Joe Pass was born in 1929 in New Jersey, U.S.A. He grew up in Pennsylvania into a non-musical family. He started playing the guitar after he was inspired by actor Gene Autry’s portrayal of a guitar playing cowboy. He received his first guitar he was nine years old. His father recognized that his son “had a little something happening” and pushed him constantly to pick up tunes by ear, play pieces not written for the instrument, practice scales and not to “leave any spaces” (to fill in the sonic space between the notes and the melody).

Joe Pass started getting gigs at 14. He was playing with bands fronted by Tony Pastor and Charlie Barnet. He began to travel with small jazz gro...