81-Year-Old Bob Wood Shreds "Besame Mucho" in Nashville Guitar Shop —Video
If you're a member of at least two or three guitar-centric Facebook groups, it's likely the video below has shown up on your news feed at least 12 times.
It shows an 81-year-old guitarist by the name of Bob Wood performing "Bésame Mucho" on an Epiphone archtop (Looks like an older-style Riviera to me; someone please feel free to chime in via the comments below).
The video was recently shared by British Audio Service in Nashville, with the header, "This guy rules. Mr. Bob Wood, ladies and gentlemen."
Since then, the original post has garnered about 2 million views, making Wood something of an internet sensation. To see what all the fuss is about, check out the clip below. "Bésame Mucho" (aka "Kiss me a lot") was written in 1940 by Consuelo Velázquez. It was a staple of the Beatles' early shows at the Cavern and in Hamburg.
According to Melanie Wood Moody, one of Bob's nine children, he was signed as a regular performer at Jamboree USA in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1970, and performed for 10 years. In the mid-Seventies, he was named Entertainer of the Year by Eastern States Country Music Inc. In 2007, he was inducted into The Southern Legends Country Music Hall of Fame. He has several albums to his name, including Bob Wood Plays It Cool.
For more about British Audio Service, head to britishaudioservice.com. We love guitar shops—and we love Nashville!
Post by British Audio Service.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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