
Fine Slide and Steel Guitars Since 1967
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Music in Hard Times
I’ve been researching the impact of the Great Depression on the music industry, and ironically, both Martin Guitars and Gibson increased sales during the depression. This demonstrates the importance of music in hard times. Music plays two vital functions during these times: it offers great entertainment when we need it the most, and it acts as an expression of the pains, hopes, and sorrows people feel during these times. Think of all of the great music that emerge from the depression—Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family, Bob Wills, Robert Johnson, and Son House, just to name a few that come immediately to mind. It is also during the depression that the electric lap steel was invented and the Dobyera brothers invented the resonator guitar. The heritage of steel and slide guitar is deeply rooted in this period.
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