Plucking Away (Charlie Byrd)
UW Video
59,330 views
Host Al Page speaks with Charlie Byrd, renowned guitarist. Mr. Byrd brings to life his travel and musical experiences, his influences and his classical as well as his jazz interests. Through his talent, he describes and plays many different styles of music from classical to bossa nova. He also discusses the differences in types and models of guitars and how a musician's experiences combine to form individual musical styles.
The University of Washington is committed to ensuring digital accessibility in our services, programs, and activities. If you encounter accessibility barriers using videos found on this channel, please contact UW Video at uwvideo [at] uw [dot] edu.
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Plucking Away (Charlie Byrd)
UW Video
59,330 views
Host Al Page speaks with Charlie Byrd, renowned guitarist. Mr. Byrd brings to life his travel and musical experiences, his influences and his classical as well as his jazz interests. Through his talent, he describes and plays many different styles of music from classical to bossa nova. He also discusses the differences in types and models of guitars and how a musician's experiences combine to form individual musical styles.
The University of Washington is committed to ensuring digital accessibility in our services, programs, and activities. If you encounter accessibility barriers using videos found on this channel, please contact UW Video at uwvideo [at] uw [dot] edu.
I had been struck by the Byrd lightning bolt a year previous, with the purchase of "The Guitar Album", a recorded two nights of guitarists at
Town Hall and included, Joe Pass, Bucky Pizzarelli and many others. But it was Charlie's set that set me free. It
started of with a soft strumming (C, Fadd9) and began "You've Got a Friend". I was simply floored. I wept. This is what is possible on the guitar? How could I ever even hope to play ONE song even close to sounding like this? How does he make melody with chords? SHEESH!!
Fate fixed it so that I saw an ad in a Tampa paper that Charlie would be appearing for a week engagement at Lake Buena Vista.
My then girlfriend (now my wife of 42 years) and I set forth for the 90 mile drive to see the Blue Byrd (the name of his latest album I'd just bought...I brought it along just in case).
The club was brick, perfect acoustics. I'd been trying to learn "You've Got a Friend" by ear, figuring out that I had to use my fingers...it was SLOW.
Seated at the front...Charlie sat on a stool, put his left foot on a pedestal, and launched into "Jitterbug Waltz" (this was another song off the GUITAR ALBUM)...we stayed for every set. But the magic happened after the second set; My exuberance, and the way my eyes were glued to his hands...it must've amused Charlie in a good way because Valerie said to me, "Babe, he SMILED at you..." I looked up and sure enough...and the slightest of nods.
I cannot describe how that felt.
Well, I approached Charlie...in the MEN'S ROOM...BLUEBYRD in hand. Charlie was drying his hands and I started babbling, "My Byrd I'm sorry to bother you and I know this isn't the place but you're the reason I am playing fingerstyle now and would it be too much to ask--"
Charlie had mercy. With his W. Va drawl, he said, "Why sure...he took the album and produced a pen from somewhere, "What's your name?"
"Michael..."
Charlie wrote in a slow and careful hand, "To Michael, All the best--Charlie Byrd"--beautiful cursive. He then thanked ME.
He would give me a few more looks, a couple of nods. I think, or like to think, he was pleased a new generation of players were so enthused...I don't know why it might surprise him. I wish everyone could have such an encounter with their Hero.
I still aspire to his standards...I've collected all of his records on vinyl from countless garage sales, Goodwill stores. All out of print now. Priceless, to me.
I will always Love The Man.