If you’ve ever been to a concert, the odds are high that you’ve sat through a guitar solo. So you know that depending on who’s playing, you’re either bored out of your mind or completely entranced by how quickly they move their fingers across the strings.
Bob Wood may not be as well-known as Carlos Santana, but the talented 85-year-old could definitely hold his own if he were ever challenged.
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At 12, Bob hit the music scene for the first time when he appeared on a radio show. But as the years went by, he wasn’t able to focus on playing because of his full-time sales job. Regardless, he was good enough to perform at the Wheeling Jamboree in 1970 – and continued to do so every year through 1984.
Over those 14 years, Bob started to become a big deal! He won various awards and even presented a guitar to the Bicentennial Commission at the White House in 1976. He also collaborated with some of the greatest musicians of all time like Carl Perkins and Roy Clark and shared the stage with Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard.
Bob Wood Guitar
But as he neared musical success, he decided his Memphis, Tennessee neighborhood was an unsafe place to raise his six kids. So Bob packed up his family and gave up on fame and fortune.
Of course, life has a funny way of taking us places. Someone posted a video of Bob playing online when he was 80, and it went viral.
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At that point, he was only creating music because he loves it so much, but his Internet fame opened new doors. So in 2017, he took the stage at DadFest. He played three sets for the festival in Willow Creek Community Church’s 7,000-seat auditorium – all of which received standing ovations from the full crowd.
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Today, Bob has no desire to reach the height of fame he walked away from long ago. He just wants to keep pursuing his passion. Thank goodness! We’d be missing out if we couldn’t hear him play.
Check out his amazing skills in the video below, and share his remarkable story with your friends!
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