A note from Orville Johnson…

"The dobro intensive workshop is now history and also had a brush WITH history to cap it off.

The teachers and students were fantastic and the week ended with a
concert, open to the public, at the Wheeler Theater. We had a nice
house and I, as emcee of the show, started off by telling the audience
how fitting it was to have the Slide & Steel Workshop in Port
Townsend since Chris Knutsun,
the creator of an iconic type of slide guitar commonly known as the
Weissenborn guitar, lived in Port Townsend at the time he came up with
his invention. Little did I know that more historical connections were
to come this evening!

We had a wonderful show, everyone played mightily, and the crowd was
well pleased. Afterwards, as we lounged backstage, a fellow came back
to compliment us on the evening. He said he was in town on vacation
with his wife and had seen a sign that said Dobro Concert Tonight at
Fort Worden. He said they had a special interest in dobros and felt
they should come and check it out. I asked his name. Emil Dopyera, he
replied. WOW!

The Dopyera Brothers invented the freakin' DOBRO! This
man was a direct descendant of the inventors! Who happened to be in
Port Townsend on vacation the night we had our public concert! And saw
the sign and came! Powerful dobro mojo had been conjured and ancestral
figures appeared to the acolytes!

I hesitate to consider what might happen at future Slide & Steel
events. You'll have to come to find out, I guess. BTW, this is a true
story."