Inspired by Uncle

​A commonly asked question is, who was your inspiration? I can simply say, my uncle. He married my aunt when I was just 18-months-old. I was in their wedding. Although he was my uncle by marriage, you would have thought we were blood related. I simply adored him, and he thought the world of me. 

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Rev. O.E. Davis

From the time I could notice music, I watched my uncle play. He was our pastor in a small church in East Texas. The church had two sections of pews with an aisle down the middle. Uncle, as I called him, would sit on the left side of the platform and play for the singing and worship part of church. My seat was the first or second pew on the left, close to the aisle so I could watch him play. The way his fingers glided across the neck of his Fender kept me mesmerized. 

Uncle was very talented. He could play anything. At the age of 32 he married my aunt. Prior to meeting her, he had been offered a spot in the band for Webb Pierce. Webb was  one of the most popular American honky-tonk, rockabilly vocalists, guitarists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. So, when I say he was a great guitarist of his time, I tell no lie.

The fact that Uncle turned down a chance for fame and fortune to follow Jesus, seemed like a crazy decision to some. However, my uncle had fixed his heart on God. The appeal of playing in a honky-tonk came up short when measured against pleasing his Heavenly Father. Who wouldn’t choose streets of gold over bar room lights?

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​My uncle passed away a couple of years ago, leaving a hole in my heart no one else will ever fill.  But, his love of the guitar was passed on to me simply by dedicating his talent to God instead of man.

The guitar he played since early 1950 was a Fender. This guitar is a replica of the one he played for so many years. Click HERE or click on the Fender guitar image to see this guitar and others that would make excellent products to add to your own collection.