The Amp Garage

[LeftyStrat]

I was going through some old photos, came across some photos I took shortly after moving to Seattle. One of the first things once we were settled was to go to Hendrix' grave site. My kids were young, so I needed to explain to them what we were doing.

Some background. I was born in '59. At the age of eight (1967), I told my parents I wanted to play guitar. My father was program director and morning DJ at the local rock station. He would bring home the singles he deemed "too heavy" for the sleepy little southern town I grew up in, and give them to me.

Anyway, my parents bought me a guitar and sent me to guitar lessons, and I just couldn't get it. In 1969, I heard and saw video of Hendrix for the first time, and realized I had been given a right handed guitar. I flipped the strings and nut, and since I had already been researching the blues that inspired guys like Beck, Clapton, Peter Green, etc. started picking off licks from the blues albums I had collected. One of those was "Born Under a Bad Sign" by Albert King. By seventeen (1976), I was in a sixties cover band doing The Who, Cream, etc. (And our closer was 'Beck's Bolero'). I eventually got good enough to cop Hendrix solos, and many would come up and complement me, though in later years, some people would say I sounded like Robin Trower or SRV.

Back to the grave visit. I bought a single yellow rose (or golden rose) to put on the gravesite. After I put it there, I turned around to see another guy standing there waiting to pay his respects. And my daughter blurted out, "That's the guy that taught my Daddy how to play guitar."

I completely lost it, and started crying. I look up to see the other guy crying too.

My wife took the kids back to the car, and him and I sat their reminiscing about out favorite Hendrix tunes.

Anyway, here are the photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thudson/49380280/in/set-1072121/lightbox/

[Structo]

Thanks for the story Lefty.

Yes he touched many hearts.

Interesting about being a lefty and not knowing it.

My brother does just about everything with his left hand but plays guitar right handed.