Inventing the American Guitar: The Pre-Civil War Innovations of C.F. Martin and his Contemporaries

Listen

GUESTS: PETER SZEGO & DICK BOAK

Internationally recognized Martin Guitars have been hand-made in the same Nazareth, Pa. plant for over 160 years. They’ve been in the hands of Gene Autry, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton and Eddie Vedder – one often hears the sound without knowing its source. The company has been continuously owned and operated by the same family for six generations. The string instruments are also art – a Martin Guitar exhibit is going up next year at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. We’ll talk about the early history and legacy of the American guitar of Christian Friedrich Martin, who founded the company in 1833, with PETER SZEGO, co-editor of the new book, “Inventing the American Guitar: The Pre-Civil War Innovations of C.F. Martin and his Contemporaries,” and DICK BOAK, a long-time luthier and designer with the legendary company.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal