Trigger

A friend writes:

The idea of a guitar under a spotlight being photographed brought to mind a very special memory of mine. After a show in Easton, Pa., Willie Nelson was greeting friends back stage. There were the usual fans who had won the opportunity from a radio station, friends of friends, some relatives, Randall Tex Cobb, and the executives from the Martin Guitar Co. who were there trying to “recreate” or maybe even duplicate Willie’s Trigger.

Now, those of us who have been to many Willie concerts, and have been backstage and on the bus, know that the minute Willie finishes playing, Trigger is whisked off, put into a special case and guarded. Not this night.

I remember being backstage watching Willie so graciously signing everything from bandannas to old records that were handed to him by the adoring fans. He was off to the side, because, sitting in the center of the stage, on a little guitar stand (like the one in our music room holding my son’s guitar) was Trigger. The spotlights were on it. The men from Martin were busy photographing it. If anyone was guarding it, I couldn’t tell because I got really close to it and took pictures also. Finally, my turn with Willie came so we asked him what was going on.

He said that the guys from Martin were trying to duplicate Trigger and they were wondering how, after all these years, it managed to sound so good with that dang hole in it. I don’t remember if Martin tried to duplicate the guitar with the hole or not, and I don’t know if they ever did. I do know that Willie had one eye on Trigger and the other on the things he was signing. I think there was a grand photo session with Willie and the guitar etc. But sharpest in my memory was that of a lone guitar sitting there with the spotlight shining on it and me thinking of how Willie had just been entertaining us with it and how he can make that baby sing, especially 1/2 hour into the show and beyond. Anyone who has ever heard Willie live will know this fact. He is an awesome guitar picker!