Lately there has been a lot of discussion and some news about the possibility of the Gibson Guitar Company going into bankruptcy. I have no idea of how to prevent this from happening, where it will lead in the future for these fine guitars, or if it is even a possibility, but I do know the Gibson guitar has figured heavily in my life.
My introduction to the Gibson brand of musical instruments was not a particularly overwhelming event. But it was rather humorous. Sometime in the 
mid 60’s, my good friend, the late Billy Musgrove, and I were discussing dream guitars, which was pretty much what we discussed all of the time. Every now and then we’d discuss girls, but guitars seemed much easier to access and perhaps even a little less trouble. And cheaper, too. We did agree that girls were prettier, though.
On this particular day, Billy mentioned his wish for a Gibson guitar. My first reaction, which I tried to keep to myself, was, “Why would you want a guitar from Gibson Discount Center?” I actually didn’t know if the local Gibson Discount Center even carried guitars, but I was quite sure they couldn’t be up to par with the few Fender and Gretsch guitars we had actually seen. Billy set me straight soon afterwards about what a Gibson guitar was. I never looked back.
I had seen guitarists with Gibsons before, but didn’t know what I was looking at. If I had discovered American blues and jazz music earlier in my life, I might have paid attention to Gibson guitars and maybe caught on to their standing. But I didn’t. I lived in Europe from 1955 to 1961 and saw virtually no television in my formative years. I missed out on a lot of the early rock scene, but I was primed for the British invasion and for catching up on the music scene overall. Hofners and Rickenbackers seemed to dominate that scene, except for George Harrison’s Gretsch Country Gentleman, which I longed for. The Beatles, and other bands of the British Invasion, were not big on Gibson guitars, or even Fenders, until a few years later. I would imagine the additional price of a high dollar import deterred a lot of British artists. John Lennon played a Gibson J-160 acoustic at times, but my eyes were glued to the electrics.
A major breaking point for the Gibson company and for myself, actually came from a British player named Eric Clapton. His extraordinary use of a 1960 Sunburst Les Paul he bought in 1965 and used on a John Mayall album that same year, brought a new tone to the guitar world and breathed new life into the Gibson company. Not to mention he was a very talented and burning guitarist. His use of a Gibson SG with Cream would further expand the Gibson name and the world of guitars.
Now, after being around the music world for fifty plus years now, I can’t imagine life without seeing Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Johnny Winter, Bill Monroe, Duane Allman, Dicky Betts, Angus Young, Earl Scruggs, Keith Richards, Jack Bruce, Slash, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, or any number of guitarists without a Gibson instrument strung across their shoulders. I would make a point to catch Ernest Tubb on TV every chance I got just to see Billy Byrd play his Gibson ES-335, and play he did. Or hopefully catch a re-run on TV with Scotty Moore playing with Elvis or Ricky!
Eventually catching up to American music, my musical life was exploding with the sounds and abilities of players like B. B. King, Freddy King, Albert King, Mike Bloomfield, Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, Larry Carlton, Santana, Howard Roberts, Johnny Smith, and Billy Gibbons. Did I mention Les Paul himself? And, more often than not, they had Gibson guitars.
Here’s to the Gibson Guitar Company in hopes that it will all work out for them for the better. How did it work out for me and Billy and Gibson guitars? Billy’s first guitar was a Decca that his parents bought at the BX at Sheppard. We were crazy about that guitar. I got lucky and my folks bought me a Gibson SG Special from Norsworthy Music in downtown Wichita Falls. Shortly after that, Billy’s parents bought him a Gibson Firebird. Some dreams come true.
-Johnny Divine
