The Chetboard

Rande....Thanks for the post about Tommy Jones. His rendition of Shenandoah is one of the most beautiful things that I have ever heard. The CAAS has lost so many great players since it's onset. Chet, Jerry, Tommy, Buster, Marcel, Nato, and it's founder Jim. I have Tommy's old Haile ,it' still sounds great although I certainly don't do it justice nor do I think many can as Tommy did. Thanks Stan.

Stan, it was at that guitar workshop in Connecticut that I first met you in 1988. I had pictures taken with Chet probably the same day you did. I remember you having owned 40+ guitars at that point.

I agree with you about Tommy's version of "Shenandoah". I first heard him do it in person the night I met him. Archie Campbell was doing a special show in Gatlinburg, TN. on July 5, 1976 and he brought Tommy with him. I had been a fan of Tommy's for 4 years before then. I first saw him on the "Hee-Haw" show in 1972 and Roy Clark finished his intro by saying "......and when he gets done I'm going to take him back stage and step on his hands." In 1974 I located his first LP and 2 years after that we met. We became friends from then on until he passed away in Sept. 2002. He would have been 48 the next month.

A couple of interesting things that I remember him telling me was that the physical mechanics were always easy for him with very little practice. He told me that he actually started playing at 12 and he made his first album at 16. Those 4 years were pretty potent! And the other thing I was going to mention was that he would tell me how much better he played after a 3 week layoff! I could never do that!

Rande