The B.B. King/ Lucille Gibson Guitar

How Dennis Helped Make Happen The B.B. King/ Lucille Gibson Guitar A Few Good Years In Camelot or ...

How Dennis Helped Make Happen The B.B. King/ Lucille Gibson Guitar A Few Good Years In Camelot or Working In Your Favortie Guitar's Company It was back in the late 70's and early 80's that Dennis was able to really marry his love of music with his business acumen. It was while he was working at a-Camelot-of-a job at Gibson Guitar (in Sales & Marketing of course!) Plus musician-Dennis got to perform in their "Gibson Guitar Greats Showcase Series". That's how he got to play with Howard Roberts, Mike Elliott, Les Paul, Lee Ritenour, Herb Ellis, Al DiMeola, Bruce Bolen, Larry Carlton and of course, his dear longtime friend, whom Dennis calls his "Second father", B.B. King. What was Dennis' biggest accomplishment at Gibson? He feels it was getting Gibson to make The B.B.King / Lucille production line model... Why?... Because he vowed back in 1965 to B.B., his dear teacher and mentor, that he would be the one "to get Gibson to make King his own signature guitar". (What's a signature guitar? Models made and named for an artist i.e., Les Paul, who has his own Gibson model). Dennis felt that Gibson Model ES 355 TDSV should be renamed to honor B.B.King. Warmly called "Lucille" by B.B. and fans alike, "Why not make it official?" But how?... to get "Lucille" made as a model?... His campaign started with letters to Gibson. It swelled when Dennis went to work for Gibson becoming top salesman (in fact, it was B.B. who had referred him)... But with whom?... Success came in a handshake from then Gibson President Bob McRann who told Dennis "Great idea, go do it!" That assignment, along with one to, "Also get B.B.King signed as an endorsee for their Lab amp line", came about in a very unusual setting. It was while deep sea fishing, amid sharks, 5 hours off the coast of the Panama! How did Dennis-the-salesman come to be there? He had won the Gibson Sales Contest that year. (In fact, he set for himself the goal to win!) All the time he worked for Gibson he had hoped for an audience with the president (so Dennis could discuss his idea for a B.B. King production line model). Well, top prize for him was a trip for two to the plush Contadora Island. Upon arriving at the Fantasy Island-like resort, Dennis and his wife, Liz learned he had won another top perk: Deep-sea fishing with the president of Gibson. Talk about a captured audience! Chances to chat freely came often, what with only five guests onboard, the McRanns, the Chandlers and Gibson Vice President Jim Whitehall. It was after they were underway, five hours out to sea, that Dennis began to make his case for B.B.King's guitar, so to speak. There, out in the middle of the ocean came Gibson President McRann's five words of instruction, "Great idea, go do it!". Dennis finally got the go ahead to make happen what he told B.B. he would do, way back in 1965. Once back home to the states, Dennis co-ordinated the initial endorsement/ R&D meetings with the following coming to Cleveland, Gibson Pres. Bob McRann, V.P. Bruce Bolan, Research & Development director Rendell Wall, district manager Lane Zastrow, B.B.King's manager Sid Seidenberg. The first meeting was held backstage after one of B.B.'s concerts at the Front Row Theater and the second, the next day in B.B.'s hotel suite with all in attendance. When?.. The guitar's due date was 1980. That's when B.B. dubbed Dennis "Lucille's Godfather". Still sometimes addressed as "Lucille's Godfather" by the King of the Blues, Dennis is most deeply touched when B.B. introduces him as "A fabulously talented musician whom I call my adopted son 'cause I like to think I raised him" (and for over the past 40 years he has.) Inspiring, too, are choruses of praise from B.B.'s son, Rev. Robert Edwards encouraging Dennis to "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord" Why? Perhaps because he, like others, witnessed that Dennis, in remission from leukemia, appears restored beyond the proficiency he had prior to his illness. Therefore, since his healing, Dennis' indeed grateful to perform wherever and whenever invited to do so. Hence his diverse and busy itinerary. http://dennischandler.com/B_B__King___Lucille.html