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In 1964 I was a struggling guitar picker wanting so much to learn to play
like Chet and be the new kid on the block in Nashville like so many of us
have dreamed of doing. But as a lot of us found out that is a hard road and
the pavement is rough. But one thing that turned me in the right direction
was when I met Chet for the first time. A friend of mine ran the morning
show in my home town and took me to see Chet in Asheville, NC. He got me in
to see Chet for just a few minutes but that was all that I needed. He shook
my hand and talked to me and told me to "just be myself" and play the best
that I could. At the age of 12 that is enough to really inspire you to do
that. So from that point I "did my own thing" and played the best that I
could achieve at the time. My playing improved and finally the one thing
that made it all worthwhile was a small group of people that I was playing
for coming to me and really wanting me to play more for them. I found at
that point that it isn't the fame and the "Nashville" scene that I was
striving for. I just wanted recognition for what I had achieved.
Chet made that happen for me because he had been there and "done his own
thing" before I thought of it. That is what makes him "Mr. Guitar". I have
since met Chet many times and through his music I have achieved a lot since
1964. People such as Paul Yandell, Nokie Edwards, Joe Edwards, Buster Jones,
Tommy Jones have become "friends" that I talk with, play with and friends
that have led me again in paths that I never thought of.
Being a Thumbstyle guitar picker has made my life a good one. My guitar and
Chet have been a constant companion every day. Always close by to help me and
keep my dreams and goals within reach. It is a brotherhood like no other I
have ever known. My association with other pickers that I have only met on
the internet has been just as fulfilling because no one that is a fingerstyle
picker has ever been a stranger. Always helpful and willing to share
knowledge and wonderful stories. I have an awesome respect for Chet and his
musical creations.
-Dan Bishop
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