Al's Roots go back to the days of playing in our father's band "The Silhouettes".

Pictured here the Silhouettes Circa 1971 with Big Daddy Dave (Drums and Vocals), Joe Albeck (Bass and Vocals), Al G (Rhythm Guitar and Vocals), Dave G (Lead guitar), and Geraldine Frable (Lead Vocals)

Everyone knew "Al G." Al Guerrero was the musician's musician. We fondly called him "Pond Scum". As with most area musicians he knew, he never once hesitated to jump on a microphone and grab a tambourine to join in on anyone's gig whenever he felt like it. He has hosted most of the area jams for the Lehigh Valley Blues Network, The Raven's Nest, and the Lehigh Valley Blues Fest LVBN Jam Night over the years as well as performed with his own band Al G. & Shades of Blue with Karl Frick, C.J. Coyle, and Andy Kilcoyne. His performing history crosses all genres of music and his most prominent events were likely performing at the Pocono Blues Festival in 2001 with Zora Young and also backing the late Caesar Diaz for many years.

He has played with nearly every blues band and musician in the area at some point or another and was a longstanding member of Blues Power with Pete Fluck and BC & The Blues Crew for many years. His father, a drummer, had a band that included Al and his brother Dave G. from their early teens. Al's been performing ever since, first on guitar and later switched to bass. From reggae, folk, jazz, soul, funk, rock, to blues, Al was always known as the walking encyclopedia of music knowing the words and fingering for anything put in front of him. I'm sure we all will have plenty of fond memories and that's what will keep his spirit within all of us alive. Jackie Tice and Phil Stahl have performed at Godfrey Daniels and Musikfest in years past. The Nastassee brothers (Frank, Jim, and Tom) also go back with Al. Mike Dugan, Wayne Smith, Al & Rena Pray (Raven's Nest) will truly feel this loss since the Raven's Nest was home base. Al's daughters Amy and Bethany are very strong and Beth will cherish her father's instruments as she moves forward with her bass career (now with the Eric Steckel Band). You couldn't tell Al G. to stay home cause he was sick, the man just ran himself till he couldn't run any more. He slept on his amp while playing, in the back of vans, in chairs, even standing up because he kept so active musically. His music was his life and all the people surrounding the music were his closest of friends. His mother was known as "mom" to all of us and his youngest brother Danny was always supportive of the musicians in the family. Perhaps not always the healthiest choice, but Al G. lived life every day without hesitation and that is how we will all remember him.

30 October 2002 

You don't have to read this, but I had to write it. I've been asked for comments or quotes on Al G, and was overwhelmed trying to put it into words. here goes:

I walked into the Lehigh Valley Blues Network jam in November of 2000, right off of a disastrous UK Tour with my punk band the FUX. I was frustrated, cold and still wet from that soggy country, and broke. I heard there was a place I could go and just jam. I talked some tall geezer at the door, Walt, into waiting until I pawned off one of my band's CD's to get the couple of dollars to pay my way in.

There was a guy on stage, Al "G." He was reading the "rules." Rules? Traditions? Anonymity? What is this, an AA meeting? I knew nothing about blues, touch, tone or dynamics. I went up there with a bunch of feedback and watched people around me roll their eyes. But afterwards, Al came over to me, gave me a few tips, and encouraged me to return and try again. He was encouraging.

I kept coming back and helped the jams anyway I could, just to be involved. I learned basic blues progressions and considered all time I spent there, especially around smiling pro's like Al, a very useful occupation of my time. I still was coming from left field as far as the blues traditionalists were concerned, but Al still encouraged me to return. I never felt comfortable with my sloppy performances, but Al always had some good comments, and advice. He was sympathetic.

I continued seeking out jams with Al, because he always encouraged me to push the envelope. He would start jams with me sometimes by simply saying a key he was going to start in. No progression, just "start here..." and see what develops. He was an incredibly versatile outlet for exploring different avenues of experimentation. I worked with him on several projects, and he insisted on experimenting. If I tried to do the standard I, IV, V anymore, he fell asleep right there. If it went crazy, he was all over it. He was inspirational.

I went on to do several projects with him, the "Barn Burners" with the Dutchman (you have to hear Dutch tell that story), the Blues Sisters at Allentown's Mayfair. I'm sure I am just one of many who walked into a blues jam and prayed that it would be Al up there on bass when called to play. He was so friendly, laid back, and understanding. I considered him a true "Soul Surfer" -- somebody totally about music, not the money. When things got messy, political, or digressed along a path other than the music, he walked away from the scene, but of course not without trying to help it get back on course. He was a central figure that helped everything in the music scene keep focused and moving along. He helped a lot of people learn from his example, and as I freely said recently, (in light of this great tragedy, with great sadness, anger, and frustration), he kept a lot of us from becoming bigger assholes than we already were.

