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The Guitar Story* Listen to Vance while you read. Vance playing the star guitar at a Herman's Hermits performance. Click for larger image.
My sister had messed around with guitars when she was a youngster and she’s ten years older. So of course, to this day one of the guitars I play on stage is her original guitar that we bought in Modell’s, believe it or not.

It’s a very funny story. I remember looking at that guitar on the rack at Modell’s when she picked it out. I was so happy she picked that one - just because of the color. It was like looking at a star on the Christmas tree almost. I remember it having that same effect.

First Performance
The first time I got on stage in front of an audience was for a talent show at Eisenhower Park. My friend Pip and I did two songs. We both played guitars and sang and he whistled.

The audience thought we were really bizarre because of the songs we did. One was "Stumbling All Around," a Felix Unger composition for his band the Sophisticados in the TV sitcom The Odd Couple. The other song was a Hawaiian song, "Nuka, Nuka, Wiki Wiki." I heard the song somewhere and memorized it. I still play it every now and then in the nursing homes where I do music therapy. Needless to say, we didn't win the talent contest.

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*Audio clip from August 18, 2007 interview by Mason Ramsey www.rockandrollheaven.net

 

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