Danny Gotham

about

"I was born in Potsdam, NY. Stringed instruments had me hooked from a very early age. My first memory of anything to do with the guitar was when I saw my brothers cigar-box banjos that they made for their Boy Scout merit badges. I remember being fascinated with the rubber band strings. Like most of my generation, watching The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in February of 1964 was a pivotal moment in my life. I was very young, but I had a feeling that what I was watching was not some silly fad. I think it's safe to say I had that one right! My grandmother bought me my first guitar. One day we went to the circus, and after we came out, I begged her to take me to the local five and dime. I don't remember how I persuaded her to buy it for me, but she did....I was very happy, and on my way. We moved to Rochester, NY about 1965. I played on a series of toy guitars, and finally learned to tune properly when I was twelve. I remember my father buying me my first electric guitar. It was a "Zenon", and it cost $39.95, including a little amplifier. A little later I bought a Hagstrom for $50, then finally, in December of 1971, my first Gibson--a 1963 SG Special. It cost $200 at the House of Guitars. I had saved $100. I told Dad that if he gave me another hundred bucks as my combination 18th birthday, Christmas, and high school graduation presents, then I could get it. I did, and I still have it today. While in High School in Penfield, NY, I got my first real taste of performing--in