A person NOT a guitar found after 39 years! First, you will need a little background.
I am a retired high school teacher and coach and began teaching in Cheatham County, TN in fall of 1970, immediately interrupted by being drafted for two years of military service in the Army. When finished military obligation came back to Cheatham County and taught there intil fall of 1977. I was offered a job in the border county of Dickson and began teaching in Dickson County in Fall of 1977.
Now, this is what I have rediscovered 41 years later.
My first year in Dickson I had a student named Johnny G. an average looking 10th grader. But this 10th grader had one goal and that was to be a GREAT guitar finger picker. He made average to below average grades but was very very intelligent. His father had died when he was 9 and his mother had remarried a man who had an alcohol addiction so lots of time to be by yourself. Occasionally, I wondered whatever happened to Johnny G but never wondered enough to look for him.
In my of ery first post as a LTG member, I said an old used tire changer had recommended I get a Guild and I got the DV52 because LTG members convinced me the DV52 was my best buy on money I had budgeted for a guitar. Well, that old "tire changer" has become a great friend and a regular Tuesday stop where he has a couple Gibsons and Martins sitting in the corner. Last Tuesday-Nov 20, 2018-I asked the old "Tire Changer" who was the best guitar player "around here" and he said, "without a doubt, Johnny G." i was surprised Johnny G was still in Dickson County. I asked did he know where he lived and he did and told me. Also told me he was living in poverty by himself. He lives in one room of a block house with no running water and one very small electric heater (he got electricity in 2016). He stores drinking water in two 5 gallon bottles like you would see in an office complex.
I decided I was going to see him and see if I remembered him and/or he remembered me. I left the old "tire changer's" place and went straight to his block house as it was in an area of the county I was familiar with. Nervously, I knocked on the door and this 57 year old unshaved and soiled clothed man came to the door. I introduced myself and he said, "I remember you-you're Coach Rye the new coach we got when I was a Sophomore." We talked and smiled for 10 minutes or so with him at his door and me standing outside. He had such a gentle spirit about him. And just out of the blues he says, "coach will you take me to get a pack of cigarettes?" I did and enjoyed talking with Johnny G. during the 6 mile trip. He has no vehicle and never has. He walks every where he goes and an old farmer gives him odd jobs so he can make a little money to continue his poverty level survival. When we got back to his "house" he asked me to come in and visit some more. I was a little nervous not having any idea what I might find inside? This is what I saw when I stepped through the front door and closed it behind me. One room he lived in was sealed off from the rest of the house and he had an old old couch with a bed spread as a couch cover and on the couch were five baby kittens nursing a mamma cat. There were two chairs-one a delapidated office chair with arms and the second chair was his "guitar playing" chair with no arms. There was a couple rescued computer speakers and the worst looking acoustic guitar leaning up against his "playing" chair. The strings had to be 2-3 years old and string height was from 1/4 to 1/2 inch, the neck was bent and bowed and held together by a tennis shoe string, 8 frets were missing (lowers strings a little more), the saddle was grooved deep and a strip of the top of the guitar -between the saddle and sound hole had been carved with a butcher knife to match- allowing strings to be lowered more, the bridge was missing one end, and freezer tape on the top held on a piece of small wire that led to the two computer speakers. He had made some kind of homemade pickup and secured it to the guitar with freezer tape. The most pitiful looking guitar I had ever seen. I would not have given $20 for it. He said, "coach a guitar does not have to be pretty to produce a pretty sound."
After he told me all about the guitar he asked me to sit down. I sat in the delapidated office chair and he sat in the "guitar" chair. Then, I asked, "do you still play" and he said, "O yeh, I play and write 2 or 3 hours every day, would you like to hear a couple?" I do not know what I was expecting, but what I saw and heard would out class 90% of the pickers in Nashville. It really was hard to believe. He sat there and finger picked 3 of his originals. I asked him if he ever played with other groups and he said not much as they would have to come get him and let him use a good guitar and I thought, "good guitar my foot-if I could make a sloppy guitar like you are playing sound that good who needs a good guitar."
At one point he told me he read only two book and he reads them daily--The Bible and the dictionary.
To which I said, "do you play any religious music?" Said he plays every kind of music and said, "coach see if you recognize this one?" He picks with all five fingers and after the fourth note, I listened to the most beautiful playing of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" I have ever heard. Simply put hehas never pursued recognition for his playing. He is, perfectly, happy living in poverty and playing his guitar. In fact, i would say he is happier than 90% of the people in Dickson county.
He knows every note of every string of every fret and his left and right hands are synchronized, perfectly.
He wants no handout but I will figure out a way to allow him to help himself.
If any members ever get close to Dickson county, I will take you to meet him--just wear dirty clothes.
His playing woul make a Guild proud.
Just deal with all misspellings and errors as I am not rechecking such a long TRUE story.
