Orville Johnson: Dobro Mojo Conjured!

A note from Orville Johnson...

"The dobro intensive workshop is now history and also had a brush WITH history to cap it off.

The teachers and students were fantastic and the week ended with a concert, open to the public, at the Wheeler Theater. We had a nice house and I, as emcee of the show, started off by telling the audience how fitting it was to have the Slide & Steel Workshop in Port Townsend since Chris Knutsun, the creator of an iconic type of slide guitar commonly known as the Weissenborn guitar, lived in Port Townsend at the time he came up with his invention. Little did I know that more historical connections were to come this evening!

We had a wonderful show, everyone played mightily, and the crowd was well pleased. Afterwards, as we lounged backstage, a fellow came back to compliment us on the evening. He said he was in town on vacation with his wife and had seen a sign that said Dobro Concert Tonight at Fort Worden. He said they had a special interest in dobros and felt they should come and check it out. I asked his name. Emil Dopyera, he replied. WOW!

The Dopyera Brothers invented the freakin' DOBRO! This man was a direct descendant of the inventors! Who happened to be in Port Townsend on vacation the night we had our public concert! And saw the sign and came! Powerful dobro mojo had been conjured and ancestral figures appeared to the acolytes!

I hesitate to consider what might happen at future Slide & Steel events. You'll have to come to find out, I guess. BTW, this is a true story."