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Not blues, but nostalgic...

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 8:39 am
by Blindboy
One of my Dads college buddys wanted to learn guitar... He, and my father, and a man named Baxter Taylor went on to form the Wayfairers Trio. Later, my Dads friend, Mason, worked as head writer for the Smothers Brothers TV show. Mason had written a song, and he asked my father, who was a gifted luthier by then, to make him a visually notable guitar to debut it on television. Dad made this acrylic guitar, fully playable, but not especially toneworthy, and Mason won a Grammy for the song "Classical Gas". I don't know what became of the guitar, last I heard our friend John Hartford owned it, but he is dead now. I do know where the life sized poster of the Greyhound bus from Masons first album is... It's in my attic.
https://youtu.be/MCxuKo1WZRs

Re: Not blues, but nostalgic...

Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 3:53 pm
by 12bar
:yikes: Now that's a story! :thumbsup:
I love this song (who doesn't), but didn't know the story behind the guitar. Thanks! :dance:

PS- found this on Wikipedia:
In 1970, Williams made a television appearance on a variety show, Just Friends, which reunited regulars of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. To create a visual element for his performance, he used a special playable classical plexiglass guitar built for him by Billy Cheatwood and a prop designer for ABC. For the performance, Williams filled the guitar with water and added a couple of goldfish. He then used the plexiglass guitar to finger-sync his hit version of "Classical Gas".[10]

Re: Not blues, but nostalgic...

Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 11:10 pm
by MikeL
Very cool story and roots. I've heard that song dozens of times and didn't know a thing about it. Nice photo montage on the YouTube vid. 1968 was a year filled with triumphs and tragedies. Thanks for posting.