I received an exciting commission this past fall from the widow of 2006 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ed King, former guitarist and founding member of Strawberry Alarm Clock, co-writer and guitarist on the number one hit “Incense and Peppermints” and Southern Rock stalwart Lynyrd Skynyrd. Ed, who passed away in 2018, helped to create Lynyrd Skynyrd’s signature sound as one of the famed “Three Guitar Army”. He co-wrote Sweet Home Alabama during his first day with Skynyrd, and is considered by many to be one of the greatest guitarists of all time.
Ed was a guitar aficionado and had a substantial collection of guitars. What his room needed was guitarists. His widow wanted to add six guitarists to Ed’s display room. To say I was honored was an understatement. In addition to painting a chair of Ed, I was asked to create chairs of musicians who had influenced Ed throughout his career. They included John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, Duane Allman and Neil Young. Oh, if this Six Guitar Army could talk…