Bert Weedon - R.i.p.

[Symptoms]

Yep, he's gone ... but he lasted 'till he was 91 and what a full life he had playing with all the greats. Not only did he influence all the modern guitar Gods but also ordinary players.

I went for guitar lessons for years (1960s) to a guitar teacher in Bedders called Georgie Peel (he lived in a Council house off Stead Lane) but Bert's book Play in a Day made it an impression on me. I wasn't a good player but I still bash out a few chords now ... the old fingers don't move too well these days.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Yep Sym, I've got a Bert Weedon teach yourself as well..................

RIP.

[threegee]

Yup, played the odd tune: http://www.bertweedon.com/discography.htm

Some photos, some taken only last year: http://www.bertweedon.com/features.htm - raising the interesting question: was there anyone in British entertainment he didn't know, or hadn't worked with?

[mercuryg]

And I always thought he was a Yank!

[Canny lass]

Was that him with 'Twangin up a storm' or am I thinking of someone else?

[Pete]

Was that him with 'Twangin up a storm' or am I thinking of someone else?

Was that not Duane Eddy?

[Canny lass]

Was that not Duane Eddy?

Now that you mention it, I believe it was Duane Eddy. What a memory you've got Pete!!! well done.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Now that you mention it, I believe it was Duane Eddy. What a memory you've got Pete!!! well done.

Yes Pete is a mine of information.............

[Canny lass]

Yes Pete is a mine of information.............

Thank goodness we have him here. It's like having your own personal copy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica on line.

[Canny lass]

Is that still going by the way - Encyclopaedia Britannica?

[John Fox (foxy)]

Is that still going by the way - Encyclopaedia Britannica?

No..........my wife took over, she knows everything. :thumbsdown:

[Canny lass]

Ha ha! Very good Foxy.

[Malcolm Robinson]

No..........my wife took over, she knows everything. :thumbsdown:

:D

A common misconception of the gender!

[John Fox (foxy)]

:D

A common misconception of the gender!

I can only get away with saying that Malcolm because she does'nt visit this site.

[Pete]

Thank goodness we have him here. It's like having your own personal copy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica on line.

Where would we be without google

[Pete]

Is that still going by the way - Encyclopaedia Britannica?

I dont think its available in hard copy only on disk

[Canny lass]

I dont think its available in hard copy only on disk

... and Bedlington.co.uk!

[keith lockey]

Yep, he's gone ... but he lasted 'till he was 91 and what a full life he had playing with all the greats. Not only did he influence all the modern guitar Gods but also ordinary players.

I went for guitar lessons for years (1960s) to a guitar teacher in Bedders called Georgie Peel (he lived in a Council house off Stead Lane) but Bert's book Play in a Day made it an impression on me. I wasn't a good player but I still bash out a few chords now ... the old fingers don't move too well these days.

I remember George Peel - he used to cycle everywhere and if I am not mistaken he was a 'bookies runner'. But the guy who taught me to play guitar was a Jack Dickson who lived at Grange Park. He's favoured instrument was the banjo and he couldn't half rattle it.

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Heh heh!!....noo THAT'S a blast from the past!....[Play in a day!]

R.I.P.Bert.

In 1959,I started Choppington high pit,straight from school,aged 15 years.

I never had the inclination to want to go drinking,as I had a tyrant for a Father,who treated my Mother really bad in the old days,and during the war,by going away on drinking sessions and gambling his pay away so Mother had nowt to bring us four kids up with.

SO,when Duane Eddy released "Rebel-Rouser",on 78 rpm!,and on Shellac!,all i ever wanted to do was to play guitar.

Then when Bert Weedon released "Guitar Boogie Shuffle/ Bert's Boogie"..[both sides of the disc],my Brother and Me invented

Air Guitar!!!

The last straw was when The Shadows released "Apache"....I HAD to get a guitar to play like Hank!

Along the way,I bought Bert's "Play in a day" book,[i still have it!],and although I coudn't grasp reading the dots,I learned a lot from it about techniques,tremolo's etc,and also chord shapes.

Every guitar hero over the years,incl. Clapton,Knopfler,Brian May,and even Hank Marvin,have all confessed to having bought that little book when they first started to learn to play!

50-odd years later,I still enjoy playing all The Shadows music to backing tracks,and I finally,only recently,nailed the sound of Hank's "rippling" echo ,as on "Wonderful Land" etc.

I love plonking away with arthritic hands,that have been ravaged with injuries through nearly thirty years of coalmining!

Might sound terrible to the listener,but I don't care two hoots....it's magic to me!

Pleased to know that we have a few muso's on here apart from Myself!

Be gud if we could all have reet gud jam together wudn't it?!!

[HIGH PIT WILMA]

Although I was universally known as Wilma throughout the pit, there was only one miner at Choppington High pit who DIDN'T call me that,and i can't recall his name,,but he was a real canny fella,very warm natured,and he used to greet me during shift changeover with...."Halllllowwwww Bert,are ye still playing that twangy guitar?"!!![mekking thi motion of holding a guitar and swinging his arm up and doon as if he was strumming a guitar!]

That was aboot 1962 if my memory is correct,the year a met me Wife at the Clayton Ballroom,only it was on a wednesday neet,and it was a roller-skating neet!

So instead of dancing the neet away,we skated thi neet away,and went yem buggaad!