Gatton was a DC area guitarist who committed suicide in 1994 at the age of 45 just when he was on the verge of making it big. He made for a very unlikely breakout artist; a short, pudgy middle-aged guy with a greasy pompadour. He had unusually stubby saugauge fingers that jumped and skipped across the frets with impossible ease (if you've ever played a vintage Telecaster with 13s you would appreciate this). There are a couple of traits of his that strike me as suspect:
He had a life-long obsession with old cars and car parts and spent what little money he got from gigs buying lemons from the 1930s and other junk. He was as legendary a tinkerer as he was a guitarist.
Has never held down a real job longer than a few months his whole life
A self-taught natural talent who could not read a note of music but had perfect pitch and recall
He had a shy and reserved stage demeanor and never looked at the audience
Was a lefty but played right-handed
Classic introvert who spent all his teenage years alone playing guitar and working on cars
Let the responsibilities of managing his career, the bills, and life fall to his mother and wife.
I'm sure all artists have their idiosyncrasies so Gatton may not be that odd after all. HOwever, I do think many of these traits kept him from becoming more successful. I recommend that people who like good Americana pick up any of his albums. Give him the exposure and recognition that he sorely needed in life.
05 Mar 2009, 6:52 am
