Esteban (born 1948 in Pittsburgh, PA) is the stage name of guitarist Stephen Paul.^[1] Recognizable by his bolero hat and sunglasses, Esteban has gained commercial success by selling his CDs and guitars on QVC and HSN.^[2][3] Esteban is popular among his fans but has been criticized by musicians as a player of bland, easy-listening music who has marketed himself by exploiting the name of the well-known Spanish classical guitarist Andrés Segovia.^[1] “Cities of Gold” redirects here. ... The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, is an American childrens television series that airs on the Disney Channel. ... Information Nickname(s) Esteban Aliases Bell-Boy Occupation Bellhop Title Mister Family Diego Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de LaRosa Ramirez-father Dudley-pet chicken Estebalina-great-grandmother Estebina-grandmother Estecarlita-sister Gladus Ramirez-mother Portrayed by Adrian RMante Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya De La Rosa Ramírez is a... City nickname: The Steel City Location in the state of Pennsylvania Founded 1758 Mayor Tom Murphy (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 151. ... A stage name, also called a screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, musicians, djs, clowns, and professional wrestlers. ... QVC is a West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, multinational corporation, specialising in televised home shopping. ... Home Shopping Network In GSM, HSN stands for Hopping Sequence Number. ... Spanish guitar redirects here. ... Andrés Torres Segovia, marqués de Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 3 June 1987) was a Spanish classical guitarist, and later nobleman, born in Linares, Spain who is considered to be the father of the modern classical guitar movement by most modern music scholars. ...

History

Esteban, the son of a steelworker, was the oldest of four children. He recounts that he began playing guitar at the age of eight when his uncle brought him a nylon-stringed guitar.^[1] He attended South Hills Catholic High School (since absorbed into Seton-La Salle Catholic High School) in Mt. Lebanon.^[3] He then attended Carnegie Mellon University, where he double-majored in music and English. According to Esteban, at this time, he was teaching approximately 150 students a week and playing in nightclubs.^[1] Seton-La Salle Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Mt. ... Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. ...

Segovia

Esteban states that at this point in his studies of the guitar, he felt a strong desire to study with Andrés Segovia. 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.^[1] Andrés Torres Segovia, marqués de Salobreña (21 February 1893 – 3 June 1987) was a Spanish classical guitarist, and later nobleman, born in Linares, Spain who is considered to be the father of the modern classical guitar movement by most modern music scholars. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... John Christopher Williams (born 24 April 1941) is one of the worlds best-known classical guitarists. ... Eliot Fisk Born 1958 in Philadelphia, PA Eliot Fisk (born 1958 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a classical guitarist. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

Musical transformation

According to Esteban, he moved from Southern California to Phoenix with his wife and daughter in 1978. 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. He was left with broken ribs, missing teeth, and a light-sensitive eye. He recovered but was left with nerve damage in his hands. Unable to play the guitar, he sold solar energy systems for Reynolds Aluminum. During his long recovery, he decided to move away from playing only classical music. After recovering some of the use of his fingers in 1988, he had begun playing again by the end of 1989.^[1] This article is about the region of Southern California. ... Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State County Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

Commercial success

At this time, Esteban was playing at a Hyatt Regency hotel. He released his first album in 1991.^[4] He hired a keyboardist in 1992 and has subsequently added a five-piece band. Audiences responded well to Esteban's charisma and frequently bought his albums.^[1] 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.^[1] Esteban quit playing at the Hyatt in 2000.^[5] He has since been featured in The Wall Street Journal and People Magazine.^[6] From 2001 to 2003, Esteban released over a dozen additional albums, four of which placed in the lower half of the Billboard 200.^[7] He has also been featured in various infomercials advertising his guitars and instructional DVDs.^[2] Esteban landed his first major CD distribution deal (with Sony RED Distribution) with the release of The Best of Esteban in October, 2006.^[8][9] The Hyatt Regency is one of the five Hyatt brands operated by the Hyatt Corporation. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... QVC is a West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, multinational corporation, specialising in televised home shopping. ... Home Shopping Network In GSM, HSN stands for Hopping Sequence Number. ... The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ... The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is an international daily newspaper published by Dow Jones & Company in New York City, New York, USA, with Asian and European editions, and a worldwide daily circulation of more than 2 million as of 2006, with 931,000 paying online subscribers. ... People, a weekly magazine of celebrity and popular culture news, debuted on February 27, 1974. ... RED Distribution is a Sony BMG-owned independent record distributor that handles releases for some 40 record labels. ...

Criticism

Esteban has exploited Segovia heavily in his marketing, citing himself, for example, as being "one of 14 guitarists in the world endorsed by the legendary Andrés Segovia." 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.^[1]

Esteban's guitars sold through QVC and HSN have been found to be difficult to play due to the high action and poor intonation. In extreme cases, owners have reported that the fretboard has become completely separated from the neck or some other defect rendering the guitar unplayable. Some HSN customers have found customer service to be lacking, finding it difficult to return the guitar. The newer Esteban American Legacy Guitar featured in TV infomercials has received mixed reviews.^[10]

Discography

• The Best of Esteban (2006)
• The New Flamenco Y Rosas (2006)
• Father/Daughter (2004)
• Celebrate the Memories (2004)
• Back 2 Back (2003)
• Esteban & Friends: Live in Sedona (2003)
• Happy Holidays (2003)
• Live in Sedona (2003)
• Eternal Love (2003)
• Walk Beside Me (2002)
• Flame, Flamenco & Romance, Vol. 2 (2002)
• Esteban By Request (2001)
• Flame, Flamenco & Romance, Vol. 1 (2001)
• Esteban Live (2001)
• Joy to the World (2001)
• Holiday Trilogy (2001)
• At Home With Esteban (2001)
• All My Love (2001)
• Duende (2001)
• What Child Is This (2001)
• Spirits of the West (2001)
• Heart of Gold (2001)
• Passion (1999)
• Enter the Heart (1998)
• Flamenco Y Rosas (1995)
• Songs From My Heart (1995)

References

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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.
• Who is Esteban? And what's up with his guitars? at Music Thing
• South Hills Catholic reunion with Esteban, Al Lowe, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 8, 2007.
• Product reviews of various models of Esteban Guitars at Harmony central.