GORDON KENNEDY
But for my dad, and for me, it’ s not really about the guitar. When I brought it back from Shreveport and handed it to him, he just got quiet … He thought about his mother’ s sacrifice 70 years ago. Now, when I take it out to songwriter shows, I’ m not just playing a vintage Martin, I’ m sharing a story about legacy, family, and the fact that sometimes, the things you think are lost forever actually find their way home.
You know, Gordon, that’ s the stuff of our book, Between the Strings— amazing stories of life with the guitar. Peter Frampton contributed the story of the loss of his’ 54 Les Paul Black Beauty in 1980, before it was eventually recovered in
2011, and now known as“ Phenix.” But that’ s the whole point of the book, that the guitar is simply a vehicle for our life’ s journey, our growth and transformation, our being and becoming, and the generosity we encounter along the way.
That is so true. And I have found myself repeatedly on the receiving end of generosity. I’ ll give you another example. I’ ve got a Gibson B-25 that I bought from Chip Young’ s widow after he passed away. Chip was a giant in my life. In fact, the first time I ever did session work in a room with the“ big boys,” he sat right next to me and just sort of reached over with his arm— or his wing— and took me under there. He said,“ Let me
32 | SUMMER 2026