| Tuesday, Dec 4, 2007New Instructional DVD's Now Available!We are pleased to announce the next wave in instructional DVD's from Esteban!Esteban Master Series for either Steel String or Classical Guitar.This is exciting news for all students of the Esteban method.We've had many requests for these new DVD's, which are being bundled with some of the newer guitars.Thursday, Nov 29, 2007The Eldorado Guitar Debuts on HSNEsteban will be appearing in concert on HSN this weekend to introduce his new Eldorado Guitar, inspired by the classic Cadillac Eldorado automobile.Sunday night) at midnight, noon, 3PM, 6PM, and 9PM.Esteban is proud to announce the launch of his new guitar just for kids!Monday, Oct 15, 2007Your Dream Wedding at Galerie EstebanSanta Fe's Galerie Esteban is pleased to have been chosen as a "Dream Location" by Fairy Tale Weddings in Santa Fe.ESTEBAN AT RED ROCKS!Status('Sign Up for the Esteban Music email list!Poetry suggests form, line and color suggest form, but
music suggests no form.If there is anything
intelligent, effective and at the same time formless, it is music.This article is about the guitarist Esteban.For the animated character, see The Mysterious Cities of Gold.Esteban (born 1948 in Pittsburgh, PA) is the stage name of guitarist Stephen Paul.Recognizable by his bolero hat and sunglasses, Esteban has gained commercial success by selling his CDs and guitars on QVC and HSN.History
Esteban, the son of a steelworker, was the oldest of four children.According to Esteban, at this time, he was teaching approximately 150 students a week and playing in nightclubs.According to Esteban, after a long period where he pursued Segovia by sending notes to the hotels he was staying at, he at last met Segovia in Los Angeles in 1972 and studied with him intermittently for the next five years, splitting his time between Spain and California.The extent of the connection between Segovia and Esteban, however, is heavily disputed.Although Esteban did meet Segovia, Esteban is not mentioned in any biography of Segovia, and Esteban never received the public acknowledgment Segovia gave his known students, such as John Williams and Eliot Fisk.Segovia autographed one of his books for Esteban in 1978 with a flattering message, but Segovia is known to have signed hundreds or thousands of such messages.During the next two years, he toured playing classical music.In 1980, while driving his mother home from the airport, Esteban was involved in a collision with a drunk driver.Unable to play the guitar, he sold solar energy systems for Reynolds Aluminum.Commercial success
At this time, Esteban was playing at a Hyatt Regency hotel.Audiences responded well to Esteban's charisma and frequently bought his albums.In 1999, Esteban came to the attention of Joy Mangano at Ingenious Designs, inventor of the Miracle Mop and other household accessories sold on QVC.She recognized Esteban's charisma and he was invited to play on QVC in November 1999.Soon after, Ingenious Designs was bought out by HSN and Esteban achieved commercial success.He sold 132,000 CDs after two appearances on HSN in the summer of 2000, and two of his albums reached the top 54 entries in the Billboard 200.Esteban quit playing at the Hyatt in 2000.He has since been featured in The Wall Street Journal and People Magazine.From 2001 to 2003, Esteban released over a dozen additional albums, four of which placed in the lower half of the Billboard 200.He has also been featured in various infomercials advertising his guitars and instructional DVDs.Esteban landed his first major CD distribution deal (with Sony RED Distribution) with the release of The Best of Esteban in October, 2006.Critics have pointed out that Esteban began making these claims only after Segovia had died, making them impossible to verify, and that it is unlikely that Segovia, a classical purist, would have approved of Esteban's brand of popular music.The newer Esteban American Legacy Guitar featured in TV infomercials has received mixed reviews.The Tao of Esteban, Gilbert Garcia, Phoenix New Times, September 21, 2000, accessed on line June 15, 2007.Esteban, entry at the All Music Guide.Accessed on line June 15, 2007.Gazette, February 8, 2007.Esteban at Arizona Celebrity Sightings.Bio, Esteban official website.Best of Esteban, review, Chris M.Dream: Esteban Brings His Music to the Mainstream, Heather Turk, socal.Product reviews of various models of Esteban Guitars at Harmony central.Further reading and external links
Official Website
Esteban, entry at the All Music Guide.Even on aisle 9, Esteban rocks on, Jim Abbott, January 1, 2007, Orlando Sentinel,.The Tao of Esteban, Gilbert Garcia, Phoenix New Times, September 21, 2000.And what's up with his guitars?Product reviews of various models of Esteban Guitars at Harmony central.This page was last modified 23:38, 2 January 2008. |
