This was something on my father’s BUCKET LIST, he can now "cross off" and it’s something most people will NEVER, EVER get the chance to do.

Now, let me go back to the late 1950′s Early 1960′s When my Dad was a young teenager and he bought in 1958 the record Movin’ and Groovin’ by Duane Eddy… And it was OMG LUV!

This was my father’s INSPIRATION to learn how to play the guitar. He wanted to BE Duane Eddy…

Move forward in time half a century… My Dad joins a Guitar forum online, starts posting videos on YouTube and makes some Great friends and fellow "pickers".

He gets noticed by, Duane Eddy on this forum, he then sends dad an e-mail (since he does not actually post on the forum and lurks) and they over the next several months become e-mail buddies and friends.

Now… if that’s not ENOUGH for most people (and it was for my Dad. He was thrilled his idol was now his friend.)

Let’s fast forward again to Yesterday Afternoon…. Dad was expecting 2 of his friends off his forum to come over for a jam session.

3 friends showed up.

Duane Eddy surprised Dad!!!!

I never, ever saw my Dad so happy with life. Here he was, sitting in his Den with three professional Guitar players, one of them his CHILDHOOD IDOL and Grammy Award Winning Artist. Just sitting there, pickin’ and grinnin’.

It was surreal. What a moment for my Dad.

hell for ME even. Duane Eddy was giving me a private concert in my fricking basement! How cool is that? This is a celebrity, in my HOUSE, who was hob nobbing with Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban on Friday, was in my HOUSE on Sunday….

It was FANTASTIC! Dad is still floating on cloud nine. I got home from my Aunt’s just in time to catch the last hour or so of pickin’ it sounded soooooooooooooooo Good!

There will be Video posted eventually, when I get links I’ll share them.

Until Then Here’s Photo Evidence….
Photos Under Cut

He is doing much better now first off.

I got a call at about 8am Saturday to come over to his house he was feeling bad and Mom was at work. I drove like a bat out of hell and made a normally half hour drive in 15 minutes. By the time I got there he looked terrible. He was pale and clammy in a cold sweat, he had vomited and he said his atrial fibrillation (A condition he suffers, an irregular heartbeat sort of thing) had been going on for almost two hours. He said he had called his Cardiologist and was waiting for a call-back.

He and I said FUCK THAT and called 911. I was positive he was in the middle of a full blown heart-attack.

Turns out he was. Thankfully he had taken his aspirin that morning and the EMTs gave him another and some other drugs while they got him prepped for the ambulance.

I called my mom, his cardiologist, directed them which hospital to take my dad to… then semi-helped them load my dad. (I basically just schelped items behind them). The ambulance takes off, I lock up their house, go to get in my car and then the bloody neighbor wants a "Chat"…

"What’s wrong? Is it your Dad? Is he alright?" Take a BREATH BETWEEN QUESTIONS YOU NOSY BITCH!

I’m like… Obviously he is not alright, they took him away in an ambulance for Goodness sakes and you are KEEPING ME FROM FOLLOWING IDIOT!

I didn’t put it quite that rudely but I certainly wanted to.

Mom was at the hospital waiting when they pulled in with my Dad in the ER… I got there about 15-20 minutes later. My husband had brought my mom to the ER and by the time I got there… Dad was just about stabilized.

*WHEW*

We sent John back to work after Dad was stable, he’d just pace a hole in the floor. They came in for x-rays and shooed mom and I out so we got lunch in the hospital cafeteria since by this time breakfast was long over.

By the time we got back to ER Dad was looking so much better. His color was back, his heart rate was lowered and we then began the wait for a bed to open up so they could admit him.

Went back today to visit and he’s still looking better but not allowed to really get up and move around so he’s antsy.

They are going to go in with a catheter monitor surgery again on Monday to look inside his heart (He had this surgery done just this past December) and then see if he needs further surgery on Monday.

So I will be spending quite a bit of time incommunicado in the hospital for the next few days.

This won’t appeal to anyone but professional guitarists….

but Dad was working with a dude by the name of Tom Short in making a pick-up for his D’Angelico to mimic the sound of the old 30′s era jazz guitarists.
Over the past few months they must have sent a dozen prototypes back and forth and they nailed it last night.

Tom named the pick-up after my dad since he was so instrumental in developing the sound of a pick-up that hasn’t been available to guitarists since 1938 when the pick-up this was modeled after was discontinued.

*proud of dad*

Here’s the website where it’s for sale now:

The Steve Bistrow Western Swing/Jazz Floater

EDIT:
*note the picture is of my Dad’s D’Angelico with the pick up installed. The pick up is that tiny gold box looking thing under the strings. THat’s basically what “pick up” the sound of the strings and sends it electronically to the amp on an electric guitar in a nutshell.

Picture does not do that guitar justice. It’s a BEAUTIFUL instrument (Should be for $10,000! O_o)