Guitar Hero
Fairhope’s image as a haven for major-talent artisans went up a notch recently, when master luthier Roger Fritz left Mendocino, Calif., to set up shop near Fish River. He’s no stranger to the area. Roger first moved to Mobile in 1966, graduated from Murphy High School in 1969, and bought his first car (a 1964½ Mustang) at Crichton Motors.
The Ford ’Stang wasn’t the only legend in the making to arrive in ’64. Roger built his first functional electric guitar that year, and on Feb. 9, Ed Sullivan introduced The Beatles to America. Yes, the then 13-year-old Roger was amongst the 73 million people who viewed the live broadcast that evening. And no, he didn’t have a clue that George Harrison would one day be playing a guitar that he had built in the nascent Fritz Brothers Guitars’ Mobile shop, near the intersection of Airport and University.
