developed as CBG makers and players have
networked through the Internet…. When
they play their CBGs, many of them expose
eccentric characteristics that might otherwise
remain hidden, because the CBG gives them
license to do so. These are great people
making great art and music and having the
time of their lives doing so. My life has been
enriched by getting to know these folks.” Learn
more at:
songsinsidethebox.com.
Gerry Thompson is a singer, songwriter and
guitarist, and another leading light of the CBG
movement. Gerry lived life on the edge in an
alcoholic haze for twenty years before getting
clean in 1989. He has settled down, gone to
college, married, and has survived two liver
transplants. Gerry stumbled onto the CBG after
trying to play a poorly made mando-banjo. He
attended the first CBG festival in Carrolton,
KY, in 2000, and was coaxed onstage by CBG
builder Kurt Schoen. Thompson, who had
never performed in public before and only had
three songs prepared, was a hit. His music is
reminiscent of early Bob Dylan, and is lyrical,
poignant and very melodic, with lyrics drawn
from his life experiences.
“I quit drinking a year before I got sick,” he
says. “The doctors said I had less than a year to
live. I’m in a weird state of grace, I guess. The
transplant changed me. I started having dreams
that were mine, but I wasn’t in them. A decade
after the transplant, I just started (playing)…
they all started coming out as songs. It’s simple-primal. I just tell stories about my life. Freedom.
That’s what the cigar box guitar gave me.
That’s what it’s all about.”
Dave Gallaher, aka Microwave Dave, is a
talented Alabama-based bluesman who
effectively incorporates CBGs into his electric
and acoustic shows, as well as an instrument
called the Lowebow, invented by Memphis
music store owner and guitarist Johnny Lowe,
better known as “Johnny Lowebow.” The
Lowebow is a doubleneck CBG with one bass
string and three guitar strings. Played with a
slide, the Lowebow is a deadly weapon in the
right hands, allowing the player to be both
guitarist and bassist at the same time.
Eric Baker of Cleveland, OH, makes
several different models of Joker brand
CBGs in his shop and features a podcast
on his website:
jokercbg.com.
And finally, Daddy Mojo, aka Lenny Piroth-
Robert, of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, makes
custom-made, professional-quality CBGs
in his shop, along with his partner and two
employees. The Dolorosa model in particular,
with its screenprinted heart/cross/barbed
wire artwork is an absolute stunner, as are
The Daddy Mojo shop. Photo courtesy of Lenny Piroth-Robert.
the Vargas-inspired pinup models. Visit their
website:
daddy-mojo.com.
Wrapping It All Up
Admittedly, this writer comes from the
traditional school of guitar thought. You go to
a music store (or eBay), buy a guitar, plug into
your high-quality tube amp and stompboxes
and play, usually imitating your axe-wielding
heroes. All that changed to a great extent
after I became aware of the CBG movement
and began to dig deeper in preparation
for this article. I’m not saying that cigar box
instruments are going to force me to put all my
treasured guitars up for sale, but CBGs now
have a place in my arsenal of sounds, and I
have made several new friends in the process.
Visit the websites. Listen to the music, talk to
the players and builders. Open your mind and
soul to the world of the cigar box guitar. You
may never be the same.
(The author wishes to thank Shane Speal,
Ted Crocker and Eric Baker for their input
and generosity, as well as all the CBG
enthusiasts, builders and players who
helped contribute to this piece).