In the very beginning of this story, when I was new here, and scared, someone could have criticized me and I would have never wanted to come back, or try again. But Al could handle advice in a way that made me want to try again, over and over, harder and harder. Some of the countless ways Al affected me? I'm inspired now to put petty differences aside like Al would. I want to be encouraging, like he was. Most of all, I just want to play and inspire others to create, like he did for me. I'll never fill his shoes, he was a big man with an even bigger heart....but I know for sure I'll miss him a lot longer than I ever really knew him. I thank God I met the man and knew him for the short time we had.

I am a punk rocker, my name is Roman.

I've heard a lot in the last few days of how Al was a friend to all. I've also heard that he was a musician's musician, the best of the best. Al and I talked on many occasions in the past 45 years about people and music. We would spend many nights listening to music - on his off nights, trying to analyze the players, without knowing them. We did however decide that music was to be listened to and not profited from. We did decide that the best should not judged by how well he can read charts or reproduce other's work. The best is not judged by how fast one can play or showboat for a crowd. The best is judged by how he feels the music and how he listens to others. No matter of the acquired musical skills, the best learns to listen and learn from the innovation of even a novice musician. For many times it is the novice that is the most creative. Isn't true that most 'new' music comes from the young, unprejudiced, unskilled? Innovational music comes from those who have not yet learned that 'someone is better'. Failed youth learns that to be successful you must 'play like him'. Al and I joked about players that prided themselves on being able to copy someone else's riff note for note. Who the hell cares if you can copy someone else's music, I have a $25 tape recorder that can do that! Al and I would always ask these people, But, how would you play it? Usually no answer, they don't understand. I taught Al one basic rule, it is the only thing that I learned from my guitar teacher. I am sure that Al lived by until his last day. The first and only rule of music is that THERE ARE NO RULES! Music is to be felt and enjoyed by all. It is not a competition to judge one person's skills against another. I am very proud that Al lived the life that he did. For through his soul I also enjoyed a wealth of music.

Al and I played together for a few years when we were in our teens, until the mid 70's. I was in a few bands and he was in others. I got married and quit playing out by 1975. Al continued, when he got divorced music drove his life. Al loved his children first, his music second, and some friends. As Al's career flourished, we always stayed in contact. I would go to see Al's latest band, and would sometimes sit in. Eventually, Al got mixed up with 'the best of the Valley' and started to frequent, in fact control, many of the local jams. About 10 years ago Al started convincing me to go out and jam with him, as he apparently has done to everyone else he knew. Al would convince people with no musical skills to get up and bang a tambourine or sing, etc. I would go out just to play with Al, he was my bass player and singer, he knew my limitations and made the best of it. My only desire was to play in a band with Al. However, he found guys that fit his band and played on. Now he's gone and I'm done. We had a few magical nights together, which will now be memories. Al wasn't the best, he was the only.

Looking back, that probably was Al's purpose on this planet - to get people to love and enjoy each other through music, maybe Al was a Saint after all.

Al G played bass with The Villas on one gig, on very short notice, at The Philosopher's Stone, on February 16, 2002. At our first (of only 2) rehearsals with Al, we were all amazed at how quickly he zeroed in on the inherent groove of each song--all original songs he had, for the most part, never heard before. When we asked him about pay he needed for the gig, Al just said, "If I can leave with a little more dough than what I came with, I'm happy." Al played great that night, not only holding down a neat bottom, but also supplying a percussion-y pop, which came in very handy since we were drummerless that night. On stage, and between sets, Al completely charmed everybody there, hunkering down at the tables with people, telling stories, and well, you know, just being Al G. After the gig, he looked and smiled at the like 60 bucks we each made like it was a grand, which is what a player and a person of Al G's caliber should have been making that night. Al left one of his practice amps in our basement. We brought it along to his viewing and gave it to BC Bev to give to Al's daughter Bethany, who choked us up upon meeting us by saying, "Oh he loved playing with you guys!" And although we know that Al G probably loved playing with everybody, this little passing comment gave us some much appreciated closure. It felt nice knowing that maybe we reciprocated some of the joy Al gave us during our brief musical interlude together. Al G was truly one of the Good Guys and we know he will be missed by anyone who had the pleasure of knowing him, even if only for a little while.