My Dad The Guitarist

It only recently came to my attention, that my dad used to be a singer and guitarist in a band, a really good one apparently.

History

My mom told me the story of how my dad’s friends gave her and her friend tickets to a gig my dad was playing at. My dad saw her dancing and after he had finished the show, he went over to her, asked her to dance, bought her a drink and the rest is history.

Musical

I always thought my dad was musically talented, he can really sing.  To be honest, he only usually sings when he is doing DIY or sings to my mum occasionally.  I always thought he could do it for a living and it turns out he did!

Opportunity

I discussed things with my mom and she said he was very talented.  He got scouted by an agent, not long after he met my mom but he didn’t take them up on the offer, as they fell in love and he didn’t want to leave her.  My mom did say, he had always really missed playing the guitar, but always felt that is where his talent lay and not with singing.  He much preferred being a guitarist.

Birthday

We were a bit stumped as to what to get dad for his birthday, it was his 60^th, so we wanted to get him something really special.

The consensus of the family was that we would buy him a guitar.  We all knew he would love it and it was special enough for his milestone birthday and he could play for us from time to time.

Researching

I was nominated to buy the guitar and I must admit to knowing nothing about guitars.  My mom showed me a picture of what he used to play and although, we were doubtful they were still being made, we could probably get the same make somewhere.  I research and looked at some guitar reviews online.  I visited some guitar stores and asked for lots of advice.

Gibson

I was told that my dad had played a Gibson electric guitar and they were definitely still around.  I opted for a black Gibson, Les Paul.  It was a decent price and came with a quality amp.  For the price it looked amazing.  Solid titanium and rosewood, it was beautifully made and looked stunning. We were all so happy with it and knew my dad would love it.

Birthday

We wrapped the amp and the guitar, which wasn’t the easiest task, the shape is so awkward.

We set one of our rooms up with chairs, a bit like a gig.  We had a glitter ball and moved my mom’s piano into the room from the dining room. All set.

My dad had been out all day, helping his friend build his extension.  We didn’t think he should work on his birthday but he loved to help people and especially when it comes to helping out with DIY.

He ran upstairs, got changed and came down to a house full.  All of the children, grandchildren, various varieties of animals and friends.  There were 100+ people who all came to join in the celebrations.

Moved to Tears

My dad loved his presents, jumpers, socks, aftershave and then he opened the big ones.  Tears started rolling down his cheeks.  My dad was so moved and couldn’t believe we had bought a guitar for him, let alone buying such a good one.

Gig

We then told my dad we had set up the room like a gig, so he could play for us.  We had set up all of the music, he can still read music, so he had everything he needed.

And Finally…

I have honestly never seen my dad so happy.  My mum joined him playing on the piano on a few songs. Some of us got up onto our makeshift stage to join him and we were singing and dancing for hours, we all had such a great time.

It was so lovely to see my dad play and see him and my mum enjoy themselves and reminisce about the good old days.  What a brilliant way to spend a day.