30th Year Photos/#96

Number 1!

Actually, there was a previous attempt and I still have the body of that instrument.  But this was the first successful hammer dulcimer I ever built and I’m very lucky to still own it for it wasn’t always in my possession. 

I was sitting around the campfire late one afternoon after the National Contest had taken place on a cool late September day in Winfield, Ks.  (see #29).  It was the first time I had competed there and it had been so exciting.  I had built a couple of instruments by then and was even more excited about going home and trying it again after experiencing dozens of new sophisticated instruments.  This was my second festival and my first exposure as a builder beyond what I had seen and learned from David Lindsey and Dana Hamilton who were just getting started themselves.  Anyway, my head was spinning with new ideas.

There just happened to be another red-headed gentleman, about my age (mid twenties) walk up and asked if I was the guy that had just competed.  He was from Tulsa, a thriving unprofessional musician whose wife was all excited about the hammer dulcimer.  After getting to know each other, Sam Compton asked if I would be interested in selling him one of my instruments for his wife Susan.  Why not?  I needed the money to buy tools and materials to continue experimenting building new dulcimers.  But that wasn’t the end of our association together.  We visited by phone and spent hours talking about instrument designs and finally decided to go visit them in Tulsa.  I can’t imagine how many nights we spent talking about all types of instrument construction.  He was as excited about it as I was, although he had never built one before. As it turned out, he started playing guitar with me, competing at the Southern Regionals in Mt. View, AR and Nationals the next two years.  A couple of years later, he performed with me on my first album, “Red Haired Boy” and later on my second album “Timeless”.  I built his wife a total of 3 hammer dulcimers.  But my first instrument, which I had sold him that first Winfield weekend, had made its way into other hands, someone in the Tulsa area, and was never seen again. 

One day, a gentleman stopped by to visit Master Works back in the mid 90’s and mentioned he had an old hammer dulcimer for sale.  Of course, we built them and I didn’t really need or want another old instrument – until I realized it was my first.  I was so proud to get my hands on it and I think he was proud to see me get it.  I’ll never let it go again and I hope to teach my grandkids a tune or two on it one day.  I’ll never forget Sam and Susan Compton and their sweet spirit and encouragement as I was diving off into an unknown world of music and woodworking and a life I never dreamed of living.  Again, the Lord sent special friends to help me learn and encourage me to keep on trying.