On a random weekend in the summer of 1990 my Dad took me to the Silverlake New York Bluesfest being headlined by the legendary Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown with special guest Danny "The Greatest Unknown Guitar Player" Gatton and the local greats "The Cold Shot Blues" featuring my friend Tom Townsley who graciously invited me to set in for a few tunes.  I arrived that day the same way I arrived at all my gigs, anxiously. The sight of blackface Fender Amps, vintage PA gear and an awesome 1953 Fender Telecaster had me in sensory overload. 

I love early Fender gear.  It takes you to California even before you even know what California is. This particular gear belonged to a guitarist, whom up until then I was unfamiliar with, named Danny Gatton.  I mean I had already listened and studied Roy Buchanon' s Livestock album from New York's Town Hall.  I thought I heard what a Telecaster was capable of, especially since Silverlake New York was the site of another encounter with a Telecaster master, the legend Albert Collins, only a few months earlier.

Meanwhile, I was busy playing an over eager and sloppy solo in the key G with...

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On a random weekend in the summer of 1990 my Dad took me to the Silverlake New York Bluesfest being headlined by the legendary Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown with special guest Danny "The Greatest Unknown Guitar Player" Gatton and the local greats "The Cold Shot Blues" featuring my friend Tom Townsley who graciously invited me to set in for a few tunes. I arrived that day the same way I arrived at all my gigs, anxiously. The sight of blackface Fender Amps, vintage PA gear and an awesome 1953 Fender Telecaster had me in sensory overload. I love early Fender gear. It takes you to California even before you even know what California is. This particular gear belonged to a guitarist, whom up until then I was unfamiliar with, named Danny Gatton. I mean I had already listened and studied Roy Buchanon' s Livestock album from New York's Town Hall. I thought I heard what a Telecaster was capable of, especially since Silverlake New York was the site of another encounter with a Telecaster master, the legend Albert Collins, only a few months earlier.

Meanwhile, I was busy playing an over eager and sloppy solo in the key G with the Cold Shot Blues Band and was eagerly awaiting that day's main attraction. I was approached along with my Dad by a very nice fellow wearing a Danny Gatton T-shirt saying how much he enjoyed my playing. We chatted awhile all along thinking it was Danny\'s road manager or guitar tech until he asked me if I wanted to see his 53 Telecaster and sit in with the band!! That extremely nice, mellow, humble blue-collar guy was indeed Danny Gatton himself. I was so taken back by his generosity and then he started to play for me. He made it a real point to explain how good these rail pickups were, made by his friend Joe Barden in Virginia. Four guitarists have ever made me tremble at the mere sound they were able to produce as I witnessed it live in person... Eric Clapton, BB King, Jeff Beck and Danny Gatton. I knew from the onset, my life was gonna change for the better and in the short term for the worse. In the long term, I was witnessing the greatest American electric guitarist this country had ever produced. This is a fact, not an opinion or subject for numpty hacks to take the piss out of online or otherwise. I knew the man well and his peers and friends would say the same. In the short term it made my own guitar skills seem weak, unprepared and honestly amateur. I know I was only 12 years old but I have not changed much in 36 years and not at all in 32 years since I first played guitar. I still watch footage of Danny and it is quite frankly humbling. After the gig was over I met Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (the first time I ever saw an ivory pistol used to light a cigarette) and got to chat with Danny. He asked me about my background in music and what I was listening to? He thought it was cool that I was going around playing at blues festivals as it reminded him of when his Dad took him to Bluegrass festivals in the late 50\'s and early 60's.

To sum up the relationship Danny and I had for the last 4 years of his life, it would go like this: Whether it would be at Johnny D\'s in Boston or the Cat Club in New York, he was responsible for shaping my guitar playing and my taste in music. I remember him saying something in passing to me in New York as he applied a mixture of Heineken and cigarette ash to his fresh set of Fender Super Bullet .010 to .046 strings. He said, "Joe, you know a little about the blues but nothing about jazz, bluegrass, and real rock and roll - not this shit on the radio but people like Carl Perkins, Elvis and Gene Vincent. You have a lot of work to do son. Here are some records you need to buy... Oh by the way check out this new Tele Fender just build me, The Danny Gatton Model." I gave him hug outside the Bottomline in New York and sent him a Christmas card for I received one back from him. The last words he said to me were, "keep doing what you’re doing, it’s gonna take awhile but it’s gonna be worth it in the end." Wiser words have not been spoken to me ... I miss that guy in more ways than I can explain ...

If I could say anything to him today...It would be simply thanks for the fantastic gift of music he gave me and for being so nice and humble.

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