Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday ol' S! Happy Birthday to you.
The giddiness is palpable. A special anniversary is taking place this year. One that has been anticipated for a long, long time. Ol' S is 50! 50 years old. Eligible for AARP and a 10% discount at IHOP. (something I, myself, now use) For so long, it felt like this day would never arrive. It has and I am the proudest owner that ever wound a string.
Ol' S is my guitar. You see it, resplendant on a Cracker Barrel blanket, in the picture atop this blog. What we have is a 1961 SG special with a single tailpiece and natural cherry finish. S came into my life in 1977 in Scott City, Missouri. David Daniels, I wonder what he's doing these days, offered it to me for $125.00 and I jumped at the chance. Back then, as a stupid, starving college student, $125 might as well have well been a million. But I scraped it together and S and I became a team. Through the years, it has laid on the floor, stood in a closet, played some gigs and generally been by my side through life's adventures.
S earned its trial by fire in the rock blues ensemble "Puke". If memeory serves me correct, Puke consisted of myself, the aforementioned David Daniels, Billy Dodson, Randy Briggs, Tim Wade, Billy Briggs Jeff Jackson, Bob "Turk" Jackson and Race Car Roy. We would spend hours on stage in a rural high school auditorium playing to no one and having the time of our lives. Allman brothers, Whishbone Ash, UFO and a few others I can not recall where practiced over and over again. Eventually, we took over a rural farm house where we could drink beer, smoke squares and enjoy life as only an irresponsible 23 year old could. The culmination of that run happened when Puke took to the stage for a community gathering. Renamed "Race Car Roy" to appease the less enlightened in the audience, we burned through a set that culminated in the long lost, but still inspiring original, "Pull Down Your Panties Lorraine"
And while I look back to that time with affection and whimsy, I would have to pinpoint the highlight in our relationship to one magical day in 1980 and the front room of Darryl McQuinn's house. Darryl, Tony Fagfolia and myself shared the two story Victorian Style abode in Edwardsville, Illionois. Both of my roomies were accomplished musicians, they actually made money, and Tony had run across a Sony 4 track reel to reel recorder to practice some licks. He was away one afternoon and I was alone in the house, just me and S. I plugged in and layed down a basic track F,C,G. Layed down a second track of fingerpicking the same chords and two tracks of riffs and leads. For that one magical afternoon, I was able to play a seamless run of anything I willed my fingers to do. As Ringo Starr once said, there's me and my drumming and then there's Rain. Well, as a crappy guitar player I can honestly say there's me and my playing and then there's that one afternoon. Somewhere in a box, buried deep in a closet, or garage, or attic, is that tape.
Ol' S was one of the few reasons I stayed sane in Manhattan, Kansas and stood by me as the media took me from Missouri, to Mississippi and to Arkansas.
And now, it's 50! They grow up so fast. I plan on getting it appraised this year. Sort of a half century birthday present. And while I will never sell this one of a kind personal treasure, I would like it to know just what value it has in dollars and cents. It has been invaluable in the 34 years we've been together. Let's try for another 34.
Unless, of course, it's worth something!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment