Don Sackett
» Location: Island Pond, Vermont
Hi FRANK! I have a story to tell you that I truly hope you get to read yourself. Back in the mid 1970's, you and the band did an out door show in a remote location in Holland, Vermont, USA. The show was promoted as Mac's Party! I believe April Wine were also on the roster for that event. At the time, I was a less than average guitar player who stood there in total awe of your abilities. At that time, you were a silent mentor to me. Your style was an enormous inspiration to me which I valued throughout my life. Quite a few years after seeing you, I injured my back and lost the feeling in the majority of my fingers in my left hand. After going through physical theropy for 18 months, I had came to the reality that my guitar playing dreams had vanished for good. The amusing side of my story is that about 8 months ago, I was doing some carpentry on one of my buildings, and I struck my left hand with a large hammer so hard that I thought I had broken some bones. After my hand healed up and my fingernails went back to normal, I realized that I could feel my finger tips again for the first time in way too many years. I had held on to a Charvel Jackson Model 3 guitar that I had bought many years ago. So I descided to drag it out and try my luck one more time. After six months of intense practice and struggling with my lack of self-confidence, I can actually play some leads agan and I am improving with each practice. The cool part of it all is that I never forgot how dedicated you have always been to your craft. When I get discouraged with my current efforts, I always think about how much effort, dedication and damn hard work you had to put into learning how to play with such passion and intensity. I will never be able to match your incredible talent, however I just thought you might like to know that even today, you are still remembered for your many years of effort, and that you still have the amazing ability to influence someone like myself to try the hardest at what they do and to never give up on themselves. I belive that there are many young fans of yours who will share my thoughts and respect for you. From the bottom of my heart, good luck with all your future endeavors and I truly wish you the best. Thank you for being who you are... Don Sackett