While home after Boot Camp in 1965, I visited a local Music Shoppe on Lake Street in Minneapolis, "just to look around", at what they had inside. It was something to do on a weekday early afternoon. As I was looking around, I asked (on a whim) "Do you have any Martin Guitars?" "Just got one in...over there in the case on the floor." There is was . . . a Martin D-28, still wrapped in plastic, in a plush lined cardboard case. A Martin guitar...just like the Kingston Trio use! To me it was the best thing that I could imagine seeing. "How much is it?" I asked with fear of being way over what I could afford. "$350.00" the man said. WOW! There goes my savings account! The salesman told me the first one with the money gets the guitar. I rushed to clear out my bank account and hurried back as fast as my car would go....thank goodness the police were at the donut shop so I made it back to the Shoppe with cash in hand. It was mine! A Martin D-28, brand new...right from Nazareth, Pennsylvania! Nazareth...Just north of Bethlehem, PA.....hmmmm. Another town, another place....hmmm. Moving on! What a find I had made, and it was beautiful! I took it with me, of course, when I went back to work and eventually ended up at CINCLANTFLT headquarters print shop in Norfolk, VA. That is where I met my wife to be, and, indeed, courted her with my guitar on the beach of Chesapeake Bay.
When we got off Active duty in November of 1967 and moved back to Minneapolis I was able to reconnect with Tom Pederson quite often and we would get together with our wives, playing cards and jamin' until the wee hours of the morning. What fun we had.
My brothers Guy and Greg and one of their friends had a band for a while, and that was fun. Can't even remember what we called ourselves, but it didn't matter because it wasn't about our name, it was about enjoying what we did.
After another period of Active Duty to Viet Nam, and getting with a small band, I played a bass guitar for a bit. I had fun jamin' and playing country music it was a continual saturation of music which, on a major Naval vessel on Yankee Station off the coast of Viet Nam, was a good stress relief on of the purpose of us being there. We practiced in my work space as I was the supervisor of the Ship's Print Shop, and had some space we could use without getting in anybody's way. When I got released from Active Duty (being a Reservist) in January of 1971. My home for two tours of Viet Nam, the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) was going to be decommissioned, and I wasn't needed any longer. So, Pat and I, along with our now two children, David and Amy, moved back to Minneapolis and my family, where I worked for my Dad in his print shop, and settled in to our new Civilian lifestyle.
We eventually moved to Pat's hometown of Henderson, Nevada around 1986 or so, where the church and my music eventually got together (as we have visited in previous posts). With all the playing at Church on Sunday and then Saturday, it was a heavenly feeling of playing Praise music and singing about God, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit so regularly. There came the time when I discovered that the back of my Martin had developed a seam parting (crack) and that was not a good thing. I feared sending all the way to the Martin Company, not because they couldn't repair it, but having it gone from my hands that long. Some day, I may take a road trip to Nazareth and drop it off with them for a bit so they can do their magic with it. But for now, I purchased a GUILD guitar that has almost the same sound quality and plays very well too...so we are content, and my Martin is tucked away safely. While still out in Henderson, I decided that I really needed to learn how to play a Pedal Steel Guitar AND a mandolin! I played the steel several times at church for worship and at the Talent Show for a duet, singing a beautiful song. That was nice. Still learning, somewhat. My Mandolin is hanging on my office wall. It looks pretty. Still getting around to getting around to learning how to play it.
"Chillin'" Chuck Gates performing
in the Annual Mary Powell Talent Show
at First Henderson United Methodist Church, Henderson Nevada
2012
One of my life's highlights happened while at First Henderson UMC. A gentleman by the name of Charles (Chuck) Gates asked me if I could teach him how to play the guitar. Chuck is a quiet and gentle man. I jumped at the chance to share my love of music with him. We got together weekly at the church and I started teaching him the chords, the progression of what made up each key, and some more fun stuff of filling in to make every thing flow smoothly. Progress was being made. Chuck was a great student and was learning as fast as I was teaching him. One day he came into the room and said, "I have written a song." I asked him to play it for me. He did, and it was very good. I showed him what a chorus and what a verse was and how there was a normal limit of verses, NOT 8 or nine but 3 or four and what a "bridge" was used for, stuff like that. We worked out the kinks and developed his music into a very presentable work of art...actually Chuck....Art had nothing to do with it...he wasn't even there! (humor me, ok?) Mr. Chuck Gates is a song writer, singer, guitar player of quality. I think he has written about seven or eight songs that are ALL spiritual based running the gamut of styles from blues to gospel to maybe even one you could classify as 'contemporary'. He has stepped out and, I hear, is even singing every once in a while for special music at the Praise and Celebration Worship service! We had some real quality time in creating music that was on Chuck's heart and in his mind, that he needed to get out and be shared with the world. I shared one of them with a congregation I was Pastoring a while back and they really appreciated the music and the message of the song. He is one of my favorite memories of God at work with with someone that Loves the Lord and wants everyone to know that love through the media of MUSIC.
The point to this story is this: We never know what will develop or where we are going to end up. It is not ours to worry about. IF we trust in the Lord, it is HE that will guide us and put things into place for us to work with. All through this whole line of time, with all the people, places and situations taken place, God has been guiding, pushing at times, and putting people in our lives and having wonderful things take place at the proper time. Chuck has stepped out on faith and with some fear (that I think rapidly faded away, once he understood it was God standing beside him, holding him firm as he stands) to get in front of people as he sings his original songs for people to hear and be inspired about. We can do the same thing in our own special way. TRUST in the Lord. HE will guide your way.
Blessings,
Gary
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