RARE RCA 8X10 Photograph's Fate & Fed Vanderpool, Harvie June Van, Chet Atkins,

Description

This was the Bio and two of the photographs that were submitted to George Gruhn when Fate placed his guitar in George Gruhn's store for sale in 2017. The guitar sold in under two hours.
You will receive these two photographs (8X10), Bio and a Free B/W copy of The Vanderpool Guitar Article written by George Gruhn.
Photo #1) Fate Vanderpool playing his GOWER Guitar (The Vanderpool) with his sister RCA Recording Artists Harvie June Van. Getting ready to perform at DJ Convention in Nashville, TN..
Photo #2) BR, Doug Kirkham (Millie Kirkham's Husband) Chet Atkin's/RCA Producer, John D. Loudermilk, Bob Moore (Bob played on more #1 Records than anyone in the world) Velma Smith played Rhythm Guitar.  (May 1959)
Front Row Fed Vanderpool (AKA/Van Houston on Columbia Records) Fate Vanderpool hands crossed, Fate played lead guitar and their sister Harvie June Van. Chet Atkin's Produced Harvie June Van on RCA. George Gruhn wrote an article about Fate Vanderpool and his Custom Gower Guitar, which is now named "The Vanderpool." Bio on Custom Gower Guitar Built by J.W. Gower, Nashville, TN.
The year was 1956-57; I was working a lot here in Nashville on WSM Channel 4 TV. One of the guys weworked with on TV was a good friend of Dad’s, Zeke Clements one of the greatestsong writers of all times. Daddy and Zeke had known each other since the early days of the war. That’s where daddy, Paul Black, Wally Fowler and Ray Calihanmet at Oak Ridge where they worked and started a gospel group called The Oak Ridge Boys Quartet.
It was on Zeke’s Show where I met this bass player named J.W. Gower and we became close friends. J.W. told me he was thinking about building guitars, and he had built several already. Well on these shows were a lot of Nashville’s great pickers, Grady Martin, Hank Garland, Sam Pruitt, Chet Atkins, Spider Wilson, Billy and Floyd Robinson and Billy Byrd.
Chet Atkins signed for me to join the Union when I was only 17. We had all tried to improve our instrument but now I have found someone who really knows what he is doing. I went out to his shop and he showed me what he was working on. And we made a deal Hank Garland was helping him with a new electric he was building. When it got to mine J.W. and Hank wound the coils on the pickups on an old sewing machine bobbin winder.
The pickups on my guitar had double magnets and probably were the first double wound pickups that had been made at that time. Somebody showed one to Gibson, and they started making them. The wood being used on this project was 26 years old in 1956,Curley Maple, Tiger Maple, Birds Eye Maple. The inlay is Mother of Pearl all hand crafted. I think there were three guitars of this type made; mine, Spider Wilson and one went out of state, or country.
My Best Friend growing up was one of the greatest guitar players I have ever known, his name was Jerry Anderson. We grew up together with guitars in our hands. About the time I got the Gower, Jerry received his John D’Angelico New Yorker.
This was the last one the old man made and this one was because Jerry and Johnny Smith the great Jazz player were very close friends, and Johnny asks the old man to make one more, and it was for Jerry. We put my guitar and Jerry’s guitar side by side and it was easy to see the high level of quality and workmanship, of these two great guitars.
When my guitar was finished I was in the Military and I let my friend Hank Garland take it with him until I got home. I thought he was going to cry when he had to give it up. As soon as I got the Gower I started playing sessions again.
I think the first session was at King Records in Cincinnati, Ohio for Sid Nathan. I remember playing a lot of sessions for Noel Ball on 3rd Avenue No.,the studio was at a radio station. There was a studio on Church Street; a lot of this was guys out of Memphis. Joe Taylor was doing a lot with this bunch.
I remember a group out of Chicago recording a song my brother Van Houston wrote. I played on sessions at the old Quonset hut for Columbia; I remember playing there with Tony Moon for my brother’s songs. The Reavis Studio owned and operated by Joe Reavis, Jr., was another on Third Avenue in Nashville.
I played a lot of sessions there with another great friend andpicker Hargus Melvin “Pig” Robbins, born in Spring City, TN...
This guitar was played on the second session at Studio B, there’s a photo at that session. This session was for my sister Harvie June Van on RCA.
The photo shows Harvie June Van and her Producer Chet Atkins, Session players and backup singers, (back row) Doug Kirkum (Millie’s husband) Chet Atkind, John D. Loudermilk, Bob Moore and Velma Smith (front row) my brother Van Houston (Columbia Records), Fate Vanderpool (with arms crossed) and Harvie June Van.
There is also a photo of Harvie June Van/RCA Recording Artists and Sessions Player Fate Vanderpool playing this Gower Guitar getting ready to perform at the 2nd D.J. Convention downtown Nashville, TN... I think it was at the Andrew Jackson Hotel and was held on the 1st and 2nd floor.
The dress my sister was wearing was made by our Mother, Ina Copeland Vanderpool who was a Professional Tailor. Everybody on the Grand Ole Opry had signed a small piece of Japanese Silk and this was embroidered and sewn together to make this dress.
Harvie June sang at the D.J.Convention wearing this dress and she also wore it on the Opry. The last time this guitar was used on a session was in 2004, a Trio from Michigan named J3
We recorded at Gene Golden’s Studio for Rosebud Records. Gene who ran Kenny Rogers Band for over 20 years, Gene Golden played Keyboards, Johnny Bellar the great Dobro Master played Dobro and I played the Gower. The last song recorded that I played the Gower was a great little upbeat song entitled “Good for Us.”
Fate Vanderpool Producer/Rosebud Records/1996-2018
Receive a free copy (4X6 or 4X4) of HARVIE JUNE VAN and her brother Fate Vanderpool, her husband Bob Ferguson and her Dad Harvey Houston Vanderpool outside of RCA STUDIO B in Nashville, Tn.. Also receive a free photo of Harvie June Van talking to Engineer at RCA STUDIO recording sesdion. (May 1959)