Tommy Tedesco

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Thomas J. Tedesco (July 3, 1930 – November 10, 1997) was an American master session musician and renowned guitarist.

Born in Niagara Falls, New York, Tedesco made his way the U.S. West Coast where he became one of the most-sought-after studio guitarists between the 1960s and 1980s. Although Tedesco was primarily a guitar player, he was also qualified on the mandolin, ukulele, and the sitar as well as 28 other stringed instruments (though he played all of them in guitar tuning).

He was described by "Guitar Player" magazine as the most recorded guitarist in history, having played on thousands of recordings. He recorded with most of the top musicians working in the Los Angeles area including the Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Zappa, Sam Cooke, Cher, and Nancy and Frank Sinatra.

Tedesco's credits, to name a few, include the themes to television's Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Green Acres, M*A*S*H, Batman, and Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special. He also performed for film soundtracks such as The French Connection, The Godfather, Jaws, The Deer Hunter, Field of Dreams, plus several Elvis Presley films.

On his own, Tedesco recorded a number of jazz guitar albums but his musical career ended in 1992 when he suffered a stroke that resulted in partial paralysis. The following year he published his autobiography titled "Confessions of a Guitar Player."

Tommy Tedesco died in Northridge, California in 1997, aged 67.