Charleston man believes he owns George Jones' beloved first guitar

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Attention was on Nashville, Tenn., for the funeral of George Jones on Thursday, and a local man believes he has an item fans should see: the first guitar Jones owned.

Jones died at age 81 on April 26 in Nashville.

The road that led to him eventually being hailed as the greatest living country singer began when Jones' father gave his 9-year-old son one of the "Cowboy Guitars" with Gene Autry's signature on the front sold by Sears and Roebuck.

The Gene Autry "Round-Up" guitar was available from 1932 until 1938, after which some small changes were made for the Gene Autry "Melody Ranch" model produced from 1941 to 1955.

In a 1999 interview for Country Weekly, Jones said his first guitar meant more to him than any of the many fine instruments he played over the years.

The story how he lost possession of that first guitar may have died with him.

Clifford Rolwing, of Charleston, is sure he has found it, having bought it from a friend in June.

"A friend in Kentucky by the name of Dan MacPhail is a Western artist who works mainly with antlers -- does antler chandeliers, stuff like that," Rolwing said. "He told me the Discovery Channel people were coming to do a segment on his antler Christmas trees and wanted to know if I would want to come and watch."

Rolwing accepted the invitation.

MacPhail told Rolwing a cameraman noticed something interesting after Rolwing left that day.

"He spotted this little guitar that I had seen before hanging on his wall, along with numerous artifacts from friends all over the country," Rolwing said. "This cameraman asked Dan if he could look at the little guitar. Dan said 'Sure,' so he pulled it off the wall and thoroughly inspected it.

"To his surprise, he found George Jones signature -- extremely faint and hard to see -- on the back of the guitar. He then turned to Dan and said, 'Dan, do you know whose guitar this is?' He said, 'No idea.' It was just a guitar his friend in Texas had given him over 20 years ago."

The cameraman took photos of the guitar and sent them to Jones. Rolwing said Jones confirmed to McPhail the guitar was his, but after a disagreement, McPhail chose not to give the guitar back.

Rolwing asked MacPhail if he would sell it to him.

The number he came up with was fine by MacPhail and he agreed to the sale over the phone.

"I could not wait to get over there and do the exchange," Rolwing said.

Rolwing declined to share how much he offered but had no buyer's remorse once he completed the purchase.

"What an exciting feeling to finally know that it was in my hands and that I owned it, had the history of George Jones in my hands," Rolwing said. "There is nothing more important that he has ever owned as that little guitar that got him started being a famous player and singer. From then on I began to do as much research as possible, reading article after article about the guitar, making phone calls -- and taking it to concerts."

One of the most memorable moments was when he showed it to Larry Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers.

"Larry Gatlin held the guitar in total amazement," Rolwing said.

Rolwing said while holding the guitar, Gatlin sang a new song he was writing about Jones that hadn't been recorded yet.

"Nobody else had heard this song. He had just finished it," Rolwing said. "It was really, really cool; it gave me chills."

Rolwing said he asked Larry Wilhite, who was the manager of the Mansion Theatre in Branson at the time, to reunite Jones with the guitar onstage. It was instead taken to Jones backstage.

Rolwing said Wilhite told him Jones verbally confirmed it was his guitar when he held it, but the singer's wife, Nancy, stopped him from signing any papers of authenticity.

Wilhite was unavailable for comment, but a spokesperson for him would only confirm the guitar was taken to Jones and his wife and they did not authenticate the claim.

While Rolwing was disappointed, he was determined to find another way to document the relic.

"I have been to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville with the guitar," Rolwing said. "When my wife and I entered the room and opened the guitar case and showed the guitar to Mick Buck, the curator of the Hall of Fame, he said 'Oh my, let me tell you a story.'"

Rolwing said Buck told them of how he had gone to Jones' house to pick up artifacts for the Hall of Fame. When he spotted a guitar that looked just like the one Rolwing had, Buck asked Jones if it was his first guitar.

"He said tears almost came from George's eyes and a sad look and he responded, 'I wish it was. I don't know what happened to my first one. I bought that one to remind me of it,'" Rolwing said.

Rolwing said he is working to see that the guitar ends up on display in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

"I'm proceeding with the idea to put this guitar in the Hall of Fame for several months for the public to see it and then more than likely have it auctioned at a tribute concert for George with some of the proceeds going to St. Jude Children's Hospital," Rolwing said.

Pertinent address:

Charleston, MO