Bios - Getting to know Bob Conner & Larry Ebner

Bob:  My younger brother & I started guitar lessons when I was age 9 & he was 8 with a husband & wife teaching couple. I was as tall as our teachers.  Back in 1950 they were frequently referred to as "little people" or "midgets".  They were wonderful teachers (& people) for beginners + friends of my dad.  They played guitar "piano style" with the guitar lying flat across their legs while sitting and pressing strings like piano keys.  It was an interesting beginning.  My dad purchased our first small body pearl inlay guitar from them for $25.  That old guitar is now over 100 years old and still hanging on my wall as reminder of how my passion for music began.  Sadly it's no longer playable.

   With the encouragement of our first teachers and thankful support from my uncle Howard Conner I was able to later receive traditional guitar instruction while my brother gave "a go" at lap steel guitar.  Since our lessons were by same person (back to back) I was allowed to sit & observe my brother's lessons from 10 to 12 years of age to learn what he was being  taught.  Then my love affair with the guitar continued on solo while my brother moved on and developed his preferred love of sports.  I continued playing and learning with uncles and friends and by observing my guitar heroes (our family friend - Ernie Rhynes) and (internationally famous - Chet Atkins & James Burton via black & white TV stations). 

My first high school public performance as a Senior in 1959 in Mt. Vernon, Illinois was me doing vocals & guitar with Jim Duncan on drums performing the popular songs way back in 59:  "It's Only Make Believe",  "Oh, Lonesome Me" & "Hurricane of Love" for 3 shows of a packed audience of about 1000 for each show.  Our popularity from that high school event led to the formation of my first band 

"The Trebloes".  

The band quickly was booked for "sock hops" and other events.  Fond memory example:  grand opening of a clothing store while band members wore store clothing while performing (thus payment method: free clothes because we were not yet members of the local musicians union).   Eventually appearing on local TV stations.  Later while in engineering college (with a different band), it was playing frat parties, bars, and special events. 

Fast forward thru my blessed life in the USA to 2024 at well seasoned age of  83 ; (1960s at Cape Kennedy, FL - electronic engineer member of launch team Apollo Space program) ; (1970s in Maryland - songwriter & "Track Recorders" studio recording engineer + Westinghouse engineer in Underseas Div. in Baltimore) ; (1976 to 2024 Richland, Washington - songwriter + engineer at Hanford Nuclear site,  retiring in 2004) ; 48 years in same home & still married to same woman since 1961 - high school sweetheart and together over 67 years.