George Gruhn

Gruhn was born in New York on August 21, 1945. Later, while pursuing graduate studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Gruhn received a phone call from Hank Williams, Jr., who had heard from Sonny Osborne that Gruhn had a lot of Martin guitars. Williams drove from Nashville to Knoxville in a Jaguar E-Type and bought three guitars, because that was all that would fit in the 2-seat sports car. He returned the following day in a Cadillac Eldorado, and bought enough guitars to fill the car. Williams eventually encouraged Gruhn to open a vintage guitar store in Nashville. ==Career==

Gruhn opened Gruhn Guitars on January 2, 1970 with an inventory of 22 instruments in a 20 x 40 foot space at 111 4th Avenue North, and attracting the business of notable musicians, including Eric Clapton, Brad Paisley, Lyle Lovett, Emmylou Harris, Billy Gibbons, Rick Nielsen, Vince Gill, and John Hiatt. Gruhn is married and has a daughter named Amanda Lynn. ==Selected publications==

• ''Gruhn's Guide To Vintage Guitars: An Identification Guide for American Fretted Instruments''. New York: Backbeat Books. (with Walter Carter) • 1st ed. (1991), 2nd ed. (1999), 3rd ed. (2010) • (1997) Electric Guitars and Basses: A Photographic History. San Francisco: GPI Books. (with Walter Carter) • (1997) Acoustic Guitars and other Fretted Instruments: A Photographic History. San Francisco: GPI Books. (with Walter Carter) ==See also==