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Miro and Oddweig Simic's visit to Nashville
Miro Simic is a well-known classic guitarist from Sweden. He has a program called Guitars for a Better World in which he raises money to buy acoustic guitars and he and one other person are allowed to go into children's prisons in Russia to give the young (10-17 years) inmates guitar lessons. They give 8 boys lessons for two days, then have a recital for the rest of the prison population and the guitars are left with the young men who took the lessons in hope that they will continue to practice and have a better life after their prison stays. More information can be found on the internet by entering a search for "Guitars for a better world".
Miro is also the originator of a finger nail-strengthening system called "Miro's Nails" which Scotty has used for more than 10 years to give him stronger nails with which to play his guitar.
In early May of 2005, Miro and Oddweig Simic visited the US for the first time, and part of the visit was to Gail's house in Nashville. The highlight for Miro was the visit to the Gibson Guitar Custom plant. Here are some pictures from the display of one-of-a-kind guitars there. In addition we toured the whole production floor. As a very knowledgeable guitarist, he loved seeing the care and skill that goes into making Gibson's.
Another highlight of the trip was a cook-out at Scotty's to introduce Miro and Oddweig to some of our friends and to make videos of the musicians there doing some jamming for Miro to use to make a DVD to sell and raise more money for his Guitars For a Better World program. The musicians who participated in making the DVD were: Bob Moore (A-Team Nashville studio bass player), Bucky Barrett (Roy Orbison's former lead guitar player) Thom Bresh (WONDERFUL guitar player and entertainer and also the son of Merle Travis, one of Scotty's heroes), Fred Satterfield (Scotty's regular drummer and Nashville studio musician) Steve Shepherd (keyboardist extraordinaire and our very good friend and companion).
Bresh, Bucky, and Miro all had video cameras set up, so the completed DVD should be very interesting, to say the least. Bucky was sitting so cool and just playing the heck out of his guitar, Bresh was also playing the heck out of his guitar but also clowning and keeping us all in stitches as usual. I'll get some info from Miro about how this can be purchased as soon as he has them completed and for sale. Scotty was engineering and laughing too hard to play, but he was there in spirit and in the pictures.
Also at the party but not necessarily in the studio were Ella Shepherd, Steve's wife and our friend, Kittra Moore, Bob's wife and my favorite intelligent nut, Gigi, Bucky's fiancée, Lisa Carver (a friend and guitar player/singer who I introduced as Lisa Hartman) my son Wayne (the grill chef), and Gail (me-the cook).
We laughed, drank, played music, ate, and in general had a really great afternoon. Incidentally, this was the first party we have had on Scotty's new back deck, completed last fall by our friend from Little Rock, Jerry Townsend and his friend Todd with a little help from our own Steve Shepherd. We are planning on having lots more parties on the deck....and we'll make pictures for the site when we do!
By the way, do any of you notice that in most pictures of people around Scotty, there is always a big percentage of good-looking women? He only has one good eye, but it still works! Gail Pollock
*This 1995 one-of-a-kind Super 400 is a tribute to Elvis on what would have been his 60th birthday. Featuring relief carvings of Elvis at various stages of his life and career, this instrument is decorated with elaborate inlays and real rubies.
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All photos on this site (that we didn't borrow) unless otherwise indicated are the property of either Scotty Moore or James V. Roy and unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited. |
