Must Listen: Craig Korth on the FJ Podcast
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For years, Craig Korth has owned three of the most valuable acoustic instruments you can buy: a 1923 Gibson F-5 mandolin, a 1937 Martin D-28 and a pre-war Gibson flathead 5-string banjo. And he'd let anyone he bumped into at bluegrass festival play them. Why? Because he once met Tony Rice and Tony let Craig try Antique, the legendary Martin D-28 formerly owned by Clarence White (see our cover story from Fretboard Journal #5).
I've witnessed Craig let pro players pick on his instruments, but also eight year olds who were just starting out. The latter probably had no idea that the F-5 mandolin they were plucking a mandolin worth more than many homes.
And all the while Craig has a smile on his face. He's always smiling. True story: We threw a party and a concert for the Fretboard Journal's 5th anniversary. Craig drove down from Nelson, British Columbia, itself no small feat (8-ish hours). While he was here in Seattle, en route to our Wayne Henderson concert (with all the above, valuable instruments in his trunk), he got into a fender bender. His car - a beater Subaru - was totaled.
For anyone else, getting into a car accident in a different country would be (rightfully) grounds for a lousy day. Swearing would be acceptable. Missing a party to deal with insurance? Totally the norm.
Craig, on the other hand, didn't miss a beat. He was still smiling, explaining that his car was getting old and needed to be replaced anyhow. He took his gear out of the trunk, hitched a ride to our concert and stayed in Seattle a few days till he found a replacement for his old car. Went back home. No big deal.
On this week's FJ Podcast, you can hear Craig tell his life story. And while Craig's early guitar safaris are fun to hear - he hustled and flipped his way up to pricier and pricier instruments, sort of like the fellow Canadian who traded up from a paperclip to a house - his current struggle with focal hand dystonia should be a must-listen for anyone who plays instruments regularly. Throughout, Craig's attitude towards life is simply inspirational.
I've witnessed Craig let pro players pick on his instruments, but also eight year olds who were just starting out. The latter probably had no idea that the F-5 mandolin they were plucking a mandolin worth more than many homes.
And all the while Craig has a smile on his face. He's always smiling. True story: We threw a party and a concert for the Fretboard Journal's 5th anniversary. Craig drove down from Nelson, British Columbia, itself no small feat (8-ish hours). While he was here in Seattle, en route to our Wayne Henderson concert (with all the above, valuable instruments in his trunk), he got into a fender bender. His car - a beater Subaru - was totaled.
For anyone else, getting into a car accident in a different country would be (rightfully) grounds for a lousy day. Swearing would be acceptable. Missing a party to deal with insurance? Totally the norm.
Craig, on the other hand, didn't miss a beat. He was still smiling, explaining that his car was getting old and needed to be replaced anyhow. He took his gear out of the trunk, hitched a ride to our concert and stayed in Seattle a few days till he found a replacement for his old car. Went back home. No big deal.
On this week's FJ Podcast, you can hear Craig tell his life story. And while Craig's early guitar safaris are fun to hear - he hustled and flipped his way up to pricier and pricier instruments, sort of like the fellow Canadian who traded up from a paperclip to a house - his current struggle with focal hand dystonia should be a must-listen for anyone who plays instruments regularly. Throughout, Craig's attitude towards life is simply inspirational.
There are probably a lot of Craig Korths out there - passionate music lovers who deserve more attention. If you know someone, drop me a line.