Julian Bream was one of the 20th century's premier guitarists. He popularized the instrument over much of the world, fundamentally shaped its repertory, and was also a key figure in the revival of lute music.
Bream was born in London's Battersea neighborhood on July 15, 1933, and grew up in the suburban Hampton area. Bream's father was a commercial artist and an enthusiastic jazz guitarist who gave his son his first lessons on the instrument, but Bream was largely self-taught at first, imitating Django Reinhardt records he heard at a pub owned by his grandmother and giving hi...