Florida Man Born Without Arms Plays Guitar with His Toes
WPTV/CNN posted a video of a Florida man, Tony Melendez, playing guitar at John Carroll High School in West Palm Beach.
What's unusual is that Melendez, who was born without arms and with a club foot, plays guitar with his toes, not letting his handicap get in the way.
"You know, music, I pray with it, I dance with it, it takes me back in time," said Melendez, who as a child ditched his artificial limbs and found his footing and his gift in music. "I just look up in the heavens and I ask for my good Lord's help. I turn pages in a book, I can string a guitar, I could tune it, what a hand could do, this foot could simulate."
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
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.

“It was a total surprise. Prince sang, ‘In the purple…’ and then he pointed at me”: When Donna Grantis joined Prince’s band, she expected the unexpected – but she never thought he’d ask her to take iconic Purple Rain solo

“People say, ‘You’re playing the guitar on your lap, you learned from Guitar Hero.’ But it’s taken years to figure out how to write complex compositions”: Yasmin Williams brings lap-tapping and double-neck guitar to late-night TV with Colbert performance