BOOKER’S GUITAR
Some years ago, after one of my concerts during a UK tour, a fan
approached me as I was signing cd’s and said:
“If you’d like to see and play the National guitar that belonged to the
famous Delta bluesman Bukka White, I could meet you at your hotel tomorrow
morning”. He was a man in his sixties
with an earnest, pleasant manner and I could tell he was sincere. He went on, “I’m a big fan of your music,
Eric, and I’m so glad a new generation is keeping this great acoustic blues
tradition alive. I’m a professional
photographer and I’d be happy to take some pictures of you with the guitar.”
So, I thanked him and arranged to meet him at my hotel the next morning
at ten…
…Sure enough, he showed up with his son, carrying a brown leather guitar
case and some camera equipment. My new
friend’s name was Keith and he introduced me to his son, Richard. I remember thinking that maybe Richard had
come along to provide security for the guitar while it was beyond the safety of
their home. After all, the instrument I
was about to behold was very valuable, if not priceless…
Keith proudly opened the case and reverently handed me Booker’s
guitar. It was a steel-bodied instrument
and it was heavy. Keith said, “Booker
used to call it Hard Rock. Go on, play
it.”
Just holding it filled me with wonder.
It felt alive…
The sound was big – rich and mellow. I put it in Drop D tuning and
began playing ‘Needed Time”. Keith
pointed out the heart-shaped charm that Booker had adhered to the
headstock. “The guitar was made in 1934
and at some point Booker had the steel body re-chromed”…
It had obviously been well cared for over the years. The personalized headstock looked weathered
and wise. I also noted a hand-written
set list taped on the upper side.
Realizing that this was indeed the very same guitar Booker White had
played and recorded with throughout his career sent a thrilling shudder through
my soul.
Keith continued: “I once showed
it to Booker’s famous cousin B.B. King and he said he remembered seeing it at
Booker’s place in Memphis
years and years ago. B.B. called it the Holy Relic.”
Keith took some nice pictures and promised to send them to me. It was time for me to hit the road, so I
reluctantly placed the guitar in its velvet-lined case and ran my finger across
the strings before closing the lid. “If
you ever want to record with Hard Rock, let me know”, said Keith as we said our
goodbyes…
…”By the way, Keith, how did the guitar wind up in your possession?”
“Booker, who never really liked the nickname Bukka, first came to England with
the American Folk Blues Festival. Being
an avid fan of the music, I jumped at the chance to see some of my heroes in
person when they came to my town…
…After a great show, I made my way backstage to meet and photograph the
performers. And that was the beginning
of my friendship with the great Booker White.”
“He returned to the UK
a few more times and we kept in contact in between visits through letters and
phone calls.
I made some cassettes of Booker’s earliest recordings from the 1930’s
and sent them to him in Memphis. He was very moved and grateful to me for
that. He’d not heard those records in
many years. I remember he called me and
said he spent hours listening to them while sitting on his porch with friends…
…Not long before Booker passed on, in 1977, he packed up Hard Rock and
shipped it to me as a token of his friendship.
He was a wonderful, thoughtful man and I’ll never forget him.”
“What an amazing story”, I said.
Keith and I kept in touch over the next few years and one day the song
“Booker’s Guitar “ came to me. I called
Keith and he was eager to hear it. I
sent him the lyrics. He placed my
hand-written words in Hard Rock’s case so they could get acquainted…
My touring schedule, by this time, was hectic – but I knew that, before
too long, I would have to make time to
record “Booker’s Guitar” with –Booker’s Guitar!