Back in second grade, all Chad Hancock wanted for Christmas was a tape recorder. It was that year that Chad learned the truth about Santa Claus, when instead of an awesome tape recorder he got a Sears guitar and a Mel Bay song book. His older sister Annie taught him some chords and let him hang out with her and her teenage friends, so it wasn’t long before Chad saw the guitar as something cooler than a tape recorder. Ten minute practice sessions twice a day for a few years taught him enough to impress his friends and get a few gigs. In his early twenties, Annie called him up and asked if he wanted to record with her in Nashville, and naturally Chad jumped at the chance. While in Nashville, Chad was involved in a terrible motorcycle accident that left him without the use of his hands. Doctors assured him that he would never play again. Defeated and depressed, Chad returned to Texas and got a job at a music store.
Dan Douglass, the owner of the music store, was one of the nation’s premiere guitar restoration and repair masters, and after some time offered to apprentice Chad in the craft of guitar making, vintage restoration, and guitar repair. In 1988, after a two year formal apprenticeship, Chad became a member of The Guild of American Luthiers. He opened his first shop in College Station Texas, across from the North Gate of Texas A+M while obtaining a degree in mechanical engineering. After school, Chad joined the U.S. Navy and flew combat operations in Croatia and Bosnia. After the service, Chad moved to Austin Texas and met his lovely wife Vanessa, and are together raising a beautiful daughter: Gwendolynn Grace. Chad is currently owner and operator of Texas Hill Country Guitars restoring and repairing vintage and broken guitars.
The doctors were wrong. Chad eventually re-taught himself how to play guitar. Now Chad loves to perform by playing and telling stories and has performed onstage all over the great state of Texas. He has played with Robert Earl Keen, Burt Wills, Chris Duarte and others, his latest and most prestigious gig being part of The Java Jam House Band in Wharton Texas. Chad loves to play and tell stories in the tradition of the folklorist. Some tales are tall – big as Texas – but most are true. In the end, he just wants you to enjoy yourself, think a little bit, and share some laughs.
Come on out this Friday and enjoy Wharton’s premier live music entertainment venue. Bring a covered dish of your choice, with a little extra to share, and $15 per person cover charge (kids are free). See www.milamstcoffee.com
for directions and more info.
