"American Woman" Rock Star Randy Bachman Found His Stolen Guitar After 46 Years
The singer of the famous 1970 hit "American Woman" has found his guitar, stolen almost five decades ago, after a fan who tracked down the instrument.
Canadian rocker Randy Bachman, who is now 78-year-old, was reunited in Japan on Friday (1 July) with the guitar that was stolen from him 46 years ago, the same guitar AFP reports.
Randy Bachman made the trip to Tokyo for an emotional reunion with his beloved "Gretsch" guitar, which was stolen from a Toronto (eastern Canada) hotel in 1976.
The musician made the hit "American Woman" with his band "The Guess Who" in 1970.
Randy Bachman Was Devastated After Losing His Guitar
"I was devastated. I wrote several songs that sold millions with this guitar. It was like my magic guitar. And when she suddenly disappears, the magic is gone," Randy Bachman recounted.
The star had bought the orange Chet Atkins 6120 guitar at the age of 19 for $400, which he earned mowing lawns and washing cars.
The artist had long coveted the guitar and spent hours admiring it in a Winnipeg (central Canada) store window in the early 1960s with his friend, musician Neil Young.
The instrument, which he chained to the toilets of the hotels he stayed in during his band's tours, was stolen when he briefly entrusted it to a roadie.
How Did The Musician Recover His Guitar
It was all possible thanks to a fan, a compatriot William Long, who looked through hundreds of images on the internet until he identified the guitar in 2020, thanks to a knot in the wood.
The amateur sleuth traced the instrument from a Tokyo music store's website to a Japanese musician named Takeshi, who was seen playing it in a video posted on YouTube in 2019.
It wasn't until his health improved that Randy Bachman was able to personally come to Japan to give Takeshi an identical guitar and reunite with his "sweetheart" from his youth.
Whoever owned it must have loved it as much as I did, because there are no modifications, no repairs, Randy Bachman said.
Photo Credit: bravewords.com
