Alvino Rey

Lore & Background

Alvino Rey began his professional career in 1927 playing banjo with Cleveland bandleader Ev Jones. He later switched to guitar and changed his name to Alvino Rey to capitalize on the popularity of Latin music in New York City. From 1932 to 1938, he was a member of Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights, where he drew attention by playing steel guitar. In 1935, Gibson hired him to develop a prototype pickup based on one he had created for his amplified banjo, which was used for Gibson's first electric guitar, the ES-150. In 1939, Rey invented an early talk box device and created an animated mechanical character named 'Stringy' that 'sang' the altered guitar sounds for his big band performances. During the 1940s, he formed his own band with the King Sisters, worked as musical director at KHJ Mutual Broadcasting, and recorded a hit version of 'Deep in the Heart of Texas' in 1942. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he formed an orchestra that recorded a hit cover of 'Cement Mixer.' In the 1950s and 1960s, he played steel guitar in small groups and was music director for The King Family Show, where he performed 'the Alvino Rey Talking Guitar' using a pedal steel. He also played on recording sessions associated with the exotica genre.

Reader's Guide

Alvino Rey's significance lies in his dual contributions to music and technology. As a pioneer of electrified instruments, he amplified his banjo in the 1920s and later worked with Gibson to develop the pickup for the ES-150, the first electric guitar. His invention of an early talk box device, which he used with his steel guitar to create vocal-like sounds, influenced later commercial versions made famous by Peter Frampton. Rey's work extended to radio jingles in the late 1950s and early 1960s, where his pedal steel sounds were featured in top-40 radio formats, and he is credited with inspiring the 'Sonosational' PAMS Jingles Series 18. His legacy also includes his role as a bandleader and sideman, recording with artists such as Elvis Presley and contributing to the exotica genre. He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1978, and his prototype pickup is preserved in the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle.

Did You Know?

• Alvino Rey invented an early version of a talk box in 1939, using it to make his electric steel guitar sound like words.
• He was the maternal grandfather of Arcade Fire members Win Butler and Will Butler.
• Gibson hired him in 1935 to develop a prototype pickup for the first electric guitar, the ES-150.