Louise

I wanted to introduce y'all to a very special lady in my life. Now, she's not THE most special lady in my life--that's my wife--but she still inhabits a very special room in my heart, a room filled to the brim with music.

This is my banjo, Louise. She's a Gibson Masterton, Earl Scruggs Custom made banjo. Only two were ever made and I'm very proud of her. Earl himself signed the inside of it. After the Gibson company made it for me, Porter Wagoner took me to meet Earl, and got him to sign the inside of the banjo. That was a real highlight in my life to meet the master of the 5-string banjo. I did have a photo of that moment--me, Earl, and Porter--but sadly the scrapbook I had it in fell into someone else's hands and I never got it back. Who knows, it may turn up someday, but, regardless, the memory of that moment is still very vivid in my mind and will remain so for as long as I live,