The Left-Handed Guitar Players That Changed Music By John Engel
BILL SVANOE


guitar
Plays Guitar Left Handed with default stringing.
In band(s) : THE ROOFTOP SINGERS


BILL SVANOE
Bill Svanoe and Erik Darling were the two founders and creative heads of the Rooftop Singers, the 1960s jazz-folk-blues trio which enchanted the world with their number-one hit, “Walk Right In,” in late 1962. Often cruelly relegated to a long list of one-hit wonders, the Rooftop Singers nevertheless released three albums and performed to packed houses around the country for seven years, after which Svanoe pursued another one of his creative talents: writing plays and movie scripts.

The trio featured unusually sophisticated arrangements, both on guitars and vocals, as compared with the folk groups of the day. Although their acoustic-guitar toting, white-trio formation placed them in the folk-music mold, their delightful fusion of jazz, blues, gospel and folk distinguished them clearly from other folk performers.

The vibrant charge of their two 12-string guitars lent “Walk Right In” unprecedented allure and gave the group a signature sound, which they chiseled and alternated with six-strings all through their career.

© LFV / John Engel all rights reserved.

Read about Bill Svanoe's remarkable life in John Engel's Uncommon Sound book.