Gibson Zoot Suit SG Guitar competition results

Winning Poem as selected by Barbara Orbison

My wife, just like an Epiphone, a classic work of art,
When we met so long ago she stole away my heart,
And like so many great guitars on which sweet songs are sung,
She’s highly polished, nicely curved, and beautifully strung.

But the tuning pitch where she’s concerned means so much more to me,
She’s well described by those six notes, E B G D A and E,
She’s most Endearing , Beautiful, and Generous to me,
Devoted, just Adorable and Ever-loved by family.

So now I’ve told you how I feel I hope she has a chance,
For supporting me throughout these years with loving and romance,
And though I may be heading towards the Autumn of my life,
She’s still my Pretty Woman, my ever loving wife.

(John O’Neill, Clonsilla, Dublin)

L to R Sean Hahessy winner of the Gibson Zoot Guitar/ Aidan Butler, Producer / Anna and John O’Neill winners of the Epiphone 12 string guitar / Niall Toner, Presenter

Runner–Up Poems also selected by Barbara won a Roy Orbison Box Set of his music and her new perfume called ‘Pretty Woman’

Menage à Trois

He loves her.
And he’ll never leave her,
No matter how old she grows.

How tenderly he treats her!

Masterfully, he takes hold of her,
And, with all his loving skills, brings forth:
Wild, uncontrolled crying,
Happy, unabandoned weeping,
Playful giggling,
Seductive, throaty whispers,
Passionate groaning,
Mad, romantic dancing.
Sighs of completion.

And, as he plays her,
He fondles the strings of my heart,
Vibrating the very core of me,
Plunging suddenly, unannounced, into the very centre of my being,
Exposing the raw nerve ends of my emotions!
And then.
Gently soothing the depths of my soul.

Oh yes.
He loves her!
And he would never leave her.
Nor would I ever want him to.
For,
Without her,
Our loving could not be complete

(Julie)

DAVE

You have a heart that's open
You have a heart that's kind
You have a heart that cares and shares
With all you chance upon
And since you lost your job last year
And you still in your prime
You still put all the family first
Be they yours or mine

You had a Gra for music
And loved to pluck guitar
But gradually through all the stress
The pick was left alone

Now a new year has arrived
And you've found your strings again
I know that with an Epiphone
The magic would return
No one more deserves it
Than my amazing noble swain

(Anne Buckley, Greystones, Co Wicklow)

Audio links to, and information on, programmes from 2010.

Programme 9: 27th February 2010

Programme 8: 20th February 2010

Programme 7: 13th February 2010

Programme 6: 6th February 2010

Programme 5: 30th January 2010

Programme 4: 23rd January 2010

Programme 3: 16th January 2010

Programme 2: 9th January 2010

Programme 1: 2nd January 2010

Niall Toner

Niall Toner is, first and foremost, a music fan, and if he wasn't presenting Roots Freeway, he would be at home listening to the same variety of music himself. Niall says that being on Radio One is just like having a hobby turn in to a job, and the thrill of bringing such a wide range of Roots music to such a large audience is both an honour and a pleasure.

Niall was born in Dublin, and nurtured an early interest in music by tuning in to Radio Luxemburg and the AFN radio service from Germany. The saturday night re-broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry from Nashville was his first exposure to Country music, and when a local schoolfriend showed up with a collection that included the music of Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, The Carter Family and Jimmy Rodgers, Niall's musical fate was sealed.

As well as presenting Roots Freeway, Niall is a songwriter and a musican, playing guitar and mandolin with his own NTB, and his songs have been recorded by Bill Wyman, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Albert Lee and The Special Consensus, to name but a few. Niall alsso writes extensivley on the subject, and his articles have been published by Hot Press, Maverick and Country Music Plus. He is also the authour of Nuts and Bolts, a guide to writing better songs. Niall and his wife, Moira, live near Myshall in Co. Carlow.

Further Information : www.nialltonerband.ie