The first trailer for an all-new Trini Lopez documentary, titled My Name is Lopez, has been unveiled ahead of the film’s release tomorrow (March 25) at the American Documentary and Animation Film 2021 Festival.
Sponsored by the Film Collaborative, My Name is Lopez will explore how the electric guitar icon “overcame all the odds in 1960s America to become one of the first Latino rock stars”.
The 96-minute film will take a deep-dive into Lopez’s life, tracing his childhood in Dallas, Texas all the way up to his later years when he became a formidable Gibson Trini Lopez Standard-wielding wizard.
It will also take a look at the virtuoso’s rise to the top, exploring his relationship with friend and mentor Frank Sinatra, whom Lopez met while performing at the Hollywood nightclub PJ’s early on in his career.
A synopsis from the Film Collaborative reveals that the documentary will also feature rare live performance footage of Trini Lopez and the Gand Band, as well as a “candid on-stage Q&A Alison Martino of Vintage Los Angeles”.
Alongside the footage will be a number of special guests, including Dave Grohl, Billy Gibbons, Jim Brown, Tony Orlando and others. P. David Eberole and Todd Hughes are attached as directors the project, with Joan Gand and Gary Gand joining the pair as co-producers.
Trini Lopez passed away on August 11, 2020 due to complications arising from COVID-19, prompting those involved in the project to "bring new urgency to keeping his legacy alive".
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Head over to Film Collaborative for more info, and visit AmDocs Festival to purchase a ticket for the film.
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Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
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