MEMORIAL TO GORDON "GORDO" STYLER
 

 The 4th Annual Tenor Guitar Gathering was dedicated to Gordon "Gordo" Styler .
June 15, 1947 — June 18, 2012

"You play one note and you build a chord around it and maybe a song, but it all starts from the one note."

Think about the first two notes of OVER THE RAINBOW……da DA….it's an octave. Up until that time, with all the combinations of notes in the universe, no one had picked da DA to start a song with….and once those notes were taken, no one could ever use them again in that order……because it sounded too much like OVER THE RAINBOW

Meeting Gordon Styler was like that for me. I knew I wanted to write a song called "The World's First Tenor Guitar Gathering", but it could not have happened had I not met "Gordo". 

Gordo offered me that second note I needed to complete the song that was, until then, just an idea…but he made it a song by saying…"You can use my place to do it. I think it'll be great. I'll move some of these guitars out of the way, and you can do your workshop. It doesn't matter how many people attend the first year….it's a start…"

It was Gordo's warmth, and positive energy, and a shared love of music from the well known to the obscure that we both loved talking about……while time seemed to stand still as we gazed out across the the Columbia River……thinking….Tenor Guitar Gathering? Sure….why not???

I had an idea, but Gordo was able to make that idea happen. We had found our first few notes…..now we were improvising to make an event…..this event…..the event that Gordon Styler helped to create.

Around this time last year Gordo passed away. He seemed okay when the 3rd TGG started, but was hospitalized almost immediately and died soon after.

A long time KMUN programmer, a record and guitar collector, a festival promoter….Gordo's life was music and people. I know Gordo would be elated to see that what we started in 2010  continues to grow and WILL continue to grow…..under his watchful eye.

It is with great honor that the Tenor Guitar Foundation formally dedicate the 4th Annual TG Gathering to Gordon "Gordo" Styler.

Mark Josephs,
President,
Tenor Guitar Foundation

June 15, 1947 — June 18, 2012

 

Gordo, in overalls, taking pride at the gathering of tenor guitars in his guitar shop on June 3, 2011 - "The Tenor Guitar Gathering might have been an idea some people had, but Gordo made it happen."Bill Styler (holding his double neck tenor guitar) with brother Gordo smiling at the camera thinking "What fun I've created here!" June 3, 2011 on the steps of the Astoria Guitar Company.

 

Gordo cracks his cousin Rich Styler (wearing hat) and brother Bill Styler (holding the world's only double neck tenor guitar he created). Picture taken June 5, 2011 inside Gordo's Astoria Guitar Company during the 2nd Annual Tenor Guitar Gathering.

June 4, 2010 Gordo proudly stands in the doorway to his Astoria Guitar Company with tenor guitar players who came from all over the country to attend the world's first Tenor Guitar Gathering, which he open heartedly sponsored.