January Birthdays 
A couple of weeks ago, somebody posed a "What is this tune?" query here about a YouTube video (a clip from the Russ Meyers movie "Lorna"). The tune turned out to be "Pintor" by The Pharos. As time went on, the tune grew on me and I decided to learn it -- and eventually, tab it out for posterity.
The early '60s band, The Pharos, is apparently shrouded in mystery. All I could find was that the song is credited to a Jack Irwin and it may be that "The Pharos" were a pick-up band of session musicians brought together for this recording. The tune is derived from a Spanish (Mexican?) song titled "Angelitos Negros" ("Little Black Angels"). The word "pintor" (Spanish for "painter") is sung over the turn-around phrase (C into a D minor chord).
That phase (and the tune) has been haunting my dreams and I can hardly keep my hands off the guitar to play it one more time. Here's my offering of the tune as I hear it. Please let me know if you have a better way of playing any part of this or if you find any typos.
Revision 1 (found a couple of mistakes):
Pintor
by The Pharos (1963)
Tabbed by Mark Pemburn (mark@pemburn.com)
Am G
|----0----------0h1p0-----------3-----------------------|
|----1----3-1-3-------3-1-------3----------3h5p3--------|
|----2--------------------------4----5-4-5-------5-4----|
|----2--------------------------5-----------------------|
|-0--0--------------------------5-----------------------|
|----0-----------------------3--3-----------------------|
F
|----1----------------------------------------------|
|----1----0---0-1-3-1-0-----------------------------|
|----2------2-----------2-1-------------------------|
|----3----------------------3-2----/2-2-0-0---------|
|----3--------------------------------------3-3-2-2-|
|-1--1----------------------------------------------|
Am G
|----0----------0--------3-----------------|
|----1------1-----1------3----------3------|
|----2--------2-----2----4------4-----4----|
|----2-------------------5--------5-----5--|
|-0--0-------------------5-----------------|
|------------------------3-----------------|
F E
|---1-----------------0------|--------------------|
|---1----------1------0------|--------------------|
|---2------2-----2----1------|--------------------|
|---3--------3-----3--2------|-/2-2-0-0-----------|
|---3-----------------2------|----------3-3-2-2---|
|---1-----------------0------|--------------------|
Am G F $
|----0-----------0-------3--------------------1------------------0--|
|----1-------1-----1-----3-----------3--------1-----------1------0--|
|----2---------2-----2---4------4------4------2------2------2----1--|
|----2-------------------5--------5------5----3--------3------3--2--|
|-0--0-------------------5--------------------3------------------2--|
|------------------------3--------------------1------------------0--|
E E
|------------------------|------------------------|
|------------------------|------------------------|
|------------0----1------|-------------0-----1----|
|--------2-3---3--2------|---------2-3----3--2----|
|-2-3-0-----------2------|-2-3-0-------------2----|
|-----------------0------|-------------------0----|
Dm E
|----1-------------------0----|-------------------|
|-1--3--------1-3--1-0---0----|-------------------|
|----2-----------------2-1----|-------------------|
|----0-------------------2----|-/2-2-0-0----------|
|------------------------2----|----------3-3-2-2--|
|-----------------------------|-------------------|
h - hammer-on
p - pull-off
/ - slide into
-- Woody
P.S. A video featuring the original recording of "Pintor" may be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Huuu27THSW8. It is also on Disk 2 of the "Cowabunga! Surf Box".
It takes a lot of mussel memory to avoid clams.
Last edited: May 18, 2009 08:19:52
