John Bohlinger and Thom Bresh backstage filming a Premier Guitar Rig Rundown in 2020.
Here’s a story about the most interesting man in the world.
“The guitar is my first love, my partner in life. We grew up together and we’ll most likely die together.” —Thom Bresh
One of the best benefits of being a musician is that musicians know musicians, and musicians are the most interesting people you’ll ever meet. Albert Einstein, Charles Dickens, Georgia O’Keeffe, the Marx Brothers, Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, Juliette Lewis, Jack Black, and Zooey Deschanel are or were musicians, albeit not full-time.
Maybe interesting people are interesting because they’re interested. If you live a life driven by curiosity, it’s going to be a wild ride. Musicians are driven by curiosity. Pretty much everybody likes music, but musicians aren’t satisfied just passively listening. They need to figure out how to do it themselves. That curiosity goes way beyond music, turning life into one big art/science project. Of the many musicians I’ve know, there’s nobody more interesting than Thom Bresh. His life was that project.
I met Thom Bresh at Johnny Hiland’s Birthday Jam at Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley about five years ago. I had the worst imaginable performance slot for a guitarist: following Bresh, preceding Brent Mason. I stood side stage watching Thom play impossibly complex guitar, hearing his engaging stories, laughing at his hilarious jokes, and dreading my set. Bresh was so calm onstage, you forgot he was onstage. It was like the entire audience were his best friends and they were sitting in his living room, hanging on every word.
After my set, I went backstage to find Bresh in the green room with this Martin/Bigsby, singing a song to my girl.
I watched to the end, then sheepishly walked onstage to play. After my set, I went backstage to find Bresh in the green room with this Martin/Bigsby, singing a song to my girl. Bresh had the charm turned up to 10 and was regaling her with stories and songs, while shamelessly flirting … through my entire set. Years later when I gave him shit about trying to seduce my girl, Thom laughed and said, “I’m like a dog chasing a car tire. I wouldn’t know what to do with it if I ever caught it.” His smile was inscrutable.
Bresh’s life felt like a movie. He was born out of wedlock in L.A. in 1948, the biological son of musician Merle Travis and his mother, Ruth Johnson, who later married renowned Hollywood photographer Bud Bresh. Bud and Ruth raised Thom as their son in Southern California. As a young man, Thom learned that Travis was his biological father, but he vowed out of respect to not speak of it until after Bud Bresh’s death (in 1987). On the surface, Merle Travis was a family friend who taught Thom guitar, but the connection went a lot deeper. That had to be tough on a kid, particularly in the conservative ’50s and ’60s. But where it really gets difficult is to be the son of a legend working in the same field you’re trying to break into. But like every superhero, that weird origin story may have motivated him to excel in so many things.
The Breshman was a Grammy-nominated recording artist. He was also a performer, actor, comedian, and the world’s youngest stuntman, working regularly from age 3 to 17 at the Corriganville Movie Ranch (referenced in Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood). Bresh was a comedian, TV show host, top-tier impersonator, an engineer, music and film producer, photographer, and songwriter. As a singer, Bresh had a Top 10 hit, “Home Made Love,” that garnered a nomination for the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Male Vocalist. He was also nominated for an Academy Award. On top of all that, Thom was the only person given the honor of “Wine Lord” by the Bordeaux World Wine Counsel and the Mediterranean Wine Growers. In addition to everything else, Bresh had an incredibly developed palate that allowed him to identify tastes and smells out of reach by us mere mortals.
In addition to everything else, Bresh had an incredibly developed palate that allowed him to identify tastes and smells out of reach by us mere mortals.
Thom was surrounded by greatness. He grew up watching Roy Lanham, Speedy West, Thumbs Carllile, Jimmy Bryant, Joe Maphis, Les Paul, and, of course, Merle Travis play guitar in living rooms. When you see your dad and his friends do remarkable things every day, remarkable things seem normal, or at least within reach. Bresh was fearless.
The last time I talked to Bresh, he said, “I can’t believe it, but I can’t get booked.” He was as shocked as I was. It bummed me out, but looking at it now, it seems like the right ending for this movie. Bresh was so talented that he never knew the struggle of a normal musician. At age 15, he replaced Roy Clark in Hank Penny’s band, then went on to tick every box a guitarist could hope for. The only thing he’d never done during his 27,000-ish days on this planet was not be able to get booked. By the end, he truly had experienced everything.
Thom Bresh was buried June 2, 2022, in Muhlenburg County, Kentucky, next to Travis.
The consummate thumbpicker demos his two-sided flattop and keeps his father Merle Travis’ memory alive with a collection of instruments made in tribute.
Thom Bresh and Premier Guitar’s John Bohlinger spent the afternoon at the Nashville Musician’s Union rehearsal hall talking guitars, early Hollywood, film, wine, and more. Bresh is not only one of the greatest thumbpickers of all time, he may be the most interesting man in the world.
Bresh’s Langejans Super Dualette is the accumulation of many ideas. The guitar features two sides with almost identical tech specs including Sitka spruce tops and Go Acoustic Audio pickups. Along with the traditional 1/4" output, the “B” side features an 11-pin MIDI output. There are mercury switches inside the guitar that cancel the output of the guitar that isn’t being played. Both necks have 14 frets to the body and there is an interchangeable nut on the “B” side. For the steel-string side, Bresh uses D’Addario Bluegrass Bronze light gauge strings. For the nylon strings, Bresh prefers Martin nylon strings with ball ends.
Here's the nylon side of the doubleneck.
The H.G. Leach Bresh Spirit is based on his father, Merle Travis’ famous Martin D-28 with a Bigsby neck. The Bresh Spirit features Brazilian rosewood back and sides, and a top carved from a one- thousand-year-old California redwood. The neck is 1 11/16" at the nut and has a zero fret.
Eric Galletta built this Galletta/Bigsby model that is a replica of the guitar Paul A. Bigsby made for Merle Travis. Like the original, the guitar is made of bird's-eye maple with a neck-thru body, walnut accoutrements, and a rosewood fingerboard. Pickups are handmade by California Custom Pickups.
This D’Angelico Thom Bresh Special is D’Angelico’s version of the Gibson Super 400 Special that was made for Merle Travis. The body is an 18" D’Angelico New Yorker that features an elaborate inlay work by Harvey Leach and Seymour Duncan P-90s.
For some thump when he’s playing, Bresh stomps on a Porchboard Micro Bass to emulate a kick drum.
Bresh likes Golden Gate thumbpicks.
When Bresh needs to bring an amp, he carries this Fishman Loudbox Mini and feeds an XLR to the front of house.
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