It was 1988, I believe, that I met Grit. We were both appearing in a
Canadian Folk Festival and as we sat backstage he handed me his guitar. I
played it, loved it, and then found out that he'd made it himself. 'Could
you make me one?' I asked. And so he did.About a month before it was finished Grit called me up and said, 'What do you want on the headstock?' Caught offguard, I said, 'Hmm, how about an old bluesman with an acoustic guitar?' Grit said, 'Interesting. I've never done a black man before.' So he went to his local library in Toronto (this is before Google, don't you know) and found a picture of an anonymous African-American guitar player and, using that as his inspiration, created this unique headstock out of mother-of-pearl and silver and brushed copper and exotic woods.
Early on I had to decide whether this guitar was a beautiful museum piece or a working axe, and I decided that I wanted to play it, not curate it. And so I have taken it with me on concert tours and airlines and recording sessions for close to fifteen years, and it has the scratches and dings to prove it. The sound has grown and sweetened over the years as well, and you can hear it on many of my recordings and, most likely, will see and hear me playing it if you come to a live show.
Check out Grit's website, you won't be sorry!"
More info to come.
