LEADING HISTORIAN TO PRESENT MUSEUM COLLECTION
AT CARROLTON CIGAR BOX GUITAR FESTIVAL

Shane Speal, the curator of the National Cigar Box Guitar Museum in York, PA will present a seminar on the history of cigar box guitars at the First Annual Cigar Box Guitar Festival, May 14-16 at General Butler State Resort Park in Carrolton. The entire National Cigar Box Guitar Museum collection will be on display.

Speal will be lecturing on the history of cigar box guitars, including legends that played them and the birth of the current Primitive Music movement.

Touting himself as the Self-Proclaimed King of the Cigar Box Guitar, Speal has undertaken the daunting task of archiving cigar box guitar history. In a rather small time period, he has already tracked down the earliest known plans for a cigar box banjo (circa 1870), discovered etchings of Civil War Soldiers playing cigar box fiddle and has even acquired a dated and signed cigar box violin from 1899. In addition, he has collected other cigar box instruments including a cigar box guitar formerly owned by rock star Rick Springfield. Every one of these pictures and artifacts will be on display for the entirety of the festival and many will be available for hands-on inspection.

Speal is a cigar box guitarist himself and the former owner of Catfish Music Works, a cigar box guitar company that was in operation from 1994-1999. In late '99, he closed the shop and pursued his performing passion, including zenith concerts at the Rehoboth Beach (DE) Autumn Jazz Festival. He now fronts the "primitive rock" band, Jug Fusion, playing lead cigar box guitar and singing vocals. Their music has been heard in the Paris Hilton reality show 'The Simple Life' and is slated for use on MTV's 'Real World' and 'Road Rules.' Jug Fusion is a headliner at the Cigar Box Guitar Festival this year.

"Everybody has heard stories of music legends who started on cigar box guitars," he says, "but nobody has researched them. I've found the smallest untouched niche in music history."
And that niche is not going to stay small for long. With events like the Cigar Box Guitar Festival in Carrolton and the opening of the National Cigar Box Guitar Museum in York, PA later this year, these humble instruments are being pushed into the limelight.

The Cigar Box Guitar Festival is truly the start of something big. Plan to show up on Friday and Saturday. Shane Speal's seminars happen on Friday at the Stone House and the Jug Fusion performance is Saturday Night.