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Cape Girardeau, MO January 16, 2017: Clifford Rolwing of CTR Marketing of Charleston, MO, announces the George Jones “First Guitar” discovered in West Kentucky after being missing for 70 years is being offered for sale. George Jones in an interview for Country Weekly magazine in 1999 said of this guitar: “It was a brand new Gene Autry guitar with a horse and lariat on the front” George recalls. “I took it home and it hardly ever left my hands. Note by note, I learned to play it. I’ve owned countless expensive guitars in my life, but none of them ever meant any more to me than that little Gene Autry model.” He treasured the guitar so dearly, that he signed it on the back.
The guitar was a Gene Autry “Cowboy Guitar” built in the late thirties by the Harmony Company. It was given to George by his father for Christmas and George learned to play and walked the streets of Beaumont, Texas during the depression, playing for tips. Soon his father had George playing and singing those streets for family income. “After my dad got me my first little guitar, I wouldn’t lay it down, hardly,” Mr. Jones told The Tennessean. “I took it to school with me. I’d hide it in the woods and cover it with leaves, and if a big rain came and it got wet, I’d pour the water out of it. Them guitars never warped.” The water and leaf stains are still visible inside the guitar today..
Clifford said “There is nothing that George Jones has ever owned in his life that is more significant to his becoming “The King of Country Music” than this Historic Gene Autry Cowboy Guitar! It shaped his destiny to become the most famous country singer in modern history.” It all started with George Jones First Guitar!
George Jones First Guitar has a long and illustrious history since being given to him by his father in the early 40’s. While discussing the story of verifying the guitar Clifford said” George Jones actually signed the back of the guitar and the stains from the wet leaves are still visible on the inside of the guitar.”
The story of verifying the authenticity of the guitar was long and involved, covering 5 states from Chicago (Harmony Guitars HQ) to Vidor, Texas, where Georges sister, Helen Scroggins verified that the Gene Autry Guitar with his signature on the back was his original guitar and signed a certification stating so. The complete story of the of the two year verification can be found at www.GeorgeJonesFirstGuitar.com.
Clifford Rolwing told the story of George Jones being offered the Guitar after acknowledging that the guitar was his, but Nancy reneged on the arrangement for George to receive the guitar at a concert in Paducah, KY in 2011.
Clifford said “George actually held the guitar in his hands prior to a concert in Branson in October 2012 and after inspecting the guitar, he was about to sign a statement certifying that the guitar he was holding was in fact George Jones’ First Guitar. Then Nancy Jones appeared and stopped George for unknown reasons from signing the affidavit. Clifford continued “Larry Gatlin was at the George Jones concert and held the guitar while he sang a song he had just written as a tribute to George Jones, I recorded a video and posted it on the website.”
At a recent meeting on January 12th with the management of the George Jones Museum, after inspecting the Guitar owned by Clifford Rolwing, the management agreed that it was the original George Jones First Guitar. They further agreed that the replica Gene Autry Guitar presented in the museum would be marked accordingly, as a replica of the George Jones Original First Guitar.
A complete history and the story of the verification of the guitar can be obtained at www.GeorgeJonesFirstGuitar.com. The only real George Jones guitar is being offered for $275,000. ” The guitar has a much higher value but, it is my goal that it will be available for public display and not hidden in a private collection.” said Clifford Rolwing.
About CTR Marketing
Headquartered in Charleston, Missouri, CTR Marketing is a privately held, family real estate company that specializes in residential acquisition, development and homebuilding for select clients. The firm was founded in 2005 and has grown consistently, responding to a variety of retail and real estate economic climates.
Release ID: 161582