Interview with Don and Linda Bradford

Interview with Don and Linda Bradford

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Interviewers

Jay Gavan

Description

Interview with Don and Linda Bradford recorded on March 4, 2013 in Parchment, Michigan. Recorded by interviewer James 'Jay' Gaven for a Kalamazoo Valley Museum exhibit on Gibson Guitars.Don and Linda, both originally from Alabama, began working at the Gibson Guitar Factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1963. Linda worked mainly in pre-finish, leaving Gibson for Eckrich in 1977. Don, who plays the guitar, worked longest in Tuning and Adjusting, spending the last 10 years in the Service Department. He left Gibson in January 1983. They recount their memories at the factory, including:

  • meeting each other at work and later marrying in 1968
  • Don meeting musicians like Charlie Daniels, Wes Paul, Leroy Van Dyke, and B.B. King
  • the factory at its peak with 1,000 employees, and times of decline
  • when Gibson moved their headquarters to Nashville, Tennessee
  • Linda's work with the union
  • occasions when the employees who played guitar would break out picking a tune together at the end of the day

Date of Interview

3-4-2013

Location of Interview

Parchment (Mich.)

Series

Gibson Guitar Factory Oral Histories

Keywords

Gibson Inc., Gibson guitar, Guitar makers, Guitar history, Factories, Personal narratives

Disciplines

Oral History | Other Music | Public History

Language

ENG

Document Type

Interview

Length of video

49:58

Length of video log

n/a

Interview with Don and Linda Bradford

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Rights Statement

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.