Looking back on a 54 year music career, the back trail is littered with
the trappings of a musicians lifestyle. All the instruments, stage
wrappings(clothes), transportation vehicles, and other paraphernalia that goes with being a traveling musician, scattered along the landscape of my memory.
I arrived in Nashville in 1962, but actually started recording in 1959. When I got to town, I was carrying my 1954 Gibson J45, the guitar that had gone to the Navy with me and played in every Far East Juke Joint, on board my ship, hospitals and service clubs that we could find to pick. Well, that guitar lasted exactly one month in the big city and someone stole it. I replaced it with a 0018 Martin, and that started the succession of guitars that passed through my calloused fingers. Two years after I arrived, I landed a Television Show, and guitar companies started giving me guitars to play on tv. Billy Grammer gave me one of his guitars that bore his name, Gower Guitars gave me one, Ovation gave me a prototype of the round back Ovations that were the rage in the 60's, they gave one to Jerry Reed, Del Reeves, Glen Campbell, Bobby Goldsboro and others that had high visibility on television. Almost as fast as I would get one the Airlines would either lose it or break it, seems like. The 70's was really bad about Airlines tearing up our stuff. Through it all, I managed to keep a J45 Gibson, because that was one that just seemed to fit my hands. Six other special guitars still reside in my fishing/music room at the old farm house. My 1986 Mossman that was made special for me when I was at CMT, and I played a lot on Heart to Heart. My custom made Rose, the big booming dropped D tuning guitar that I had made in 1983, that got smashed when my son Scott took it on a Church Youth Retreat, and a big footed football player accidentally stepped in the middle of it. My friend Robin Smith, stand up bass player and instrument builder, put it all back together, good as new, and it lived to play on. I have a Gibson L00, small bodied guitar from the 1950's, and the Buck Owens signature guitar that Buck gave me in 1988. I gave my original Grammer Guitar to my brother Sammy. But, through the years, probably 20 other guitars passed through my hands.
How many pairs of boots? Well, I take pretty good care of my boots, so I've still got a pair of Tony Lama's that I always wore on Heart to Heart, and I've got a pair of black patent leather Justins from the 70's, and a pair of handmade boots that were made for me at CMT, and a pair of black boots that a boot maker in Branson made for me in the 90's...but all the other stage boots, including the pair of snake skin boots that Patty Loveless gave me in the 80's, and the pair of black zip up boots that Bobby Bare gave me in the 70's, seems to have disappeared somewhere along the way.
The trail of road vehicles, through the years, would look like an Ozark Junk Yard, scattered over the hills. I would put 60,000 to 100,000 miles on one in no time, and a band of hillbilly musicians can tear up a car, station wagon or motor home in short order....but, that has already been told, in my "Hillbilly Driving School" story.
I do still have the 5X Stetson that a Souix Indian Chief gave me in 1973, in the Black Hills, and the two pair of Lee Jeans that Ferlin Husky gave me, and the leather vests that I used to like to wear on stage.
Today, It's a pair of washed soft Wranglers, a pair of low cut walking boots, and an old denim shirt. All the other stuff....well, that's all it was....just stuff. However, I always believed that the people that paid to see the show, deserved the respect of an Artist dressing for the part. And I always kept a fine guitar, a tool of my trade. Stan
I arrived in Nashville in 1962, but actually started recording in 1959. When I got to town, I was carrying my 1954 Gibson J45, the guitar that had gone to the Navy with me and played in every Far East Juke Joint, on board my ship, hospitals and service clubs that we could find to pick. Well, that guitar lasted exactly one month in the big city and someone stole it. I replaced it with a 0018 Martin, and that started the succession of guitars that passed through my calloused fingers. Two years after I arrived, I landed a Television Show, and guitar companies started giving me guitars to play on tv. Billy Grammer gave me one of his guitars that bore his name, Gower Guitars gave me one, Ovation gave me a prototype of the round back Ovations that were the rage in the 60's, they gave one to Jerry Reed, Del Reeves, Glen Campbell, Bobby Goldsboro and others that had high visibility on television. Almost as fast as I would get one the Airlines would either lose it or break it, seems like. The 70's was really bad about Airlines tearing up our stuff. Through it all, I managed to keep a J45 Gibson, because that was one that just seemed to fit my hands. Six other special guitars still reside in my fishing/music room at the old farm house. My 1986 Mossman that was made special for me when I was at CMT, and I played a lot on Heart to Heart. My custom made Rose, the big booming dropped D tuning guitar that I had made in 1983, that got smashed when my son Scott took it on a Church Youth Retreat, and a big footed football player accidentally stepped in the middle of it. My friend Robin Smith, stand up bass player and instrument builder, put it all back together, good as new, and it lived to play on. I have a Gibson L00, small bodied guitar from the 1950's, and the Buck Owens signature guitar that Buck gave me in 1988. I gave my original Grammer Guitar to my brother Sammy. But, through the years, probably 20 other guitars passed through my hands.
How many pairs of boots? Well, I take pretty good care of my boots, so I've still got a pair of Tony Lama's that I always wore on Heart to Heart, and I've got a pair of black patent leather Justins from the 70's, and a pair of handmade boots that were made for me at CMT, and a pair of black boots that a boot maker in Branson made for me in the 90's...but all the other stage boots, including the pair of snake skin boots that Patty Loveless gave me in the 80's, and the pair of black zip up boots that Bobby Bare gave me in the 70's, seems to have disappeared somewhere along the way.
The trail of road vehicles, through the years, would look like an Ozark Junk Yard, scattered over the hills. I would put 60,000 to 100,000 miles on one in no time, and a band of hillbilly musicians can tear up a car, station wagon or motor home in short order....but, that has already been told, in my "Hillbilly Driving School" story.
I do still have the 5X Stetson that a Souix Indian Chief gave me in 1973, in the Black Hills, and the two pair of Lee Jeans that Ferlin Husky gave me, and the leather vests that I used to like to wear on stage.
Today, It's a pair of washed soft Wranglers, a pair of low cut walking boots, and an old denim shirt. All the other stuff....well, that's all it was....just stuff. However, I always believed that the people that paid to see the show, deserved the respect of an Artist dressing for the part. And I always kept a fine guitar, a tool of my trade. Stan
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