Author: C. B. Gitty
Jack White playing a Daddy Mojo Cigar Box Guitar Onstage
Jack White tries out a custom-build Daddy Mojo cigar box guitar onstage, in this video from 2009.
Video: Tom Waits with a Cigar Box Guitar in the Band
Check out this video of a live Tom Waits show, where one of the band members is playing a cigar box guitar!
Another celebrity CBG sighting: Bono and Lenny of Daddy Mojo Guitars
Daddy Mojo is one of the best known brands of higher-end cigar box guitars, and here Bono from the band U2 poses with Lenny of Daddy Mojo Guitars.
See more photos of celebrities with cigar box guitars in our gallery here.
Chris Cornell and Eric Roberts with a Cigar Box Guitar
Another celebrity CBG sighting! Word on the street is that this cigar box guitar (builder currently unknown) was played by Eric Roberts in an in-production Chris Cornell music video. If you know who built it, let us know!
Check out more pics of celebrities with cigar box guitars here.
Jimmy Buffett with a Gas Can Ukulele
When we think homemade instruments, Jimmy Buffett’s name doesn’t usually spring to mind. But apparently he has at least held a homemade instrument during a photo shoot. The photo to the left shows the front cover of the Uke’an Play Jimmy Buffett songbook, released in 2010.
That appears to be a primitive gas can uke that he is holding there in the picture, and while we’d love to know more about it (and how it came into Jimmy’s hands), so far we haven’t been able to find any more information. Was it just a prop handed to him in a “this would look cool for the photo” moment, or does Jimmy have some familiarity, and appreciation for, primitive handmade instruments? Was that primitive uke just something that was hanging on the wall in the place they were doing the photo shoot?
Our decidedly un-exhaustive research on Google didn’t turn up any other images or references to the king parrothead with homemade instruments, but who knows. If you know any more of the story behind this, please let us know!
Free Cigar Box Ukulele Kit Assembly Guide
We just added the full “how-to” guide for C. B. Gitty’s new Cigar Box Ukulele Kit to the knowledgebase here on CigarBoxGuitar.com. While written specifically to show you how to assemble their complete CB Uke kit, this guide is also a good reference for anyone looking to build a cigar box ukulele from scratch.
If you have ever wondered about what it takes to build a cigar box ukulele, check out this guide. And if you want to try your hand at it, don’t forget that C. B. Gitty sells both the complete kit and also a nice range of individual ukulele parts.
Happy Uke’in!
New Cigar Box Guitar Video Lessons from Shane Speal
We just added a new entry to the free cigar box guitar knowledgebase here on CigarBoxGuitar.com – a series of 5 video lesson in which “King of the Cigar Box Guitar” Shane Speal shows you some of the most famous blues riffs, licks and turnarounds. With these quick, easy-to-follow lessons, you’ll be sounding like one of the blues masters in no time.
From the classic blues “walkdown” lick to some more advanced runs, Shane presents this foundational how-to material in a clear, approachable way.
So grab your cigar box guitars, tune them to Open G “GDG”, and get ready to start belting out some blues!
Quote of the Day
“The term ‘hoedown music’ came from the time at the end of the day when you were done working and laid your hoe down. That was when you would play a little music to relax and have a little fun.” John Huran, Foxfire 12
Jeff Daniels and sons playing Cigar Box Guitars Onstage
Jeff Daniels, in addition to being a great actor, is also an avid songwriter and musician. Recently he discovered cigar box guitars, and joined his son’s band onstage where they all had a spin on their CBGs. Good stuff!
Video Documentary on Argentinean Cigar Box Guitar Builder
This short documentary was put together by a group of student filmmakers. From the Vimeo post of the video:
“A glance into the life of Luis Schmied, an Argentinean banker whose true passion has always been music and happens to be a very talented maker of handcrafted cigar box guitars. He shares what sparked his curiosity for this peculiar hobby, his technique to make each instrument unique, and the emotion he gets by peoples’ response to his craft.”
Inside The Box – Short Documentary from Vinnie Zullo on Vimeo.
It’s Microwave Dave Day!
“Microwave” Dave Gallagher is one of the giants of the Cigar Box Guitar performance world, and a legendary figure in and around Huntsville, Alabama. He has been a big part of Huntsville’s cigar box guitar festival over the years and this year has been honored by the city with his own day – June 28 is officially Microwave Dave Day!
In honor of this special day, AL.com has published a nice article that tells the story of Microwave Dave, the man and the musician.
Click here or on the image to the right to check out the article.