Beverly Guitar Watkins was eight years old in 1947 when she taught herself to play “John Henry” on a Stella guitar bought from Sears Roebuck. She won a talent show playing “Blue Suede Shoes” on that Stella in high school where she also learned to play piano, bass, and trumpet. In Paris is a new release of a 2012 live show out now on Music Maker Foundation. She sleighs covers of “You Send Me” and “What I Say” on the album and two songs, “Red Mama” and “Sugar Baby Swing,” are named after her guitars.
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