Old Mosrite photos/articles from 60's

[kgruggett]

Haha, you want old stories......I will pick my grandma and mother's brains and see what I can come up with for you that is more Mosrite type memories, mine are probably on a more personal level, such as this. I remember nearly every Sunday during those early to mid 60's , there in Bakersfield , my dad took us to a hall-some gathering place- and lots of men would come with their guitars, and my dad would play bass and Semie would play and I was told Merle Haggard joined them before , maybe not all the same people each time, and the wives would be there and kids running around playing and the men all had a huge jam session. It was a blast and there was lots of music all the time. I wonder if any of the forum members might remember or have been a part of that, Im thinking maybe Gene Moles or some of those older Bakersfield muscians before Bakersfield sound existed. I remember my dad sitting on the edge of the couch and playing a Mosrite for me as a little girl and I would do the twist and he would play ' I gotta gal named boney maroney, shes as skinny as a stick of macaroni, ....and I would do the twist and he would play . I remember guitar bodies everywhere all the time, in the kitchen, hanging everywhere, both at his work and in our house...and sanding on them in the kitchen, although those must have been Gruggett's not Mosrites.
Kathy

[juan_10]

Thanks for posting this stuff .. it makes for an interesting read , it must have been great to grow up surrounded by music (and guitar players ) .. and half built guitars

[kgruggett]

Yes it was great, lots of music! My mother played guitar and piano and my grandfather, Bills' dad also played, great old Tennesse type songs about 'fishing in the crawdad hole, honey' and he was a preacher when my dad was a kid and made some old records with him preaching and singing gospel to the Oklahoma immigrants during the Grapes of Wrath days. Bill's mom, Alma played piano, I play piano and guitar and my brother is an excellent guitar player. I asked my Mom to tell me something for you all about her memories of Semie and the mosrite factory days, and here is what she said, from Darlene,Bill's first wife (they were both just teens) she talks about what a great guitar player Semie was....

"Your dad met Semie while he and I were still married and your Dad was already building his own guitars and Semie hired him and he started helping him at his factory. At first he just hung out there a lot and absorbed Semies knowledge about guitars. I was there with him quite a bit. Eventually he was in charge of just about everything and was very instrumental in the Ventures guitars and built the first Mosrite bass . I remember there was always people hanging around. I think his factory was in Oildale or South Bakersfield in an old warehouse. Semie was a very accompolished guitarist and I loved to hear him play. He played the finger picking method which I tried for years to learn but it was beyond anything I could do. That man had more musical talent than any of the "cowboy" guitar pickers in Bakersfield, for sure. He sounded a lot like Chet Akins, who was quite popular at the time. Your dad played bass at night in a band. They all loved to play. Your dad started helping him build Mosrite guitars at his factory and he and I built Gruggett guitars in our garage. That was in the early 1960's. He was still working with Semie when we got divorced. That was in 1963. "

So there you have it, personal rememberance of Semie's guitar playing
Kathy

[juan_10]

I'm there with you on the finger picking Kathy As a life long practitioner of the 'bash the strings with a plectrum' technique .. the joys of finger picking like Nokie Edwards are hard to come by ,, hehe ,, practice ,practice.

Cheers juan

[Mr. Bill]

Kathy- Thank you for posting all of these photos and articles about Semie and your dad. They give us all a great insight into the real people behind names. And the personal recollections add even more to the stories.

It is very kind and thoughtful of you to share this with us. Perhaps you should consider assembling all of this material and the family interviews and write a book about your dad, or at least a magazine article or two.

Thanks again!

[kgruggett]

Thanks Mr Bill (love the name by the way)
Others have told me to do a book with my dad's guitar photos. I never thought about articles though. I actually am still going through them and seperating his photos by style as he did thousands of customs. I have so many versions of a telecaster and so many gorgeous finishes, smei-hollows, acoustics, bass, celebrities, really so many of every style and of course his Stradettes and many Venture style Gruggetts. A few I have posted for you all to see under a different post on this site, if you do a search of his name it should pull up many more stories and those photos and an original photo of him in a band playing a Mosrite.
Right now Im just trying to get his tombstone plaque finished which is taking forever and there is a gorgeous imprint of an original Stradette on the bronze plaque and the words ' Bakersfield's Legendary Master Guitar Luthier. I am excited and proud to be designing and providing this plaque for my Dad. Im also trying to make thank yous to those that were a part of the 30x10 mural that went up on side of Front Porch Music in Bakersfield. It is such a great recognition to MOsrite, Gruggett and Hallmark. Artie is fortunate to see that every day!! (Im jealous). Thank you for the responses, sometimes I post and I see lots of people view it but very few respond and it makes me think they do not like what I am posting, but maybe that is the nature of forums
Take care , Kathy

[dubtrub]

Thank you for the responses, sometimes I post and I see lots of people view it but very few respond and it makes me think they do not like what I am posting, but maybe that is the nature of forums
Take care , Kathy

Kathy, think nothing of people not posting, like you said it is the nature of forums. They run hot and cold for people posting but as an administrator I see each one of the registered users that follows this forum as well as a multitude of unregistered guests reading this forum everyday. Keep up the good work of educating everyone to the insights of Bill and Semie. It is greatly appreciated. The book is a great idea and this Mosrite forum is the encyclopedia to help in your research.

BTW, I was fortunate to know your dad as well as Semie.

[MWaldorf]

Kathy,
I'll chime in and say I really enjoy reading everything you've been sharing; it just seems redundant to keep posting "wow!" or "cool!" each time. So consider this post a cumulative "Wow!" and "Cool!" across the board!
Mel

[kgruggett]

Thanks Dubtrub and Mel-your comments help me. I had just hoped more might post photos or memories as they did at first but that has died down now.

Dubtrub feel free to share your memories here of Bill and Semie.(helpful for my research, right) I think their personalities were very different and they each had their own talents . Did you know them back in the days when they were just two young guys in an old shed/shack out in the country area of Bakersfield building guitars or later in life?

Mel, I printed an 8x10 color of the photo you sent me of you and my dad with your guitar in front of his garage and it is in his album, just wanted you to know that. thanks for sending it

Kathy

[dubtrub]

Kathy, please don't take this wrong but as you can see by my post count since I started this forum on May 4th 2008, I have talked all about my experiences extensively. I think most of the 'long time' members here have exhausted themselves in Mosrite history discussions and are now enjoying sitting back and letting others carry the torch. There are several members on this site that personally knew or had dealings with all the main players of Bakersfield produced guitars. I must admit that it would take a lot of effort with the 'search' feature to glean all the information this site has chronicled. That's why I said this place is THE encyclopedia for researching any and everything Mosrite related. I would suggest you start your research with early topics written by Deke Dickerson, dorkrockrecords, TerryTNM, EFElliott, Dennisthe Menace and myself. A lot of that info is contained under the Mosrite Guitars & Basses Vintage USA section. I've pinned some of Dekes posts of early Mosrite history on the the first page as well as discussions about the various Mosrite shops from the early years. Some of Ed Elliott's recollections and discussions are in the Mosrite & Clones, Projects, parts & Accessories, Q&A section.

I met Semie in 1959 when I was in the 8th grade and remained in contact until the early 70s. I first met your dad when Mel, Adam and I were at his house checking on Mel's guitar he was building. We had periodic contact after that both by phone and in person. I probably met your dad back in the summer of 1966 when I worked at the Mosrite factory but I don't have any specific recollection as I was only there for a very short time.