Telecaster Guitar | Galax, Virginia
Redd Volkaert, originally from Canada, is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players in the modern era and is “among the country’s top Telecaster guitar slingers, particularly in the genres of Western Swing and Honky Tonk. He has been the go-to picker for Merle Haggard and has a history of playing with the likes of Johnny Paycheck and George Jones. Redd can often be found on stage in the company of his fellow Telecaster stalwart Bill Kirchen formerly of Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen. Together they are often referred to as the “Titans of the Telecaster” such is their ability and notoriety, love, and connection with this particular instrument.
Redd cut his teeth playing clubs six nights a week at 16 til the mid-1980s in Canada and moved to Los Angeles in 1986. There he worked clubs, and private gigs at night and gave guitar lessons, and recorded during the day. He regularly traveled to Las Vegas to play showrooms and casinos.
Redd moved to Nashville in 1990 to play full-time clubs seven nights a week on Broadway, Printers Alley, and around town and 1 or 2 shifts a day between recording sessions most days, periodically traveling with road bands filling in as a substitute for guitarists in bands such as: Johnny Paycheck, George Jones, Statler Brothers, Rhonda Vincent, etc. as well as on the Grand Ole Opry He joined Merle Haggard‘s band in ‘97 while continuing to record with other folks like Brad Paisley garnering a 2009 Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance. In 2000 Redd moved to Austin Texas where he held a residency at the Continental Club for 20 yrs with his own band on Saturday afternoons, and Sunday nights with Heybale! He continued to tour extensively with Merle as well as his own band in between tours
While best known as a Fender Telecaster player, with a personal collection that includes a 1953 Fender Telecaster, a 1951 Fender Nocaster, and a 1958 Fender Esquire.
Redd relocated to SW Virginia in 2020 in time for the Covid lockdown, recording and giving Skype lessons during that year and a half, and has been back playing/ recording & traveling in the US and abroad as of May 2021