Junior Brown's Guit-Steel Is Stolen

Junior Brown & Tanya Rae
playing their missing instruments

Country guitar-playing legend Junior Brown’s legendary “guit-steel” guitar was burglarized from a vehicle parked at a hotel in North Attleboro, Massachusetts near Providence, Rhode Island on October 6th.

Martin Shenandoah D-2832

Junior Brown’s wife and touring partner Tanya Rae Brown also had her Martin-brand Shenandoah acoustic guitar stolen in the incident.

The two were in the area visiting relatives at the time. “We usually bring [the guitars] into the hotels, and we’ve been a little careless lately, and that’s what happens when you’re careless,” Junior told Saving Country Music by phone Monday night.

“They broke a window and got into our rental vehicle, took my guit-steel and Tanya’s guitar.”

Junior Brown with Big Red

The Guit-Steel was made by Michael Stevens, the instrument has been Junior Brown’s signature for almost 35 years, playing the guitar on stage while it rests on a small stand. Brown has played and recorded with this instrument since the mid-1960’s.

There are only two of Junior’s primary guit-steel guitars in existence. The first and original guit-steel called “Old Yeller” has been on display at the Museum of Design in Atlanta recently as part of a guitar exhibit.

Junior Brown playing Big Red

The second called “Big Red” was the one that was stolen. “It’s sort of faded down to Big Brown,” Junior says. “The lights and the sweat have taken a lot of the red color out of it.”

The North Attleboro Police Department has been contacted and have been looking for the instrument.

Due to it’s unique design, it should be hard to unload on the black market.

Junior is concerned that once the thieves determine this, they may throw it in a river or destroy it. The guitar neck and single coil pickups were taken off of a 1980’s Fender Bullet with a Telecaster shaped headstock. The 8 string steel portion has a single coil pickup and a Sho-Bud steel guitar pickup. The body is unique. Due to the instrument’s weight Junior plays it on a stand.

He is offering a $3000 reward for its return.  Miss Tanya Rae's Martin Shenandoah dreadnought shaped guitar was also stolen during the burglary.

Old Yeller

Another of Brown’s guit-steels that he calls “Old Yeller” is currently on display at the Museum of Design in Atlanta as part of an exhibit called ‘Wire & Wood: Designing Iconic Guitars’. The museum has sent Old Yeller back to Brown in time for him to play shows in Texas.

This instrument actually belongs to Brown’s agent, Bobby Crudd. In the meantime Junior is having an new instrument made.

Click on the links under the pictures for sources. Click on the links in the text for further information.
©UniqueGuitar Publications 2019 (text only