| Music has always been a part of my life, although at
times, a little
less enjoyable than others.
For example when I was eight, my mother insisted that I was going to be the
next Lawrence Welk. She persisted in paying for accordion lessons until she
finally realized that maybe I wasn’t cut out for that kind of music.
Accordions, you see, were very popular back then.
My aunt, however, was a huge country and western fan and constantly had a
western station playing at her house. I can still remember sitting in her
kitchen listening to Web Pierce and Hank Snow and many other country greats. I
spent a great deal of time at my aunt’s and I guess that’s why
country music is ingrained in me.
Any way, in 1963, I was hitch hiking through Europe with a friend who
played guitar extremely well. He taught me the chords to the Everley
Brothers’ song Bye Bye Love and I was hooked. I have been ever since to
both the guitar and Everley Brothers’ music.
While in Europe I landed a job at a department store named Wm.
Whiteley’s Ltd.. I was told at the time by some of the employees that my
predecessor was a musician who had left Whiteley’s to play in a rock and
roll band. His name was Brian Jones. Many years later I confirmed this when I
read Bill Wyman’s book Stone Alone. By coincidence we went to an Everley
Brothers’ concert shortly after I joined Whiteley’s and believe it or
not third billing on the ticket in their first on stage performance were The
Rolling Stones. The point of this digression is just to show that timing is
everything in this world. By the way Bo Diddley had second billing.
That’s enough about me for now.
Thanks for your time. ~ Gared Baker | 
