I purchased my first drum kit when I was eleven. It was a battered five piece set of Ludwigs and every other month I redressed the tom,toms, bass drum and floor tom with a new psychedelic pattern of mac-tac.To my delight and to the delight of my family and friends, I was a natural at rhythmn and meter and my style attracted the attention of other players around school. I got in with a couple of garage bands and played and performed in one real band before I turned 20. Then I guess music just wasn't a priority for me anymore. I drifted, left my hometown up in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada and kind of just tripped around the country for a few years. Down the road some I met a girl and we had a baby. We left our cock-roach infested love nest on Vancouver's East Side and came to live in Niagara Falls so that my girlfriend could be close to and receive the support of her family while expecting her first child. It was upon arriving in Niagara Falls that I purchased my first guitar. It was an imitation sunburst 'hummingbird' dreadnought body, and the action was like butter and it had the most wonderful tone and 'drone'. I can't recall for the life of me what company made that guitar though. It was only with me a short while but I'll never forget her. The night I first brought her home I just stood her up in the corner and stared at her "fat", silver fret markers, even then trying to imagine just what the deal was between all those frets and strings. I remember how intimidating she looked and I recall thinking that I could never master such a daunting instrument. Today, I could not imagine life without the luxury of playing guitar. Despite the many guitars I've gone through since, that hummingbird dreadnought was the best purchase I ever made.

I purchased a Norman six string acoustic this year and I think that for the money ( $375.00) no Canadian could find a better acoustic guitar. They are hand made in a place called La Patrie, Quebec and with genuine Canadian spruce. Normans have very 'lush' tones and although they are not the 'prettiest' acoustics on the market they certainly do play beautifully. I wish to purchase a high end model guitar soon and again my choice will undoubtedly be a Norman guitar.