I am a retired high school teacher and coach and began teaching in Cheatham County, TN in fall of 1970, immediately interrupted by being drafted for two years of military service in the Army. When finished military obligation came back to Cheatham County and taught there intil fall of 1977. I was offered a job in the border county of Dickson and began teaching in Dickson County in Fall of 1977.
Now, this is what I have rediscovered 41 years later.
My first year in Dickson I had a student named Johnny G. an average looking 10th grader. But this 10th grader had one goal and that was to be a GREAT guitar finger picker. He made average to below average grades but was very very intelligent. His father had died when he was 9 and his mother had remarried a man who had an alcohol addiction so lots of time to be by yourself. Occasionally, I wondered whatever happened to Johnny G but never wondered enough to look for him.
In my of ery first post as a LTG member, I said an old used tire changer had recommended I get a Guild and I got the DV52 because LTG members convinced me the DV52 was my best buy on money I had budgeted for a guitar. Well, that old "tire changer" has become a great friend and a regular Tuesday stop where he has a couple Gibsons and Martins sitting in the corner. Last Tuesday-Nov 20, 2018-I asked the old "Tire Changer" who was the best guitar player "around here" and he said, "without a doubt, Johnny G." i was surprised Johnny G was still in Dickson County. I asked did he know where he lived and he did and told me. Also told me he was living in poverty by himself. He lives in one room of a block house with no running water and one very small electric heater (he got electricity in 2016). He stores drinking water in two 5 gallon bottles like you would see in an office complex.
I decided I was going to see him and see if I remembered him and/or he remembered me. I left the old "tire changer's" place and went straight to his block house as it was in an area of the county I was familiar with. Nervously, I knocked on the door and this 57 year old unshaved and soiled clothed man came to the door. I introduced myself and he said, "I remember you-you're Coach Rye the new coach we got when I was a Sophomore." We talked and smiled for 10 minutes or so with him at his door and me standing outside. He had such a gentle spirit about him. And just out of the blues he says, "coach will you take me to get a pack of cigarettes?" I did and enjoyed talking with Johnny G. during the 6 mile trip. He has no vehicle and never has. He walks every where he goes and an old farmer gives him odd jobs so he can make a little money to continue his poverty level survival. When we got back to his "house" he asked me to come in and visit some more. I was a little nervous not having any idea what I might find inside? This is what I saw when I stepped through the front door and closed it behind me. One room he lived in was sealed off from the rest of the house and he had an old old couch with a bed spread as a couch cover and on the couch were five baby kittens nursing a mamma cat. There were two chairs-one a delapidated office chair with arms and the second chair was his "guitar playing" chair with no arms. There was a couple rescued computer speakers and the worst looking acoustic guitar leaning up against his "playing" chair. The strings had to be 2-3 years old and string height was from 1/4 to 1/2 inch, the neck was bent and bowed and held together by a tennis shoe string, 8 frets were missing (lowers strings a little more), the saddle was grooved deep and a strip of the top of the guitar -between the saddle and sound hole had been carved with a butcher knife to match- allowing strings to be lowered more, the bridge was missing one end, and freezer tape on the top held on a piece of small wire that led to the two computer speakers. He had made some kind of homemade pickup and secured it to the guitar with freezer tape. The most pitiful looking guitar I had ever seen. I would not have given $20 for it. He said, "coach a guitar does not have to be pretty to produce a pretty sound."
After he told me all about the guitar he asked me to sit down. I sat in the delapidated office chair and he sat in the "guitar" chair. Then, I asked, "do you still play" and he said, "O yeh, I play and write 2 or 3 hours every day, would you like to hear a couple?" I do not know what I was expecting, but what I saw and heard would out class 90% of the pickers in Nashville. It really was hard to believe. He sat there and finger picked 3 of his originals. I asked him if he ever played with other groups and he said not much as they would have to come get him and let him use a good guitar and I thought, "good guitar my foot-if I could make a sloppy guitar like you are playing sound that good who needs a good guitar."
At one point he told me he read only two book and he reads them daily--The Bible and the dictionary.
To which I said, "do you play any religious music?" Said he plays every kind of music and said, "coach see if you recognize this one?" He picks with all five fingers and after the fourth note, I listened to the most beautiful playing of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" I have ever heard. Simply put hehas never pursued recognition for his playing. He is, perfectly, happy living in poverty and playing his guitar. In fact, i would say he is happier than 90% of the people in Dickson county.
He knows every note of every string of every fret and his left and right hands are synchronized, perfectly.
He wants no handout but I will figure out a way to allow him to help himself.
If any members ever get close to Dickson county, I will take you to meet him--just wear dirty clothes.
His playing woul make a Guild proud.
Just deal with all misspellings and errors as I am not rechecking such a long TRUE story.
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