Danny Gatton – Cruisin' Deuces

Gatton’s legendary “Magic Dingus” box, which can be heard on Redneck Jazz, was a remote switching mechanism mounted on a steel plate affixed to the face of his guitar—first a 1961 Gibson Les Paul Custom, then his ’53 Tele—and was used to control a Maestro Echoplex and a Leslie rotating speaker.

Telemaster was released three years later, while 1994’s Strictly Rhythm Guitar saw him demonstrating the art of backup with a Gibson J-200 and a black and white pearloid Telecaster. One trick he kept to himself was his habit of using a beer bottle to play slide: “Heineken for preference, but any brand will do…”

Danny traded a ‘51 Martin D-18 for his ‘54 ES 295 at the Nashville Pickin Parlor in 1980. The 295 was subsequently used to record Cherokee, Homage To Charlie Christian, Elmira St Boogie, The Simpsons, Cruisin’, 20 Flight Rock, Good Rockin Tonight, Heart Like A Rock, and several other tunes.