Acclaimed guitarist Bob Brozman passed away on April 24, 2013 at the age of 59. He was, till the very end, a tireless ambassador to the world of fretted instruments.

Whether performing as a solo act, a duo (you owe it to check out the collaboration he did with Okinawan musician Takashi Hirayasu) or in a group (Brozman was a featured player in R. Crumb’s Cheap Suit Serenaders), Brozman was first and foremost an entertainer. He would fill a stage with his Nationals, ukuleles and Weissenborns, preaching their merits to audiences around the world and then putting each instrument through its paces. His playing and stage banter was riveting — perhaps the closest thing we had to the showmanship heyday of Vaudeville performers. But Brozman was also a tireless educator, both literally and figuratively. He eloquently spoke to crowds (even when they weren’t guitar nerds) about the magic of his chosen instruments and their history. For us players, he made the gold standard of instruction videos for his chosen instruments and also penned the definitive history of National Resophonic instruments.

Brozman was a staple at the Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim. He would perform for hours on end, with seemingly anyone who dared, at the National Resophonic booth. During one break between songs at the 2013 NAMM Show, I approached him and we chatted about the logistics of finally doing a big FJ feature on him. He was happy to do it, but also expressed his reservations that we’re a US-based magazine and he is better known in Europe and abroad. I was floored that this music great, with dozens of albums out in the States and a huge following here, would be worried that he wasn’t important enough for the FJ. I told him to rest assured… he belonged in this magazine! We were due to talk this June during one of his touring breaks.

Regardless, I’m sure we’ll find a way to pay tribute to Brozman in the magazine soon. Despite his concerns, he was and will forever be most deserving.