From his beginnings as a teen guitar enthusiast and surf band star in La Jolla in the 1960s, Robb Lawrence blossomed into a talented musician, working with a host of renowned artists and performing at prestigious events like the Nov. 27 Jimi Hendrix birthday celebration in Seattle. But being a musician is not what Lawrence is known for. “I dedicated my life to the history of guitars rather than having a family or being a rock star,” said Lawrence, who has spent more than 40 years chronicling the history of guitars and the life of milestone guitarist Les Paul, the namesake of Gibson guitars played by stars like Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. On Dec. 11, Lawrence will visit La Jolla, still the home of his family, to discuss and sign his two-volume account titled “Les Paul Legacy.” He and his friends will also perform on vintage Les Paul guitars at the event, which will take place at 7 p.m. at D.G. Wills Books, located at 7461 Girard Ave. As a teenager, Lawrence remembers playing at “love-ins” at Scripps Park, “battle of the bands” events in La Jolla and at car shows. He also landed many a gig at the then-popular Hi Ho live music club on Fay Street. “I was underage, so I could only be on stage or outside,” said Lawrence. “I had to walk out in the alley on breaks.” At 17 he became the first rock ’n’ roll guitar teacher at La Jolla Music, located at 7442 Girard Ave., and had about 40 students he taught after school and on the weekends. Even then, he said, used guitars seemed to be of better quality than new guitars. “They just sounded better,” he said. “And they played better.” Lawrence remembers his first Les Paul experience, and his eyes still light up when he recounts the story — a representative from Gibson came to La Jolla Music when he was teaching there and said there was a new guitar coming out. “It was that November, in came two boxes and I got to open them up,” he said. He remembers exactly what was inside — a goldtop model and a custom model with two pickups. Many such vintage Les Pauls are now worth upward of $250,000, Lawrence said. Lawrence’s writing career dates back to 1973, when he started the well-known monthly vintage guitar column called “Rarebird” in Guitar Player magazine. When he began collecting in the 1960s, the subjects of Lawrence’s fascination were used guitars, but into the 1970s they earned the more stylish term “vintage.” It was when the magazine’s founder, Bud Eastman, suggested an interview with jazz guitarist Lester Paul that Lawrence’s life took off in an entirely new direction. Paul and Lawrence became best friends, and the two began traveling the country together. The relationship soon led to Lawrence becoming Paul’s biographer, and he also stayed with the guitar legend in his home while doing research and also worked as a technician at his West Coast concerts. Lawrence has dedicated his life to chronicling Paul and Gibson guitars, and seven books have come out of this lifelong project. He started seeking a publisher in 1975, but couldn’t find one that would publish his life’s work of rare photographs and interviews with notable musicians in color. “My sights were set high on all-color photo guitar books,” said Lawrence. “I had to wait for the publishing world to wake up.” And finally, in 2008, it did. Hal Leonard Corporation published the 280-page “Les Paul Legacy,” the second half of which has just recently been produced after an extension that followed Paul’s passing in 2009. Lawrence was able to be with Paul in some of his last days. In June 2008, the two held a book signing, and Lawrence was at Paul’s last concert in Milwaukee in November 2008. Paul passed away the following August. Thanks to Lawrence, whose books are the first and only ones of their kind, Paul’s legacy will carry on, but he says Paul’s passing wasn’t easy, especially because he lost his father in the same year. “It was pretty intense,” said Lawrence, who is designing a new Les Paul guitar in the guitar icon’s honor. “He was a big part of my life. It was difficult.”
