When J Dran Lewis moved to Chattanooga in 1979, he had been playing the guitar for years. Self-described as a “white, skinny kid with a lot of soul” toting around a 1972 Les Paul Black Beauty guitar, Lewis had no idea how his life would be rocked by guitars.
Lewis’ interest in guitars began to blossom when he met Bug Gregory, a musician who used only down strokes when playing his Fender Stratocaster – or Strat – electric guitar, a brand that has been played worldwide by leading guitarists. Lewis remembers admiring how Gregory’s right hand worked “like a machine gun” and how similar his sound was to Jimi Hendrix. After developing a friendship with Gregory, Lewis learned that this musician he admired had actually played bass with Hendrix in Nashville. Lewis determined to learn everything Gregory was playing.
On a whim, Lewis decided to join a local band, Sky. He played rhythm guitar with Bug, while a man named Porky played bass guitar.
During this time, Lewis also worked at The Sound Post, a music retail store in Chattanooga that his father, Jack Lewis, opened in 1976. This provided the opportunity for Lewis to learn how to repair guitars and developed his curiosity in wood combinations and tones.
Eventually, Lewis set his heart on owning a Strat guitar. One day, a 1956 Strat came into the store as a trade. “It had a tone and feel like nobody’s business,” says Lewis of the guitar that quickly became his.
Lewis lovingly cared for his Strat, spreading Vaseline in the nut to try to keep the bar in tune.
Sadly, one day on his way to Nashville, Lewis ran out of gas and, after walking back from a gas station, found that the trunk of his car had been broken into and his Strat was gone. Despite searching for what he calls his “Holy Grail,” the guitar was nowhere to be found.
“I never experienced another guitar like that one,” says Lewis. “The sound, weight and tone of the guitar were truly magical.”
Despite this loss – or possibly because of it – Lewis’ life took a dramatic turn. He says that one day he noticed he could hear specific tones when he touched wood – a gift that, to this day, he still cannot explain.
As a result of this new sixth-sense of sound, Lewis opened Warrior Musical Instruments in 1987 in order to design handmade musical instruments for professionals, collectors and enthusiasts. Today, Lewis and his talented group at Warrior Musical Instruments in Rossville, Ga., produce custom handmade electric and acoustic guitars and basses. The precision and care put into each instrument help to create true musical works of art.
Ever since that tragic day on the way to Nashville, Lewis has worked to capture the tone and feel of that special Strat guitar; however, he says he never imagined that would become his life’s work.
Warrior Musical Instruments is open to the public and allows customers the opportunity to hand-pick the materials they would like used in the creation of an instrument. Patrons can also watch as specialized designers create these masterpieces of music. Recently, the business expanded to include a showroom in Hollywood, Calif.
Lewis’ unique skills and business have served him, and his clients, well. He says one of his clients in New York told him: “It’s one thing to find the Holy Grail, it is quite another thing to see it being created.”
According to Lewis, the success of Warrior Musical Instruments can be attributed to an attitude of excellence. “We create nothing less than our very best,” he says, while gratefully acknowledging the support of his wife, Anna, who inspires him to never compromise the passion that is inside of him and to keep dreaming big. Additionally, the business is a family affair; in fact, all Warrior instruments are named after family members.
A wise man once told Lewis: “Quit trying to fit in – you were born to stand out.” Twenty-four years later, Warrior Musical Instruments has become known throughout the world.