THE ARTIST

     I was born in Guyana and migrated to America in 1971. I learned to play the guitar at an early age. My first guitar had only three rusty strings. It belonged to my father. I saw the guitar behind my mother's vanity case and reached for it. The guitar never returned to that place again. Bro. Fitz Gabriel give me my first guitar lesson in the church that I attended. I was taught how to hold the chords C, F and G7, that I had to build calluses, that I should learn to move the chords as fast as I can, and to strum to a song. This was my first and last lesson at the church. Armed with this new knowledge, I immediately started practicing. I did not have money for new strings and never asked my dad for help. Instead, I feverishly practiced the shapes of the chords on and between the three rusty strings on the fret board. I built calluses by rubbing my fingers up and down the rusty strings until they hurt, then I would dip the tip of my fingers into a cup of salt water before continuing.  I cannot remember how I got my first set of strings but soon learned to string and tune my instrument. I continued practicing with the acoustic sound until my mind was able to make those three chords strum to a song. I never will forget the experience which I had about three months later when I was able to sing and play the chords to the song 'Everybody Ought to Know Who Jesus Is.' It was a revelation. All of a sudden my mind snapped into it. I literally felt the moment. I soon started hanging out with other local guitar players such as Ronald Buttery, Chet, Bumble, Mickey Dee and Cubie Bayley, (to name a few). I learned fast.

       I then discovered that I could convert the acoustic guitar into an electric guitar. I learned that the head of 

Continued                                                                                                                          

Art Work:            Jake Commander

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