Teye

Teye (pronounced tie-ya,[1] born 1957 as Teije Wijnterp[2]) is a Dutch guitarist, best known for his flamenco guitar work with the Joe Ely band between 1994 and 2000. After his musical career, Teye began building exclusive handmade guitars.

For the Egyptian name see Tiye (disambiguation).

Biography

Teye started learning guitar in 1968, and moved to London to pursue a musical career, unsuccessfully. He returned to the Netherlands and played in a number of rock and roll bands, after which he studied classical guitar at the conservatory in Groningen.[2]

Starting in the early 1980s, he begins learning to play flamenco music in Andalusia, and spent the next six years alternately studying in Spain,[1] and studying and performing in the Netherlands and the United States.[2] Teye produces a solo flamenco guitar LP, El Gitano Punky (1988), and studies modern music at the conservatory in Rotterdam from 1990 to 1994.[2] A visit to Austin, Texas, brought him in contact with Joe Ely, who integrated Teye's flamenco guitar into his country-rock band on the 1995 release Letter to Laredo.[1][3] Teye moved from Sevilla, where he had been living with his soon-to-be wife Belen Oliva Bermudez (a flamenco dancer), to Austin.

In 1996, then living in Austin, Teye and Belen got married and started a flamenco ensemble in Austin, Teye & Viva El Flamenco,[4] later called Teye & Belen, releasing a CD in 1999, Viva el Flamenco and one in 2004, "FlamencObsesionArte". He worked with Joe Ely again in 1998, on Twistin' in the Wind.[5]

Teye Guitars

When Teye showed a self-build guitar to his then manager Evert Wilbrink in Nashville, Wilbrink arranged an introduction to Les Paul, who deemed Teye's proto-type 'the closest to the ideal guitar I have in my head'. Wilbrink and Teye then established Teye Guitars as builder of electric guitars in 2006. Teye's love for adorned guitars stems from being a longtime Rolling Stone and Small Faces fan. They played guitars built by Tony Zemaitis, who built two guitars for Teye and subsequently Tony and he became friends. The La India and La Mora model got praised by magazines all over the world.[6] His Electric Gypsy La Llama was praised by Guitar Player as a "dazzling piece of guitar artistry."[7] An unusual feature on some of Teye's guitars is a "mood" knob, which to a Guitar Player reviewer sounded as a mid-cut control, and "exponentially" increased the number of tones available.[8] Later in 2015 Teye introduced an even more versatile circuitry, the Mojo(TM). Summer 2016 Teye Guitars moved its operation to Nashville, TN. Players include Andy Summers of the Police; Cliff Williams of AC/DC; Zac Brown; Cade Foehner (American Idol); Bibi McGill (Beyoce, Pink); Ge Carlsberg and David Hollestelle (Wild Romance); Eric Saylors (Steepwater); Ben Thomas (Adele, Sam Smith); Johnny Depp; Joan Jett; Micki Free; Sasha Krivtsov (The Voice) and Unni Wilhelsen.

References
  1. Sculley, Alan (1996-07-21). "Joe Ely's Latest is Not the Acoustic Record He Originally Planned". The Morning Call. p. D12. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
  2. "Teye & Viva El Flamenco (1979 - heden)". Popinstituut Nederland. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
  3. McCall, Michael (1995-08-31). "Restless Spirit". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  4. Legaspi, Andre (2003-01-04). "Thank you Teye, viva el flamenco!". McGill Tribune. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  5. Skanse, Richard (1998-05-18). "Texas Twister: Joe Ely goes to the movies and back to the flatlands". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  6. Prown, Pete (April 2012). "Spanish Castle Magic: The Teye El Torero/Le Guitana R Series". Vintage Guitar. p. 130.
  7. Thompson, Art (January 2012). "Rev. of Teye, Electric Gypsy La Llama S-Series". Guitar Player. pp. 108–110.
  8. Blackett, Matt (November 2014). "New Boutique Guitars and Amps: Teye Coyote". Guitar Player. pp. 104–113.
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