2 guitars suspected stolen from popular Alabama juke joint

Published 3:58 pm Monday, November 12, 2018

BESSEMER, Ala. (AP) — The manager of an Alabama man who’s been playing from his backyard juke joint for more than 60 years says she believes his guitars have been stolen.

Henry “Gip” Gipson’s manager, Diane Guyton, tells AL.com two of Gipson’s guitars were stolen from Gip’s Place, a Bessemer juke joint among the few remaining.

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Guyton says the cream 1993 Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul Jr. went missing last week, but she had thought Gipson misplaced them. Guyton says she plans to report the guitars to police as stolen.

Guyton says Gipson hasn’t been able to play by himself as he does daily. She’s working on fixing up his older guitar.

The 98-year-old blues musician’s tin-roofed garage has hosted the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and others since 1952.