By David McPherson
The Instruments
That Inspire Us
Canadian Musician’s 2017 Focus on Guitar
What are musicians without their instruments?
For many, a guitar is a constant companion – a godsend when
loneliness sets in or inspiration strikes. Many even give their
guitars a nickname. Think of Willie Nelson’s battered beauty,
Trigger, or Neil Young’s 1953 Les Paul, Old Black.
I grew up taking regular family trips to Aspen, CO, and the state’s
native son, John Denver, was my parents’ soundtrack of choice
on the portable tape deck that helped while away the hours
as we drove through the Rockies. I thought of Denver as I was
writing this piece and interviewing these half-dozen
award-winning songwriters and guitarists for this feature.
Specifically, I recalled the poetic way Denver describes
the 1910 Gibson guitar his grandmother
gave him when he was 12 years old, and
the special relationship that ensued
in his 1974 classic, “This Old
Guitar.” With lines like:
“This old guitar taught
me to sing a love song
/It showed me how
to laugh and how to
cry/It introduced
me to some friends
of mine/And
brightened up
some days,”
Denver pays homage to his trusty acoustic in fitting fashion.
Let’s hear what six JUNO Award-winning Canadian musicians have
to say about their favourite guitars and how these instruments
played a crucial role inspiring their muses and bringing forth the
songs on their most recent releases.
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