obituary

Korg's Joe Bredau

It is with great sadness that Korg USA shares the news that longtime industry veteran and former colleague Joe Bredau passed away on January 13 at the age of 82.

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Photo by Jon Sievert/Getty Images

Bluegrass torchbearer Molly Tuttle mourns the passing of one of the genre’s most formidable giants.

Like so many guitar players and music fans around the world, I have spent the last 48 hours mourning the loss of a man who inspired us by reaching for the outer limits—on his instrument and within himself. Tony Rice played guitar in a way no one had heard before, and in the process inspired people of all ages around the globe to pick up a dreadnought and a flatpick. Some of us, myself included, have built our lives around this inspiration and the trail Tony blazed on the instrument.

My own journey started when I was 8 years old and begged my parents for a guitar after unsuccessfully trying to learn piano. Finally, one day my dad brought home the tiniest guitar he could find, a Baby Taylor, from the music store in Palo Alto where he taught lessons. He showed me simple chords and melodies, and after the initial learning curve (and callous building) I was hooked. I played for hours every day.

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