A Legacy

[cookieman15061]

I came across this old photo of my Mom's from around 1940. She is the little girl standing on the crate. The two young men on the ends are my Uncle's Bill and Bob both were excellent fiddle players and my Aunt Margie is the young lady with the guitar.

 

 

The older gentleman with the fancy shaped acoustic is my Grandfather. I never met him as he passed away a few years before I was born but a pretty good git picker I'm told.

 

The guitar is now owned by my younger brother who restored it to its original condition.

 

It's cool to have a love for music thats been passed down from generation to generation.

 

Anyone else?

[EVOL!]

 

Anyone else?

 

 

Not me. I am the first in my family (that I know of) and both sides of my family are *very* diverse and different. I guess my old man did play the snare in jr. high and my mom sang in a folk duo for a year. Not sure if either of those count.

[Hall]

From the photo boxes in my attic, it appears on the elder side of my Granny's family: Saturday nights in the area barns; Sundays at church.

[BigKahune]

Okay, I'll bite.

 

My father at age 12 could really handle a 120. Another pic a few years ago at 72, still playing. He's 80 now and the ol' 120 is a bit too much for him, but he plays a keyboard now and then. He got me started - on accordion, which grew into keyboards in general. I also play sax. Eventually I got into guitars. Thanks dad.

 

. . .

[cookieman15061]

Okay, I'll bite.

 

My father at age 12 could really handle a 120. Another pic a few years ago at 72, still playing. He's 80 now and the ol' 120 is a bit too much for him, but he plays a keyboard now and then. He got me started - on accordion, which grew into keyboards in general. Play sax. Eventually I got into guitars. Thanks dad.

 

. . .

 

BK thats awesome! Great pics too!

[BigKahune]

.

Thanks Cookie. I enjoyed your pic and family history too.

 

GG had a thread like this a couple years ago in the acoustic forum - lots of responders, with very enjoyable stories and photos. Hope we get more here.

[cookieman15061]

Thats it?

No one else had parents/ grandparents/ siblings that passed on a love of playing music.

 

 

[charlie brown]

No photos, unfortunately, but my Grandmother (on my Mother's side) was a

Classical Guitarist, and my Mother, played sax. She and my Dad were both

good singers/harmonizers, and they would often do that, on our "road trips,"

to Colorado, or other destinations, to visit friends, or relatives. It's a

fond memory, of mine. So, when I showed an interest in guitar, at 13, which

was about 18 months, after my Dad died, I was very much encouraged. She had

to go to work (2 jobs, and night school, too), and still managed to scrape

up enough money, to give me a new (in 1964) Fender Strat (which I still own),

as a 14th birthday present.

 

CB

[Searcy]

Very cool Photo. That old guitar is a KayKraft. I have two of them and they are fantastic guitars made by Kay in the 30's.

 

 

 

This is my Great Grandfather E.J. with the banjo along with my great aunt and her husband from some time in the 30's I think. I'm told I look a lot like him.

 

 

This is my grand mother and grand father in their church in the 50's. My dad still has and plays that little 1934 Martin.

 

[BigKahune]

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Searcy - - really nice pics. And those Kays are very cool.

 

 

 

 

 

CB - - Nice story about yer mom buying you such a fine instrument at a young age.

[ksdaddy]

I think somewhere in my mother's photo albums there's a pic of my father about 1948 or 49 with his new J-45. I'll make it a point to ask about it.

[fl00dsm0k3]

my grandma and uncle played guitar

[cookieman15061]

Very cool Photo. That old guitar is a KayKraft. I have two of them and they are fantastic guitars made by Kay in the 30's.

 

 

 

 

 

Hey thanks for the info on the KayKraft acoustic Searcy. I don't know how much research my brother did on them.

Great family pics also.

[WahKeen]

I just recently found out, about 6 years ago, that my paternal grandfather was a classical guitar player who had learned from a highly respected player in Central America. I never knew that until my father told me.

 

When I was in my teens, my dad wasn't too keen on me getting an electric guitar. I remember the look on his face when I walked through the door with it. He got upset and had this look of disgust. He thought I was going to follow the path of a "bum" musician and not concentrate on my studies. He was very old school. To me any guitar would have been a "no no".

 

During the last 12 years or so, I spent time trying to "prove" myself to him (the son proving himself to his father thing). Now, since I play for God, he mellowed out and says he can't remember disapproving of it. LOL, I could never forget. Now it doesn't matter what I play, he doesn't care.

 

Anyway, that's all I know. I'm glad I was able to play for my father at his 70th birthday celebration and at his 25th year pastoral anniversary. If I hadn't had the opportunity, I would have been a very angry man. He's still with us and I feel so grateful. That's my story.

[pippy]

Great snaps and stories, everyone!

 

Like BigKahune's, my father was an accordionist. I have a snap somewhere on one of my hard-drives of his squeeze-box and I'll try to dig it out tomorrow.

 

He played in dance bands and Scottish country bands from about 13 years of age and was "Lead Accordion", if you like, by 16.

 

He and my mother bought loads of instruments to fill the house for my elder (-by-one-year) brother and I when we were only about 5 or 6 and our love for music came from him.

 

After both my parents died I brought some of these down to London and have his old Alto Sax, Bb clarinet, mandolin (in my avatar) and ukulele banjo - all of which Chloe can play with as and when she's big enough. At the moment she loves to 'plink' on the mandolin. Unfortunalely his beautiful old (1930's) Italian Accordion's bellows had 'gone home' and, as neither my brother nor myself could ever see ourselves getting 'round to executing a proper repair, we had to let it go...sad but unavoidable.

 

P.

[Shnate McDuanus]

Hey, great stories and pictures everyone. Searcy--that 1930s pic of your great-grand and the others is fascinating!

 

Dad was my first guitar teacher and still my favorite guitarist to this day. He taught me my open chords and everything I need to know about playing Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel. A few years later and we still like to jam whenever I come home from college. That's about it, for me. Oh, and my grandmother is a very good pianist. We used to crowd around the piano and sing while she played piano whenever we visited them in Florida. It's been a few years since we've done that, now.

[codename]

My dad and brother both played as far back as I can remember but I didn't till around 20. Dad was a square dance caller in his band in the late 40's.Brother never played in a band but I continued the legacy from 95-03.

[cookieman15061]

Great stuff gang!

[FirstMeasure]

My Dad played in Surf Bands in the 60's, but I don't know If there's any pictures. I'll have to get back to you on that.

[BigKahune]

My Dad played in Surf Bands in the 60's, but I don't know If there's any pictures. I'll have to get back to you on that.

 

I'd love to see a couple if you get lucky and find some.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying the posts. B)

[Kimbabig]

My father is quite the accordion virtuoso (not really) I've got an uncle who owns a beautiful old LP Custom (which his son broke the headstock off of) He has a son who plays guitar, and a son who plays bass. I've got a cousin down in Georgia who's very proficient at piano. Another side of the family has a cousin whom plays basically every instrument, and a drummer. I've got a sister who thinks that she can sing.

[DAS44]

My uncle was a darned fine guitarist, though I never had a chance to meet him. His wife still has all his guitars, and I believe their daughter has a couple too. If any of you remember the ol' song "One Toke Over the Line" (sweet jesus <whistles>), he had those two over to jam one night. Legend has it that he and another uncle of mine played cards with Muddy Waters.

 

My family always saw me as a second in a string of guitarists.

[TommyK]

No pics yet.

 

My siblings and I all took piano lessons from about 8 years on. Some of us quit (ahem) before others. I don't think I got through the first 3 John Schaumm books, neither did my brother. My sisters all made it through all 12. My three sisters all played organ at church in their formative years. One still does, now that her boys are old enough to behave in church. Mind you I said "old enough".

 

We all were in the school band from about 7th grade on.

 

We have amongst us, two drummers and marimba players, baritone/euphonium, tuba and trombone, and yes, guitar. My drummer sisters always wanted to play the titoms or timbale's in the marching band, but the band director relegated them to lead snare drum. You'd be surprised how many drummers cannot count. My sisters, with their piano background, could count, so it was to the beat of their drum that we all marched to. We had a smart band director. My older sister's daughter had the same thing happen to her. "Snare drum, young lady. I need someone there who can count!"

 

My mom played french horn in HS, my Dad Sousaphone. My dad is probably the only farmer in central Illinois with his own rosewood barred 5 octave marimba.

 

Both my folks are good singers. All my siblings are. Some of my earliest memories are of me sitting or standing next to my dad (because I behaved better next to him) in church and hearing him sing out all the hymns.

 

I don't know about my Mom's side. I've heard no other musical attributes from that side of the family. I'll have to ask her. I do have a cousin on that side, who sang with some local garage band in our collective youth.

 

On my Dad's, dad's side, a dearth of musicians.

 

We get our musicality, I guess, from my dad's grandmother on his mother's side. She taught piano and voice lessons and was quite well known for several counties around for her singing ability. She played and sang in church. She did, from time to time, hire out for weddings and such. I was given my Great grandmother's 'Autograph book'. It was signed by many of her friends and relatives. Most have some short story about an event to remember, most from the late 1800's. Not one syllable about music though, darn.

 

My brother's daughter is quite gifted as a vocalist. She sings in operas, musicals, and the Star Spangled Banner at ball games. She can really belt it out. Her brother is quite gifted as well, but not as motivated by it all.

 

All my children, nieces and nephews have played / do play instruments at one time or another. I, currently, am the only devoted guitarist... for now.