McCabe’s Guitar Shop Founder Dies

Gerald McCabe, 82, founder of McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, Calif., died in Eugene Ore., Jan. 17.

McCabe suffered a heart attack two days earlier, according to the Los Angeles Times. McCabe, a successful folk singer who ran a furniture business in Santa Monica, opened the shop in 1958 and by the mid-’60s, the store was popular enough for McCabe to make it his main source of income.

Ry Cooder recollected to the Times how, as a 13-year-old, he grew inspired to be a musician by spending time in the store. But McCabe’s is mostly known for the intimate concerts held it is backroom, where audiences have seen acts like Ben Harper, Dave Alvin and fIREHOSE up close and personal, with affordable prices.

“He left California in 2005, but never lost his love of the ocean, nor his ability to live life in the moment,” McCabes.com posted on its homepage. “Quite simply, we wouldn’t exist without Jerry, and we will never forget him.”