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Joseph Fernando Macari Sors was born in Barcelona, Spain, on February 13, 1788. He later dropped the final “s” from his last name in favor of Sor, the name by which he is commonly known. At the age of 11 he entered the excellent music school at the monastery of Montserrat, though his enthusiasm for the guitar had to remain private. At the age of 18 he wrote an opera that was produced in Barcelona, and subsequently he went to Madrid, where he enjoyed the patronage of the Duke of Medinaceli and others. During the period of French occupation, Sor chose to support the puppet government of King Joseph Bonaparte in the hope of political reform, and accepted an official appointment in Jerez de la Frontera. When the French were driven out of Spain in 1813, Sor left with them and subsequently settled in Paris.

Two years later he moved to London, where he became celebrated as a performer and teacher of singing and the guitar, publishing many guitar works including his Variations on a Theme of Mozart, one of the most successful guitar pieces ever written. His ballet Cendrillon, based on the Cinderella story, was first produced at the King’s Theatre in London, and went on to a tremendously successful run in Paris and further performances in Moscow.

Of all the classical “guitar gods,” Sor was probably the most rounded musician, and he did much to raise the level of interest and appreciation of the instrument. His works still appear constantly on concert programs. He died in 1839.

In the sixties, there was a veritable guitar renaissance, sparked by two different movements.One was the so-called “folk revival,” in which young people with guitars performed topical songs of the day. Bob Dylan was the best known and probably the greatest of these singer or guitarists, and his songs influenced hundreds of others.

The second big influence was the arrival of the Beatles in America, and the British Invasion.When the Beatles first appeared, everyone copied their hair styles, clothing (down to their boots), and—naturally—musical instruments. The Rickenbacker guitar, favored by John Lennon, and the Hofner bass, played by Paul McCartney, were soon the most in-demand instruments in music stores across America. Instrument makers rushed to give the Beatles free instruments so that they could benefit from the publicity.

The British Invasion also spawned guitar gods like Eric Clapton,influenced by American blues players. A veritable war broke out among partisans of the Fender Stratocaster versus the equally popular Gibson Les Paul—some defended one as the “holy grail” of guitar sound, while others went for the other. Added “effects” from wah-wah to fuzztone ere an additional arsenal in the guitar’s acoustic army. One of the first guitarists to use these effects in a truly musical way was Jimi Hendrix,whose flamboyant stage presence only added to his popularity.

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