Fathe Lee was a member of the ATA family. Along with Don Gurka, Steve Trotter, and others, she was part of the live support team for Nobody’s Children.

While the band played, Fathe would walk through different parts of the venue, listening carefully. Then she’d offer suggestions to the sound guys. She could also sing and play guitar, which made her a valuable asset.

Fathe owned a 1964 Silvertone H-615 acoustic guitar with the genuine naugahyde case, by the way. The original saddle was missing, and in its place was what looked like a chewed-up pencil serving as both saddle and bridge.

That guitar was at the ATA house when Johnny and Marge moved from Westland to Florida in 1972. It got packed up with the rest of the house and stored in a Miami facility until their new place in Coconut Creek was ready the following year. I’d left a few of my own guitars at Marge’s too. She was always home, and it felt like a safe place.

Until it wasn’t

One day, while Marge and Johnny were out shopping, their home was burglarized in the middle of the day. The thieves removed the front door and walked right in. It’s likely they were kids; they stole junk jewelry, some loose change, and my first guitar a Montgomery Wards $16 Airline parlor but they left the more expensive electrics untouched.

They trashed the place looking for valuables. The Silvertone was found on the floor. I took it out of its case, and it was a sad sight. The neck brace was broken, and the body was crushed on one side and along the bottom. I kept that broken guitar, and it’s been on display in my home for many years.
It reminds me to stay grounded and remember where I come from. I've always held onto the idea that maybe, someday, I’d get to give it back to Fathe.

Pat McLaughlin, an old country brass and bluegrass player, is also a luthier in Eustis, Florida. He’d worked on a few of my projects before, and I thought he did good work so I brought him the Silvertone. I wanted to see if it could be fixed, or restored. I gave him the guitar and waited. It took about six weeks. I got the Silvertone back from Pat on Thanksgiving Day, 2024 and I couldn’t have been more pleased.