mount Vernon

Albert Lee grew up in Blackheath, London and learned the piano at age 7. One Chrismas he was treated to a Hofner President acoustic arch-top guitar and the rest is history. Having played with Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Don Everly and Joe Cocker in the rock world as well as becoming 'the' guitar player in the Country genre where he pioneered his trademark picking style.

At a pivotal point in his career, Albert was asked by Emmylou Harris to replace James Burton - one of his guitar heroes - who was leaving for Elvis Presley’s band. In 1976 he joined the Hot Band, and his incredible guitar work came to the fore on the “Luxury Liner” LP. Albert released his first solo album “Hiding”, produced by Brian Ahern, which featured perhaps the definitive version of “Country Boy” with Emmylou on backing vocals and Ricky Skaggs on fiddle.

The U.S eventually beckoned, and Albert began doing session work and briefly toured with The Crickets in 1973. He moved to Los Angeles, where he met his idols Phil and Don Everly, and Don invited Albert to play with him and pedal steel legend Buddy Emmons. After working on Don’s second album, Albert left to join Joe Cocker’s band and was replaced by Lindsey Buckingham.

The Hot Band, Eric Clapton and Grammy success

When he returned to London in 1978 for session recording, Albert met Eric Clapton. He was invited to join his band and played on Clapton’s live album “Just One Night”, which featured Albert on lead vocals for a cover of Mark Knopfler’s “Setting Me Up”. Albert would work with Eric for five years before he left and released his second solo album, the self-titled “Albert Lee” in 1982.

Albert fulfilled his boyhood dream to play with the Everly Brothers in 1983 when he acted as guitarist and musical director for their reunion concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Since then he would regularly tour with the Everlys on and off for 20 years. After two instrumental albums - “Speechless” (1986) and “Gagged But Not Bound” (1987) - steel player Gerry Hogan invited Albert to headline at a festival in Newbury, England - fronting his own band for the very first time, Hogan’s Heroes.

In 2002 he would join Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Paul McCartney and other music legends on stage at the Concert for George at the Royal Albert Hall.

Albert also recieved a Grammy Award in 2002 for his contribution to “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” featured on “Earl Scruggs and Friends”. He appeared for the first time at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2007, now an annual appearance, and has toured periodically for the last few years with ex-Stones bassist Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, performing with Georgie Fame. Joining his hero James Burton, along with the likes of Vince Gill and John Jorgenson, Albert won a Grammy for his performance on Brad Paisley’s instrumental “Cluster Pluck” in 2009.

This is a fund raising event by the Rick Epting Foundation for the Arts to support their mission to keep the arts alive in Skagit Valley. Please come out and support the arts and enjoy a high energy show of funk and R&B done by one of the original East Bay power bands from the Summer of Love in the late 60's and a local R&B songwriter.

In 2006, friends of the late Rick Epting formed the Rick Epting Foundation for the Arts and continued his legacy of supporting the Arts in Skagit County with a showcase of local talent and humor. Our mission is to help raise money that is needed for Organizations, Scholarships, and other non-profit groups, to promote and encourage live performance shows and to provide ongoing support for local artists in the community.

Rick Epting  was one of the founding members of both the Lincoln Theatre Center Foundation, the Skagit Performing Arts Council (SPAC), and appointed by the Governor to serve on the Washington State Arts Commission. He was also instrumental in the restoration campaign for the Lincoln Theatre and the planning and organization for McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon. Rick was a proud supporter of Arts groups and organizations in Skagit County until his untimely death in August 2005.