Mark Rutledge: Professional steering wheel players never take requests

Yeah, there's thirteen hundred and fifty two guitar cases in Nashville

And any one that unpacks his guitar could play twice as better than I will

That line from “Nashville Cats,” by The Lovin' Spoonful, strikes a chord with every guitar enthusiast who knows that his best talents lie elsewhere.

I own three guitars, including the one my father bought for me when I was 15. But visions of earning a living with the instrument dimmed long ago. At some point, I realized that writing stories about guitar playing would, for me, pay more bills than actually strumming one.

Whenever I do write something on the subject of my guitar playing experiences, real musicians occasionally get the idea that I'm talented enough to sit in with them.

For instance, I regularly cross paths with Steve Creech, one of the best jazz guitarists eastern North Carolina has produced. Steve plays several area venues alongside other professional musicians with impressive big-band resumes.

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