Tal Farlow

Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998)[3] was an American jazz guitarist. He was nicknamed “Octopus” because of how his large, quick hands spread over the fretboard.

Biography

Kessel was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1923 to a Jewish family. Kessel’s father was an immigrant from Hungary who owned a shoe shop. His only formal musical study was three months of guitar lessons at the age of 12. He began his career as a teenager touring with local dance bands. When he was 16, he started playing with the Oklahoma A&M band, Hal Price & the Varsitonians. The band members nicknamed him “Fruitcake” because he practiced up to 16 hours a day. Kessel gained attention because of his youth and being the only white musician playing in all African American bands at black clubs.