Jerry Kennedy’s 1950 00-18 | Martin Guitar

Legendary producer and session guitarist is reunited with one of his first guitars, which has recently been restored by Martin's repair shop.

Producer and guitarist Jerry Kennedy played on countless country and pop sessions starting in the 1950s, and his credits include albums with Elvis Presley, Kris Kristofferson, Ringo Starr, and Bob Dylan. In 1950, at the age of 10, Kennedy got a brand-new Martin 00-18, but a few years later, the guitar got damaged while on loan to Kennedy’s guitar teacher, Tillman Franks. In the decades that followed, the guitar went through multiple owners until it was discovered in a pawn shop by a member of Franks’ family, ultimately ending up with Frank’s oldest daughter, who kept it in a hot attic in Louisiana. Recently, the guitar made its way back to Kennedy, who contacted Martin about restoring the instrument. This video, narrated by Kennedy’s son Gordon Kennedy, shows the history of the instrument as well as the steps taken by Martin’s repair shop to bring the guitar back to life.

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