My Guitar Dad, Pat Grogan

When I was 17 years old, I decided I wanted to start taking guitar lessons again after 2 years of going it alone. I went to the local music store, Clawson’s Music in Corpus Christi, and signed up with Pat Grogan. Pat toured with Willie Nelson, and was a staff guitarist on the Big “D” Jamboree, out of Dallas, TX. There, he played with all the top artists of the 1950′s and 60′s. From Buck Owens, to George Jones, Pat was supplying smooth, hot guitar. Besides all of his playing experience, he was a co-writer on the Buck Owens/Desert Rose Band classic, “Hello Trouble.”

Pat was an incredible teacher. As soon as I showed some promise, he began taking me on gigs with him, and threw me into the deep end more than once. Whatever it was that I was not cutting it at, we would work on it at our next lesson. What kind of teacher does this? Most give you a lesson, and say see ya next week. Mr. Grogan poured into me. I can still remember the first gig I had that paid at Island Italian Restaurant on Padre Island. I wasn’t given money, but I did get a pizza, or a sandwich at the end of every night. It was such a thrill to play there. Soon after wards, I was actually getting paid decent money to play in some of the bands in South Texas. A special thanks goes out to Don Bodine, and all the good people at the South Texas Opry. They tolerated my overplaying, and over-dependence on a B-bender. Here is a picture of Pat and I at a gig we played together right after Thanksgiving 2008.

As you can plainly see, he is playing keyboards here. Pat plays guitar, banjo, fiddle, piano, and I’m sure a number of other instruments.

Pat was recently inducted into the Texas Music Hall Of Fame, and was also “cemented” into the South Texas Music Walk Of Fame In Corpus Christi

I am very thankful to have had Pat Grogan as my guitar teacher. It was very nice to get to re-connect with him on a recent trip to Texas. Thank you Pat!