Harris Norman W. - Confessions of a vintage guitar dealer: the memoirs of Norman Harris

Copyright 2016 by Norman W. Harris

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, without written permission, except by a newspaper or magazine reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

Published in 2016 by Hal Leonard Books
An Imprint of Hal Leonard Corporation
7777 West Bluemound Road
Milwaukee, WI 53213

Trade Book Division Editorial Offices
33 Plymouth St., Montclair, NJ 07042

Printed in the United States of America

Book design by Michael Kellner

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Harris, Norman W., 1949- author. | Yorkin, David, author.

Title: Confessions of a vintage guitar dealer : the memoirs of Norman Harris
/ Norman W. Harris, David Yorkin.
Description: Milwaukee, WI : Hal Leonard Books, 2016.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015043844 | ISBN 9781495035111 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Harris, Norman W., 1949- | Guitar--Collectors and collecting.
| Businessmen--United States--Biography. | Guitar--United States--History.
Classification: LCC ML1015.G9 H285 2016 | DDC 787.87/19092--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015043844

www.halleonardbooks.com

To Marlene, the love of my life, whos stuck around through it all, from the ridiculous to the sublime. My success is directly attributed to you.

Also to my son, Jordan, my daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Troy, my granddaughter, Brooklyn, and my grandson, Oliver.

Contents

Dedication to Norm

So, let me introduce you to Norman Harris. I think the first time I walked into Norms shop was 1988. I had just made a little money so I could afford to walk into his store. It was a small spot on the corner of Tampa and Vanowen Streets in Reseda. I had been hanging around with Cher and her son, Elijah Allman, who was getting to know the guitar. I was giving him a little bit of a hand, and I said, Lets go down and see this rare guitar shop, which Id heard great things about but had never been there. When we got there, I met Norman. He was gracious enough to let us play some instruments that he knew I couldnt afford. Then he gave me a really good deal on things that were appropriate for my income bracket. It was very, very nice of him. When you believe in doing that for a musician, you give him an opportunity to grow to the next level, and that is very important.

It was at that moment I knew that Norm and I were friends; we could talk to each other in a language that we both understood.

Lord knows, he was very lenient to me in the lean years, and I love him for that. He knows that when it comes to a starter kit of your first vintage axe, youll fall in love and never fall out.

So thank you, Norm. Im a junkie now, a vintage guitar junkie, and its all your fault, but that is a healthy habit. All I know is, when you walk into Norms store, its like heaven. At any given time you know youre going to fall in love four or five times before you leave, and the interesting part about that is youre almost walking back in time, because the instruments you can acquire are timeless. So youd better bring your checkbook.

Norm has helped a tremendous amount of musicians reach their goals through supplying them with the instruments to hone their craft. He understands a musicians needs and thats no easy task. Guess what, Norm? Thats it!

I dont know if you know this but Norm is quite an accomplished musician himself. Norman is a Hammond organ specialist who has played with numerous top musicians. He has backed up Little Richard, Bo Didley, Dobie Gray, and Albert Collins on many occasions, as well as Lowell Fulsom, Eddie Clean Head Vinson, Roy Milton, Big Mama Thornton, and numerous other iconic bluesmen and women. He has had songs in several movies. He currently has a song on John Legends latest album and has even had a huge hit with the rapper Common.

Supplying dreams is something else amazing about Norm. You walk into his store or call him and he says, What do you need to fulfill that dream? So you tell him what it is, and he says, I got it, I got it ! You know thats a very special thing. Then hell call you up at any moment, out of the blue, and say, You need this guitar, Rich, this is for you, and this is your guitar. Norm and I have a relationship that spans almost thirty years, so he knows me, the player, and he knows me, the person. Cause it aint about the money for him. I mean, lets face it. Everyone must make a living. Hes a musician, and its a pleasure for him to see all the musicians he knows flourish, prosper, and make a living playing music, especially with a guitar. Thats Norm.

Hes the vintage guitar pusher, because he knows youll become addicted. I say that in the best of ways.

When you give a musician the right instrument, its a very important day in his or her life, like an angel has come down and tapped him on the shoulder with the right wand. Norm does that every day. Music has been my life for as long as I can remember; its my sanctuary, my church, and a source of spirituality for me. Whenever I take the stage, whether its in front of seventy people or a stadium filled with seventy thousand people, it is the guitars that Norm has bestowed on me that I use to light the candles on the altar of spirituality.

Norms vibe is one at the heart and soul of a musician. He inherently understands each musicians needs at his or her present level of development. His extreme knowledge of these fine instruments is rare. He is a master of knowing what instrument to put in the hands of which musician and how they will both be best served.

Norm is the guy who granted me that 1959 Les Paul and a Broadcaster when I needed it, and then hed call me up and, lo and behold, I have a Strat No. 13. His instruments are not only rare in their being but also in tone and work. They stay in tune, and as a professional musician, you have to have instruments that work.

If you work with Norm, he never misses your birthday, and when you need a break, hell give it to you. Norm gives deep from the heart and never speaks of it or boasts.

Over the thirty years that weve known each other, I have known him as a wonderful husband to Marlene and an amazing father to Jordan and Sarah (and now hes a granddad, HAH!). Hes just a few years older than me (I just started a little later).

Norm has been a mentor to me by sharing his knowledge, his love, and his friendship, and also his endless philanthropic quest.

A few years back, my buddy Norm and my dear friend, assistant, and right arm, Denise Smith-Salazar, began collaborating on a project. They wanted to produce a three-show benefit concert series at the Malibu Performing Arts Center to raise money for The Midnight Mission (LAs premier homeless shelter). They invited me to lend a hand in the most obvious way by asking, Will you perform? I said, Of course!

This was my introduction to the incredible body of work being done by The Midnight Mission, and Norms dedication resonated with me. So, for over a decade, Ive been humbled and proud to support the Mission however I can, and its been one of the most rewarding experiences, more than anything else Ive done in my life. Thank you, Norman.

Lets not forget the acoustics! Bring cash or trades if youre holdin. The Martins and the Gibsons and the Epiphones that I use on every record that I make are the cornerstone of my tone, and I got them from Norm.

When Norman gets to know you and drops his guard hes like one big, open heart. He would do anything for you. Im sure reading the stories in this book, youll gain a lot of insight about the man that resides in Norms body, its Norman!