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The talent behind the man, from the man
The question often comes up, "Gar...when did you
start playing?" and then a conversation sparks on
my music background. So, I suppose I will start my
approach in the same manner but with a little more
detail.
I have to admit, I
came from a very musically talented family. As the
story would have it, I use to sit in amazement listening
to my dad strum and sing. He was and still is my
hero, and he has always given me valuable advice.
In this though, I have to include my grampap (as I called
him) who use to, in days gone by, spend his time playing
on the radio and running around with the likes of others such as Hawkshaw Hawkins, who he called high-pockets because he
was so tall.
Our family became very close
with another family who was in the music field and a woman who use to play music with Buck Owens
would baby-sit me (so to speak) as I was growing up in a
suburb outside of Pittsburgh. So with all this
talent around, I suppose some of it was bound to
rub off on me.
I had a wonderful
childhood, and the word awesome, doesn't even begin to
describe my memories of that time period. In 4th
grade I started playing one of those "flute-things" I
think they call them recorders. And in 5th grade I
started on the saxophone, and played it all through
high-school. But at age 13 my interest peaked with
the music of my family and of my inherited musical
family. I guess that's where the story of me and
my guitar got its start.
I remember
watching so intently as my dad would chord his guitar,
and when we would visit grama and grampap, I would do
the same. Then I would take one of those guitars
and try it on my own, of course I had the usual
questions, but I kept practicing until I would get good
sound and a good chord. My dad would, so
patiently, set with me and tell me what to do through
different songs of that era as he would sing me the tune
while I tried to find the lead part. It sure brings a
smile to my face when I think back to those days.
Now I have to tell you, my grampap was no slouch
when it came to playing his guitar and singing.
But that all goes without saying I suppose when you take
into consideration his radio days and the people he
knew. But the point is this, one day he took this
beautiful old harmony guitar he had and grabbed a
flat-pick and all of a sudden he whipped off "steel
guitar rag". Then he handed me the guitar and
said, now you play it. I just looked at him with
my mouth still hanging open in awe. I think my
words were, "how did you do that?" So he showed me
one more time, and said if you can play that before you
leave here this weekend you can have that guitar.
Oh boy....now there was a challenge, but oh what an
incentive!
I remember sitting the whole
weekend with just that guitar and that tune that was now
burnt into my head. I worked hard trying to
remember every stroke of the pick, every note that I
heard and trying to put it all together...and finally
when Sunday rolled around, I played it back for him and
listen, he was a man of his word. I took that
guitar home with me.
My dad continued to
help me with my notes and playing ability as I continued
further down the road. By the time I was 16, the
word was somehow getting around that this kid wasn't too
bad with an axe; and I remember my mom and dads phone
would continuously ring with bands and people looking
for a lead player.
One day my grampap
handed me a thumb-pick and told me about a guy named
Chet Atkins. He told me, "this guy plays
everything at the same time, the bass, the melody, the
harmony, and all the in-between - then showed me a
record and said, go play the record and listen; so I
did. Ha, after listening to that album I said,
"there ain't no way, there ain't no way one guy can play
all that stuff at one time." But I soon came to
find out I was wrong about my out-of-line opinion and
yes in deed, Chet was playing it all. I remember
saying to Grampap, that guy is good, and he replied, you
ain't whistling dixie he's good. But understand,
what I didn't know was Dad and Grampap would frequent
Nashville, and they'd seen Chet in action.
So for me, it was now back to the drawing board, but
this time with a thumb-pick. Oh how I smile at
those memories. I took that guitar and thumb-pick
and I would sit on one of the steps that led up to my
parents bedroom with my first 3 fingers taped together
so they would stay in the strings as I tried this new
thing. After about two weeks straight, I at least
had something new and unique I was able to do, and from
then on it was just practice. Teaching my fingers
to do things they could never do before, and keeping my
thumb on those lower strings.
But I still
practice, over and over, just not with tape on my
fingers anymore...haha. Any musician will testify,
it takes practice if you want to be good; but it also
takes steady, continuous learning, and a humble heart to
be exceptional.
I want to leave you with this
one last thought - I know all too well that my talent,
whether from my voice or from my guitar, is a God-Given
ability. And it is only through Him that I have
that talent; therefore, you will not find me in
questionable establishments, and I would encourage you
to allow God to use your talent for His Glory. I
can promise you...He will bless you for that more than I
could ever explain.
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| Whether it is gospel or country, you're sure to
enjoy every note. Click below to preview clips from some of his music. |
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| NOTE - All Recording Has Been
Delayed Due To The Death Of Pastor John ~~ (My
Dad). |
Dad went on to be with Jesus June 24th.
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Clips from "A Very Gary Christmas" CD |
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The Gospel Guitar of Gary Jones
release date ? |
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Memories Vol-1
release date ? |
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Daily Blessings
Your Daily Memory
Verse
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