Until his death in 1982, Edmonton luthier and guitarist Frank Gay built guitars for several famous musicians, including country stars Johnny Cash, Don Gibson, Webb Pierce, and Hank Snow. He captivated listeners with his singular talent on guitar and other instruments, and was well known within the music industry. Trevor Harrison’s detective work uncovers the story of this private, charming, and bohemian man, doing a tremendous service to Canadian culture and music history. Harrison pieces together Frank Gay’s life through interviews with people who knew him and saw him play. Very few recordings of him playing exist, and the sparse accounts of Gay’s life and work raise more questions than they answer. Musicians and instrument makers, as well as those interested in Canadian music or Edmonton’s colourful past, will be fascinated by this biography of western Canadian luthier, musician, and guitar virtuoso Frank Gay.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 209-216) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Date published
- 2015.
- Description conventions
- rda
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 787.8192/3092
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 23
- Distributor
- Canadian Electronic Library (Firm),
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn---
- ISBN
- 9781772120479 9781772120684
- LCCN
- ML424.G43
- LCCN Item number
- H37 2015eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaBNVSL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xvii, 223 pages)
- Published in
- Ottawa, Ontario
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00970097 (OCoLC)925423863 (CaOOCEL)450506
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Title proper/short title
- Frank Gay's life in music
- Transcribing agency
- CaBNVSL
Table of Contents
- Front cover 1
- Title page 4
- Copyright page 5
- Dedication 6
- Contents 8
- Preface 10
- Acknowledgements 16
- 1 Beginnings 20
- 2 Army Tunes 36
- 3 Postwar Toronto 44
- 4 Edmonton the New 50
- 5 The Shop 54
- 6 Guitar Maker to the Stars 64
- 7 World-Class Concerts 74
- 8 The Dark Side 84
- 9 Musical Flights and Nothing More 90
- 10 Giving Back 96
- 11 House Parties and Mr. Montoya 100
- 12 Marriage Redux 110
- 13 Wood Songs from the South Side 118
- 14 Frank Gay’sTravelling Music Show 126
- 15 Jack Paget’s Tape 134
- 16 Searching for a Miracle 142
- 17 The Final Years 146
- 18 Frank Agonistes 156
- 19 Final Days 162
- 20 The Funeral 168
- 21 Legacy 176
- 22 “The Repressed Unmakeable” 192
- 23 Coda 200
- Notes 204
- Bibliography 228
- Index 236
- About the Author 244
- Other Titles from The University of Alberta Press 249
