If you read The Strange B16 post a few weeks back you’ll know we were wondering who the picker was with the neat modified Telecaster. Thanks to Jeff Baker of Des Moines, Iowa the mystery is solved. Turns out his name was John Fields. Unfortunately, he has passed and the guitar is long gone. Jeff printed out the picture and took it to Smokey himself (also known as Iowa’s “Mr. Country Music”) who identified all the players. Smokey is still going strong at 95! Awesome.

There’s also a book by Terry Manley about the bands Smokey booked at the KRNT Theatre in De Moines over the years. I’m ordering mine now, and you can get a copy here.

My friend Deke Dickerson sent me this photo a few months back and I thought that a couple of you might like it. It’s of the Fender powered Smokey Smith band and I thought the lead guitarist might be Morrie Jones. But, after looking other photos I’m not sure. The interesting thing though is the Bigsby B-16. It’s reversible for both left and right handers. Maybe it’s a one of Bigsby’s prototypes? The tele also looks to have a bridge pickup in the neck position, and a selector switch and another knob up front. I love modified teles.

Hiro’s guitar made it to Japan and here he is with a smokin’ rendition of 12th Street Rag.

Pat fires off a nice one on his new Telecaster. Enjoy…

Up until a few years ago, my jeans of choice for everyday work/casual wear were Levi’s shrink to fit 501XX . At some point in the early 2000’s I started noticing they were no longer produced in the states. After that, every time I put them on I felt a bit guilty, probably because as a child, I can remember my grandfather saying to his customers ‘’Buy American’’.  It’s strange how things like that stick with you. Anyhow, when I discovered Pointer Brand Jeans a few years ago, needless to say, it was easy to make the switch.

Going on 100 years in Bristol, Tennessee, Pointer Brand was founded in 1913 by L.C. King. Members of his family still own and run the business today in their original location. The Lot 32 carpenter jeans are my favorite.  You can check out their website here.  Now I just have to find an American made replacement for my Chuck Taylors.

Many of you have probably heard this medley before, but if you haven’t, your ears are in for an 11 minute treat. Barney Kessel’s playing and tone on Cherokee is perfection to my ears, and if Kessel, Irving Ashby, Arv Garrison and Les Paul  trading fours on the last part of Honeysuckle Rose doesn’t motivate you to practice, you may want to consider a different hobby.

The rest of the Swing to Bop Guitar compilation is great as well.

16 Medley_ Cherokee, I Got Rhythm, How High The Moon, Honeysuckle Rose 2

I purchased the Guitar Arpeggio Dictionary by Chuck Wayne and Ralph Patt at a music store by my house back in the early eighties. The book is out of print now but if you ever see it, you should get it. At the time I had no idea who Chuck Wayne was, nor did I realize he would become one of my favorite players later in life.

My guitar teacher at that time told me ‘’ there’re three things you have to do to become a good guitar player, memorize all of your scales in all keys, memorize the Guitar Arpeggio Dictionary and, listen and memorize solos of your favorite players.” I can remember thinking that shouldn’t be too difficult. I’m still working at it thirty years later and if I live to an age of 200 I might have a chance at it.

Ralph Patt’s “Vanilla Book” is also a great resource that shows the “basic” chords to over 400 Standards.

We have talked about wanting a logo for TK Smith’s Electronic Guitar Service for a while now. The first person who came to mind, that we knew would understand exactly what we wanted, was designer Johnny Bartlett. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in years, TK had kept Johnny’s business card in his wallet all that time because he liked it so much.

Johnny agreed to offer his assistance and quickly came up with 10 amazing designs! We would have been happy with any one of them, but after living with each design for a few days, we narrowed our choice down to the one above. We feel Johnny hit all the right notes as far as communicating the name, service and products that we offer, in a simple timeless design. We’re so happy with it! He’s also a fellow musician. Check out Johnny’s design and music work here!

We’ve also just launched a new Store which you can see here.

I was recently talking to a friend about guitar playing and motivation to practice (it seemed like he had a hard time staying motivated).  I’ve always liked to practice, and have been easily motivated to play my guitar for hours. I told him that when I heard a solo  that really moved me, I had a hard time not picking up my guitar. He asked which solos ‘’moved me’’?  Then I started thinking about all the solos that I’ve found over the years that I have been really influenced by, that really got into my head and then can’t stop thinking about for days.

So once a month I’m going to post a song with a solo that makes me want to run for my guitar and practice for hours. Hopefully they’ll have the same effect on you.

The first one that comes to mind for me is Chester B. Atkins 1953 solo on Sweet Georgia Brown. I usually prefer solos that sound ‘’spur of the moment’’, as if they could possibly fall apart at any time, but don’t. Chet’s solo on this song sounds composed, but it’s composed perfectly from beginning to end. I can’t remember who turned me on to the ‘’Jazz from the Hills’’ by the Country All Stars, but even after years of listening to this, I still have to fight the urge to run for my guitar.

Sweet Georgia Brown

I am finally taking the time to share the story of how I found my grandfather’s 53 Buick Riviera at a swap meet. Even twelve years later, it’s still hard for me to believe. The Buick is not just a car to me, its part of my family history, so I’ll begin by sharing a bit of background about my grandfather.

Denny Sermersheim was part of “the greatest generation”. He was given the nickname “Summertime” by his C.O. during World War II. His love of engines started at an early age. Denny attended Carter Carburetor School in St. Louis, MO, and was working at Allison Engineering in Indianapolis, IN when he enlisted in the Navy. After attending Packard Marine Engine School, he was the engineering officer of the Ron 9 PT Boat Squadron. Based in the South Pacific, Denny’s squadron was the team that rescued John F. Kennedy when he was stranded on an island behind enemy lines. That story was depicted in the 1963 film “PT 109” staring Cliff Robertson and Robert Blake. I’ve shared a great photo that I have of Denny, with a smile on his face, making a still out of scraps in the jungle to make the time at war a bit more bearable.

After the war, not wanting to live with humidity ever again, Denny moved his family from Indiana to Inglewood, CA. He never lost his enthusiasm for perfecting the performance of an engine so he went to work for Harry Mann Chevrolet and then on to Simpson Buick. In 1953, wanting to own his own business, Denny bought a piece of land in Twentynine Palms, CA, about two hours outside of L.A. He went back to Jasper, Indiana, where he had grown up, to enlist the help of his father, Heamer, to build a home, and Denny’s new business, “Summertime’s Carburetor and Electric Service”. The Business slogan from day one was: “Engines Tuned Like A Fine Violin”. Like myself, my great-grandfather Heamer was a cabinet maker and musician.

While back in Indiana to pick up Heamer, Denny purchased a brand new 1953 Buick 2 Door Riviera 56R for $3500. Before he left the lot, Read more…