Tommy Conwell's Guitar Heroes
Tommy Conwell allows only a select few to take a knife to his guitar (a 1969 Guild X500). He started the practice a few years ago when he and his Philly-based band, the Young Rumblers, began opening for big names. "Whenever we opened up for someone who meant a lot to me, I'd ask them for their autograph," he says. His collections includes engravings from Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Dickey Betts, John Lee Hooker, Steve Jones, Johnny Ramone, Chubby Checker and Chrissie Hynde.
These days Conwell is signing a few guitars himself: his fans bring theirs to his shows. He and the Rumblers have just started touring to support their debut album, Rumble. Meanwhile, Tommy, the Rumblers and the guitar are on display in the video for the catchy "I'm Not Your Man."
The largest signature on his Guild is Hynde's. "She had to make hers bigger than the other guys," Conwell says. "And when she was finally done carving it in with her own knife, she still wasn't satisfied. She said 'How about if I put my eye liner in there?' Her famous eye liner."
