Musings

This Italian restaurant has been in the same location since 1923 and is still remarkably well preserved.

On this day, May 14, 2026, Tom Bukovac sold me Grady Martin’s 1956 Danelectro six-string bass. It is an instrument I’ve been chasing for fifteen years.

I had a great visit at Sam Phillips Recording Service this morning with my friend Scott Bomar, who runs the place now. This is Sam Phillips’s second recording studio, at 639 Madison.

This afternoon I visited the Stax Records Museum in south Memphis, another “holy site” of American music.

Built in 1936, the Overton Park Shell is well known to fans of Memphis music. Virtually everybody has played there at some point.

The Color City box is just an empty shell for a variety of fuzz designs that Brad Davis at Creepy Fingers Effects is releasing.

I spent a little time with my friend Billy Zoom today. We talked about guitars and recording equipment and motor scooters and Ray Manzarek and playing loud…

I knew that all of Les Paul’s recording equipment was on display inside the United Recording studio in Hollywood. But I didn’t know how to wrangle an invitation…

I have fond memories of when my friend Greg Laxton brought me here in 2019 for a Greek lunch, and to meet legendary bluesman and Sun recording artist Billy “The Kid” Emerson.

Suddenly this older lady—I’m convinced she was sent by an angel—came up and asked me what kind of guitar I had in my gig bag.