John had had the flu and had been in bed for awhile, not feeling well at all. His girlfriend at the time was encouraging him to get up and around, and this wasn't taken well by John at all. As John put it, "She just wouldn't leave me alone." At some point in the conversation, the words "What do you love more John, me or your guitar?" were invoked.

The truth of what happened next is known only to those two persons who were present. Having access to all the forensic evidence, and holding a board certification in Orthopedics, I would have to say that the point of impact is more consistent with an impact with a rounded, padded, but solid surface. Marilyn's head? Possibly. Only her hairdresser knows for sure. A girl's necklace was in the debris field. Maybe someday Marilyn will come forward and shed some light on this episode. As I knew John, he wasn't the kind of guy to go around hitting women. Not then, not ever.

John had purchased a Hawaiian guitar from me that very same night, after his had been stolen, and he offered me the remains of the Recording King. The real hero of this story is Charlie Mitchell, the guy who collected the pieces after the unfortunate encounter. All but a few fragments were somehow preserved in a cardboard box. The box came into the possession of John Zender at McCabe's guitar shop in Los Angeles, where it remained stored for a few years, and then it was very kindly released it to me at the behest of John Fahey. The remains of the King were shipped to me shortly thereafter; this was late 1982.

My own life got in the way of the restoration project, and John Fahey's 1939 Ray Whitley Recording King stayed in its little box for another 19 years, through five different moves, three careers, and my never-ending good intentions.

In March of 2001, I traveled to Salem, Oregon to attend John's funeral and memorial service, which were very moving. Shortly thereafter, Peter Lang told me that there was a tribute CD in the works. I knew that the time had come for me to do it. I turned the ringer off on my phone, and buried myself in the project. I had no idea if the pieces would even fit after the trauma and the many days gone by.

After 12 days, the final piece to complete the sides was fitted with complete success, and the body fit the top.

I would describe the process as similar to piecing together a broken dish. The rosewood shattered like glass but had retained its shape. Luckily the top had its bracing intact, or the King might have been a lost cause. The neck is built like a baseball bat, and didn't even need to have its truss rod adjusted. The guitar has great action, great sound, and is very playable.

I feel very fortunate to have been allowed to be the caretaker and caregiver for this priceless piece of Americana. Hopefully the King will be used for recording projects for many years to come.

I am interested in compiling as much information as is available about the recordings on which John played this instrument, photos of John with the instrument, etc., and am preparing to make a limited edition copy of this fine guitar available to the public. I made a number of these fine guitars until July 2006 when my use of the Recording King brand ceased.

If you have any such information I can be reached here.

Best wishes,

Federico Sheppard