Pickin' & grinnin'
Teen named a representative of Gibson Guitars

Dillon Hodges, at the age of 13, is just a normal kid in a lot of ways. He likes to hang out with his friends, search the music stores and surf the Internet.

But he is not just another kid -- just ask the Gibson Guitar Company. Officials there just signed him as a representative of Gibson acoustic guitars – reportedly the youngest acoustic guitarist to earn such an endorsement.

But it didn't come without a lot of hard work and national championship titles.

Hodges, who will be a freshman this year at the Freshman Center of Florence Middle School, says it's a tough call to say which has meant the most to him, the endorsement or the titles he's collected in just three years of playing and flat picking.

"I guess probably the endorsement," he said. "Well, I guess it's the wins that have gotten me to this point. Shoot, I just don't know. It's all just weird how it's all happened. Just surreal."

Bob Workman, an entertainment relations representative for Gibson, said Hodges is in the company of fine artists who've been endorsed by Gibson. They include Pete Townshend, Sheryl Crow, Paul McCartney – to name a few on the short list.

"He'll get some special benefits and publicity from this company and will play some of our special events," Workman said. "He's going to have access to some major talent in the industry. He's in a very select group of young musicians in the country. There are, maybe, a couple of handfuls of kids playing on his level in the U.S., so we're proud to be a part of his musical development."

Workman met Hodges a year ago and knew "he had it."

"I sensed it in him, just a lot of natural talent," he said.

Hodges will play at several Gibson-sponsored events including the Gibson Dealers Association Meeting in Nashville this month.

He also just received his first Gibson guitar, a cherry red B.B. King ES335 model. The company is also making a left-handed custom acoustic guitar, which he expects to get in a couple of weeks.

To Hodges, the exposure he'll gain, even nationally, is a big plus. But he's not intimidated by his fame.

His mother, Karen, says her son just does his thing and focuses on learning more all the time. This week, he's attending the Handy Jazz Camp at the University of North Alabama. He's working towards getting more efficient at sight reading music.

Karen Hodges calls her son a play-it-off-the-cuff kind of kid, but it all just kind of works out somehow.

Hodges still maintains a refreshing amount of humility, such as when he's talking about his abilities on the fiddle, another instrument he loves.

"Man, there are so many good fiddlers out there," he said.

Though weekends are filled with music festival competitions, mostly bluegrass, he's a serious-minded student maintaining strong academic grades during the school year.

He jokes that anytime he's tempted to slack a little in class, he has two strong reminders of his priority – his parents, Jeff and Karen.

"I just want to play music and have fun and do my best," he said. "Sometimes I win, sometimes not, but it's always fun."

There have been many more wins than losses.

In addition to the junior (teenage) competition titles he's accumulated, he's won six of the 10 he's entered this year, including the big one, the Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree last week. He became the first person in the 33-year history of the festival to win a junior national championship one year and the adult competition the next.

But to Hodges, it's all just about enjoying music.

His musical idols are Django Reinhardt, a gypsy jazz artist from the 1930s who played with two fingers, and Mark O'Connor, a bluegrass and swing-playing master musician on many instruments, mainly fiddle.

"I've had some great experiences and met some awesome musicians," he said. "Stuff just keeps happening, and I'm just going to keep on playing and learning from the masters."

Lisa Singleton-Rickman can be reached at 740-5735 or lisa.singleton-rickman@timesdaily.com.