'Meant the whole world': Local musician's guitar stolen from his truck
A local musician is pleading to get his favourite guitar back after it was stolen from inside his truck last weekend.
Kelly Bourdages, Trick Ryder's band leader, was gifted a 1964 red Telecaster by Canadian country legend Big George Moody more than 40 years ago.
"I always loved that guitar, and I always wanted that guitar, and he made sure that I got it," Bourdages told CTV News Edmonton. "It's been my main guitar."
"That guitar meant the whole world to me," he said.
Bourdages says he usually keeps his equipment locked up. On Saturday evening, he returned home after a gig, felt tired, and figured his guitar would be okay for the night.
"I just didn't think nothing of it," Bourdages said. "I thought one night shouldn't matter I guess."
Canadian country legend Big George Moody plays a red 1964 Telecaster that Kelly Bourdages now owns (Supplied).
"One lapse of judgement left it in the truck overnight, and wow," he added.
The next morning, his neighbour shared how her vehicle was broken into overnight.
"I looked (at mine), and I was like, oh my goodness," Bourdages said. "My heart hit my throat."
After decades of touring, that guitar has become a part of Bourdages — who even has it tattooed on his left shoulder.
"I wanted something that was going to stay forever," he said. "That represented me, and that was my red guitar, my red Telecaster."
"That's how much I love the guitar," he added. "That tattoo's been with me for many years as well."
Kelly Bourdages even has a tattoo of his beloved red 1964 Telecaster (CTV News Edmonton/Jeremy Thompson).
While he has other guitars, Bourdages says none of them have the same history and feel.
"It's a special guitar," he said. "It's got special pick-ups in it. This thing's been hot-rodded for what I needed it for."
The musician has filed a police report, and local pawn shops and music stores have been informed about it. There's even a cash reward for 'ol red's safe return.
"I just appeal to the public," Bourdages said. "If somebody knows where this guitar is."
"Look in your heart, no questions asked. Somehow get it back. Whether you want to drop it off with the police or anywhere. I need that guitar back. It's my life."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.