Potted History Part1

"In the begining, back in 1955,

Man didn't know about a Rock 'n' Roll show & all that jive"

As the discerning among you will know, these words were penned & sung, ney, Howled by the late Bon Scott whilst fronting for that Powerhouse of Rock, named AC/DC.

And it's with them that my technical knowledge of guitar started to take off, yes take off!

In the mid 1970s, thanks to a couple of AC/DC Guitar Tech's called 'Keith Evans' & 'Plugg', I became aquanted with nearly all things 'Rock 'n' Roll (Sometimes I learned by their mistakes & preserved my dignity & on occasions my well being!)

Keith previously worked for Black Sabbath & Judas Priest whilst Plugg earned his spurs with Jimmy Page. So these guys knew their stuff!

The first experience I had of how not to treat a guitar was when Keith removed the remains of a 'Flying V' (Hence my earlier reference to 'take off') from a flight case. The guitar's owner, one Michael Schenker, had got carried away whilst performing live with the Scorpions & had all but demolished the neck.

We delivered the guitar to a very talented Luthier by the name of John Diggins at his company in Birmingham UK called Jay Dee Guitars. John worked his particular brand of magic on the instrument & it made more than a full recovery, no comment was ever made about the guitar's owner.

Over the next few years of 'Blagging' Back stage passes for both Black Sabbath & AC/DC gigs, I picked up an understanding of how guitars should be cared for. These experiences have left an indelible mark on my mind & I still wince at the thought of a set of strings doing more than one gig.

1979 found me building stage equipment for AC/DC at a company called 'Light & Sound Design'. During my time there I designed & constructed many stage effects & lighting apparatus for well known bands of the day. 1982 saw my departure in to the world of Sylvaculture & Aboriculture.

There is much to do with making music that I have omitted from this session as I intend to address this side of my activities after the release of the debut CD from my band Backlash sometime in 2007.

the Potted history Part 2 will follow soon as I attempt to put the 'Electric Lady' project & my partnership with 'Chris Eccleshall' into context.