Tondeleo: Before my friend Cyril came to the States, his dad rang me up to ask if I could get Doc to teach his son a few things on the guitar. He said that his Cyril needed to learn how to strum better and how to keep better rhythm. I told him I would pass the message on to Doc. Then, after Cyril had been at Doc's a few days Doc rang me up, shocked at Cyril's guitar playing. Naturally I recorded the call as I always do with Doc or Marilyn - with their permission from when I first knew them.
Doc: Hey Tondy! You said Cyril's old man wanted me to teach Cyril how to play guitar a bit while he is here! I cain't teach that boy ANYTHING...
Tondeleo: Why is that, Doc? Is he that thick? You don't think he can learn anything at all?
Doc: NO! He is so GOOD I cain't teach him anything! The other night I handed him a guitar and picked up one of mine, and I figured I'd find out what level of a player he was. As soon as I started playin' he started knockin' out lead licks like he's been playin' 20 years!
I played blues. I played country. I played Gospel. Whatever I played, he played lead to it like he'd played nothin' BUT that kind of music all his life! He did it all and he did it right!
Tondeleo: Well, are you going to teach him how to strum better and keep better rhythm?
Doc: NO! That boy don't ever need to strum anything! I called my buddy Big Dave last night and told him about Cyril, so he came over and went through the same thing, but different kinds of songs. He did rock, hard rock, soft rock, oldies rock and probally some disco. Not only did Cyril play all of them well, but he had the right tone and little details that make each of the different types of music stand out. I went in and listened to them and it sounded like he'd been playin' all those songs for years and years.
Big Dave asked him how he knew all them songs, and Cyril said he didn't know ANY of them! He said Big Dave just picked some good songs to play! I ain't never heard nobody could play like that all my life.
Then, on Saturday, I took him to a country music jam, down to St. Mary;s county. I splained to him who Hank Sr was and Marty Robbins, and Webb Pierce and them boys, so he'd know somethin'. Sure 'nuff, when we got there, he started playin' and them old boys down there started askin' if he grew up playin' old school country music, or if his dad is a country music player. Cyril just said that he didn't grow up playin' it, that he really had just started! Yeh, he just started like an hour before!
That kid is a genius. We got bookin's comin' up with the Holy Ghost Band and I'm gonna bring him with us to play! If he would move to this country, someone would get that boy, take him to Nashville and put him in a box where all he had to do was play guitar every day! None of us has heard him hit a bad note yet. Not even one.
Tondeleo: I'll be sure and relay it to his dad that you are indeed working with him to help him play better...
Doc: Heck, I want HIM to indeed work with ME to help ME play better, Tondy! That boy is a musical genius! Gotta go now. I'm tryin' to get him to give me a lesson! Marilyn made deer chili an' he's stuffin' himself with it. Plus he's on his fourth can of ginger ale. I gotta catch him afore he passes out.
Tondeleo: Why is that, Doc? Is he that thick? You don't think he can learn anything at all?
Doc: NO! He is so GOOD I cain't teach him anything! The other night I handed him a guitar and picked up one of mine, and I figured I'd find out what level of a player he was. As soon as I started playin' he started knockin' out lead licks like he's been playin' 20 years!
I played blues. I played country. I played Gospel. Whatever I played, he played lead to it like he'd played nothin' BUT that kind of music all his life! He did it all and he did it right!
Tondeleo: Well, are you going to teach him how to strum better and keep better rhythm?
Doc: NO! That boy don't ever need to strum anything! I called my buddy Big Dave last night and told him about Cyril, so he came over and went through the same thing, but different kinds of songs. He did rock, hard rock, soft rock, oldies rock and probally some disco. Not only did Cyril play all of them well, but he had the right tone and little details that make each of the different types of music stand out. I went in and listened to them and it sounded like he'd been playin' all those songs for years and years.
Big Dave asked him how he knew all them songs, and Cyril said he didn't know ANY of them! He said Big Dave just picked some good songs to play! I ain't never heard nobody could play like that all my life.
Then, on Saturday, I took him to a country music jam, down to St. Mary;s county. I splained to him who Hank Sr was and Marty Robbins, and Webb Pierce and them boys, so he'd know somethin'. Sure 'nuff, when we got there, he started playin' and them old boys down there started askin' if he grew up playin' old school country music, or if his dad is a country music player. Cyril just said that he didn't grow up playin' it, that he really had just started! Yeh, he just started like an hour before!
That kid is a genius. We got bookin's comin' up with the Holy Ghost Band and I'm gonna bring him with us to play! If he would move to this country, someone would get that boy, take him to Nashville and put him in a box where all he had to do was play guitar every day! None of us has heard him hit a bad note yet. Not even one.
Tondeleo: I'll be sure and relay it to his dad that you are indeed working with him to help him play better...
Doc: Heck, I want HIM to indeed work with ME to help ME play better, Tondy! That boy is a musical genius! Gotta go now. I'm tryin' to get him to give me a lesson! Marilyn made deer chili an' he's stuffin' himself with it. Plus he's on his fourth can of ginger ale. I gotta catch him afore he passes out.
