ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 23, 1996 TAG: 9608230028
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NASHVILLE, TENN.
SOURCE: JIM PATTERSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
A cherry red 1961 ES-335 Gibson guitar has changed the world, just a little bit.
Heard on Touchstone recordings by Tammy Wynette, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Amy Grant and others, the guitar has snaked its way through American pop culture. Nashville producer-sideman Jerry Kennedy played it on hits like ``Oh, Pretty Woman,'' ``Stand by Your Man,'' and Dylan's ``Blonde on Blonde'' and ``Nashville Skyline'' albums.
``It's a working tool,'' says Gordon Kennedy, son of Jerry Kennedy and the current owner of the guitar. ``It should not be hanging on a wall somewhere in a collector's house.''
The second-generation Kennedy, 36, uses the Gibson in his Christian music, but also used it to compose ``Change the World,'' a smash hit for Eric Clapton from the soundtrack of the film ``Phenomenon.''
He also has a song, sung by Patty Loveless, on the soundtrack of the Kevin Costner movie ``Tin Cup.''
``Change the World,'' written with Wayne Kirkpatrick and Tommy Sims, was first recorded by Wynonna Judd, after some initial interest from the reformed soft-rock group America.
``I was so overwhelmed at having had Clapton do the song,'' Gordon Kennedy said.
``I just couldn't do anything but laugh the first time that I heard it. ... For the first time in I can't remember when I've been lookin' at Billboard and R&R (Radio & Records) and following the charts and stuff.''
The song has hovered in the top 10 of most charts, and already hit No. 1 at adult contemporary radio stations.
Kennedy has yet to meet or hear from Clapton. But the rock veteran is not the only non-country artist to discreetly look to Nashville as a resource for potential hits. Tony Bennett hit the charts with Hank Williams Sr.'s ``Cold Cold Heart'' in the early 1950s. And artists like All-4-One (``I Swear'') and Neil Diamond, with his current ``Tennessee Moon'' CD, have also dipped into the well in recent years.
Though his performing career has been spent in such Christian bands as Whiteheart and now the Pink Floyd-influenced duo Dogs of Peace, Gordon Kennedy was brought up to understand music the country way. ``It all starts with a song'' is the slogan, and here the songwriter - not the artist or producer - is the engine of the recording machine.
``The country music that I heard when I was growing up (was a major influence), the songs he (Jerry Kennedy) would bring home having produced with Roger Miller, Johnny Rodriguez, and The Statler Brothers, who are great songwriters,'' Gordon Kennedy said.
``That's really what this town is all about. You know, they celebrate the songwriters in this town as much as they do the artists. I don't know if that's unique to this recording community or not, or for country music, but it's kind of cool.''
Attending recording sessions was a part of growing up for Gordon, his older brother Bryan, and younger brother Shelby. Bryan Kennedy has co-written hits for Garth Brooks, and is currently part of the opening act of Brooks' world tour. Shelby Kennedy, an executive at ASCAP, once had a song recorded by Ray Charles.
But Gordon was the brother who took it most seriously, and today plays guitar on the CDs of many Christian acts and transplanted pop stars like Michael McDonald.
``My dad bought me my first album other than a country music album ... and it was `Meet the Beatles.' And so that kind of lit a fire under me even at the age of second grade or something.''
His session memories are rich. He played his first recording session when he was 17, one his father produced for Johnny Rodriguez.
``I remember my dad saying, `You know I'm working tonight with the king (Elvis Presley).'
``I've been to a Jerry Lee Lewis session once - he (his dad) thought you only needed to see that once!''
Earlier this year, Gordon did something historic for the family, taking the famous Gibson out of the Nashville area for the first time.
``I use that guitar all the time now,'' he said. ``I keep relying heavily on it and I took it out of Nashville and used it on `The Tonight Show' in February when Amy Grant did that.
``Which made my dad sweat, I know.''
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. "It's a working tool," musician Gordon Kennedy saysby CNBof his superstar ES-335 Gibson guitar. Most recently it has helped
Kennedy and Eric Clapton gain a hit with "Change the World." color.