I have 2 electric guitars. Even with just 2 it's tough to choose sometimes, so I'm certain this is for the best. A stratocaster I built in 2016, and a '69 Gibson Les Paul Custom I bought in 1983. The strat was for tonal variety playing in a Classic Rock cover band--and neck/shoulder relief from the weighty Gibson. The Les Paul my 18 year-old self sent away for through the US mail (remember money orders?) from a used guitar dealer in Red Bank, New Jersey. Sent to my family’s home in beautiful little Mt. Vernon, Iowa that summer of 83, this would replace my very first guitar—a Les Paul copy from the 1978 Penny's catalog. I knew my parents would not be keen on my rock guitar dreams, so I’d scraped up the funds for that beauty delivering Des Moines Register newspapers throughout my neighborhood during the bitter Iowa winters and blistering summers of the mid-70’s and bought it myself. First song I learned to play on it? Nazareth's, Hair of the Dog (sorry Mom). So this used, real-life Les Paul, funded by my part-time, bagboy gig at the local grocery store my senior year of high school was a big deal for me.  It was Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck and Ace Frehley. Never mind that “Lester” arrived with a twist in the neck, wornout frets and lousy pickups, this was it. I was off and running.
 
A zillion drops of the turntable needle learning guitar solos off my ever-expanding album collection; neck repair, 2 re-frets, 4 different sets of pickups, 2 sets of tuners and 2 bridge replacements over the many years on Lester; stints with several bands; a move to California; a couple of pre-Starbucks era coffee house acoustic acts; a couple decades of writing and recording, and a promising solo career ahead (still have the big-label A&R guy’s business card) later--I left my blossoming music career altogether to focus on my family. Arriving home at 3am from a solo acoustic gig up the Northern California coast, seeing my babies asleep in their beds, I knew I could do well pursuing either, but I also knew I couldn’t do well at both. The Dad gig won handily.

And now? Both of my "babies" are college graduates; I got back into playing and singing again and had a fun 4 years fronting a Classic Rock cover band with a great bunch of guys, which in turn got me eager to create new music again. So Lester and I are "vintage" now and we're back at it. My "tester album", "Old School Smile" is available wherever you stream or buy music (links on bottom of pages here).

NEW MUSIC ON THE WAY! I have a new album in the works that I’m excited about and looking forward to sharing. So if you enjoy what you hear, come along with me! You can find me on Instagram (best bet), Facebook and YouTube. Or go to my contact page and get on my email list.
Cheers and many thanks for listening!

Jeff Strickland
February, 2023