Growing up in the Latin “barrios” of Dallas, Texas, Gibson signature artist Trinidad “Trini” Lopez, III, learned quickly how to be a survivor. With four brothers, a sister, and a mother and father that did whatever it took to bring food to the table, Lopez’ early childhood struggles proved vital in preparing him for life as the original Latin pop superstar.
As an adolescent in the early 1950s, Lopez was your typical teenager, hanging out with friends, occasionally getting into trouble and wanting to be everywhere but the classroom his parents insisted he stay in. What’s more, the elder Lopez—a musician himself— didn’t approve of his son’s circle of friends, and was always warning him to stay away from his associates. Legend has it that Lopez, Sr. grew so weary of his son’s behavior that one day he administered a severe beating in the hope of changing his son’s ways. Afterwards, he felt so bad he went out and purchased his son a black Gibson acoustic guitar. He taught him a few chords and the rest, you can say, is history!
Lopez went on to become one of the premier guitar players and songwriters of the early 1960s. His debut album, Trini Lopez Live at PJ’s, was released in 1963 and contained his swinging rendition of Pete Seeger’s "If I Had a Hammer." The song stayed in the Top 40 for 48 consecutive weeks and hit No. 1 in 25 different countries, ultimately selling over five million 
copies worldwide. The album also contained his version of the classic Mexican song "La Bamba," which Lopez claims to have been playing long before Richie Valens (his good friend) recorded the version most often associated with the title. It also earned Lopez the nickname “Mr. La Bamba.”
Lopez even became a formidable actor, appearing in Marriage on the Rocks (1965) with Frank Sinatra, The Dirty Dozen (1967), and on such classic television shows as Adam-12. Along the way he befriended the likes of Buddy Holly, the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Johnny Carson, and Sinatra, who became his mentor and gave him the nickname “Trini.”
His wide-ranging popularity led Gibson in 1964 to ask his assistance in the production of two signature guitars: The Trini Lopez Standard, a model based on Gibson’s famous ES-335, and the Trini Lopez Deluxe, a variation of the Gibson guitar designed for Barney Kessel. Gibson produced both Lopez models from 1964 to 1971.
Today, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters considers his Trini Lopez Standard his most beloved guitar. It’s the guitar that inspired the design of Grohl’s new Gibson Inspired By DG-335, which stands poised to become one of the most popular Inspired By models of all time.
