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WHEREAS, the "Queen of Rock n'Roll," Joan Jett, has said that "My guitar is not a thing. It is an extension of myself. It is who I am;" and,
WHEREAS, Carl Grefenstette, recognizing the truth in this statement, took his love of guitars, rock n'roll and a $5000 loan and founded Pittsburgh Guitars on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield in 1979; and,
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh Guitars grew its business throughout the 1980s, offering new guitars and expanding into vintage sales and quality repairs, and, in 1986, outgrew their space and moved to their South Side location on East Carson Street; and,
WHEREAS, in 2011, after 32 years as owner, Carl Grefenstette sold Pittsburgh Guitars to 10 year employee and fellow guitar-enthusiast John Bechtold, having found a new owner as dedicated to rock n'roll and guitars as he is; and,
WHEREAS, the fame of Pittsburgh Guitars has attracted such rock n'roll clientele as John Entwistle of The Who, Ray Davies of The Kinks, members of Stone Temple Pilots, Steve Earle and even actor-musician Russell Crowe; and,
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh Guitars has become one of the hippest destinations in Pittsburgh's busy South Side business district, serving over three generations of Pittsburgh musicians and still going strong ; and,
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Pittsburgh City Council declares Tuesday, January 31st, 2012 to be Pittsburgh Guitars Day in the City of Pittsburgh.