Meet Lee Jackson and Ray Mauldin of Grinningelk Music in Douglasville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lee Jackson and Ray Mauldin.

Lee and Ray, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Well, the story begins like most stories begin. Where would that be? Where fate meets confusion, of course. This story, like all of the greatest stories of ‘ole begin with a passion. My passion was, of course to be the next “Eddie Van Halen,” But wait- that slot was already taken. You know: being young, playing in bands, drinking whiskey from a dirty glass, staggering in the door at 3 am smelling like Marlboros and CK straight from a guy in the bathroom as he hands you a towel for three dollars.

Then, one day, you’re faced with a condition called Cognitive Dissonance (I know, right? That’s just a fancy term physiologists use.) That, in essence, means that you simultaneously hold two or more contradictory beliefs. Like, I’m a Gemini (wait- I am) but my contradictory belief was the age-old question: To eat or not to eat?

How do I step down from being a Rock Immortal to walk among the villagers? I didn’t want to give up my dream- all I wanted to do is have the ability to choose between a “Happy Meal” and a “Steak.” Well, I already had the seven secret ingredients to make that special chicken in life. The Colonel knew too well; To be the best at what you do, then approach it like you’re already just that- “The Best.” I love music and I love guitars (sounds like that Reese’s commercial back in the 70’s, Yeah right. With all this in mind, I just worked my regular gig and played in bands at night, with this exception: I started buying and selling Vintage guitars on the side. Yep, you read it here- the “side piece.” But, in this situation, the “side” situation outweighed and outperformed the establishment. The “Establishment” is that 9 to 5 that doesn’t represent your “I wanna be an astronaut lifestyle.”

That’s where the haters in life roll up on you like Huggie Bear in “Starsky and Hutch.” “Hey man, Yo dude. You can’t get away from the man.” Yeah, that “man” is yet again the Establishment. You know, the one house, two cars, 2.5 kid situation we all encounter in this life. This was the early 90’s. Bill Cosby’s sweaters, “Cops” (what you gonna do?) Bill Clinton, and a country hopeful of a new beginning.

I had $800.00 and a dream of that “Steak.” My wife was holding it down at home. She had the steady job, but I just wasn’t cut out to be anything but an “Astronaut” and she knew this in her infinite wisdom. She encouraged me to go for all there was to offer in this life. Then, where only eagles dare, I had an epiphany from my youth.

At 24, I had an unbridled sense of adventure and a wide-eyed curiosity of the world that was not yet tainted with cynicism. I was not burdened with what someone else thought, nor the latest fashion trend. It was plain and simple, not “PC”. That terminology wasn’t even invented yet. It was just you and your dream, whatever that was. Either you liked something or you didn’t. Simple, really, you weren’t concerned on how you got there. You just cranked the radio up to 10 and enjoyed the ride. Like my elders before me, I too was “in search of.” I had no idea what I was supposed to find when I arrived, but it was there and only there that the answer to the riddle would reveal itself.

A poet once wrote: “The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”

The “there” I speak of is waiting for all of us at the intersection of “Fear Ave” and “Truth Blvd.”

I had a need not to fall to fear and fear is what takes your average person down.

With that being said, I walked in the next day and did what I always wanted to do. Gave my declaration of independence. This was 1993 and I haven’t looked back.

I worked in this profession with enthusiasm and a commitment to excellence. I cut my teeth for seven years, when a chance encounter changed my life yet again. That encounter was with my business partner and closest of friends, one Mr. Ray Mauldin. He and I had previously played in the same band, but not at the same time. So, one day, I called my other closest friend in this life and said, “Hey. Can I sit in with you guys so we can play a block party I have lined up?” My friend, of course agreed. I knew all the boys well except for this “Burt Reynolds” wanna be to my right. That guy to my right, is now my business partner. I remember him leaning back in his comfy office chair with his feet propped up asking me questions. Ray said, “So, what do you do?” I told him, “I sell guitars to “rock stars,” of course. He was stunned, “What, really?” “Yes,” I said with conviction. “That is what I do.”

I invited him to go to a show with me and see what it’s all about. The day we left, he complained. He complained because of the drive and the driving rain that followed us on that 13-hour drive to Arlington, Texas. What did he get for his grievances? Well, he got the pleasure of driving all the way to the Lone Star state himself. On the trip there, we discussed anything and everything. From politics to bands and relationships. I recall telling him, there are three things I can tell you:

1.) You’re entering a room full of snakes.

2.) I’m the only one that’s got your back.

3.) You couldn’t put this in a book.

That was the fall of 2000 and I’m happy to say that Burt Reynolds wanna be has been tens of thousands of miles with me. We’ve dined with kings and at times, drank with paupers. We’ve had, like the Dickens novel, “The Best of Times, The Worst of Times.” The best of times are the countless times we’ve laughed until we cried and all the memories we’ve had on the road. The worst of times are being at the unmerciful hand of the economy. Mind you, we are in the luxury business after all. We have a very unique and undeniable style on how we conduct business.

Someone once wrote: “I’d rather fail at originality than succeed at imitation.”

Here at Grinningelk, we have subscribed to this ideology wholeheartedly. But, you’ll find like we have- like the Chinese proverb, “The nail that sticks out, at times, gets hammered.”

Would I do it any other way, you ask? No, this is our story and therein lies the greatness. To have vision, to dream and not to be at the fate of fear.

As Winston Churchill once said: “Fear has killed more men than death itself.”

I would like to thank Voyage Atlanta for taking this time to hear our story and to you people out there for reading it as well. If you rock stars out there need a helping hand at finding your musical “other half,” give us a shout. We are as down home as Mama’s biscuits and gravy.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Has it been a smooth road? Has life ever been like that? Life is certainly a journey. As with life as with business.

Our challenges are interest in guitars in general.

The younger generation hasn’t had the experience of having Guitar Gods.

And why should they? They have iPhones, right?

The interest in our business is generational for sure. If you are a Baby Boomer or Gen-x, welcome. If you are a Millennial, then you need time and time will season you.

You do have EDM and iPhones, right? Learning to play guitar takes time and appreciation for your craft. Time, like the “Stones” once referenced is not always on your side.

Our challenge is the future of this business and interest from the youth. The future is the younger germination. Guitars up until here of late, has been a mainstream of pop culture.

Grinningelk Music – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We specialize in vintage and rare guitars. Ray and I are kinda like that dude that rolls up on you on “Antique Road Show.” We just know the originality and origins of the guitar or amp you have.

I’d have to confess to you something. We are known for three things.

1) The originality and cleanliness of our instruments are second to none.

2) Our descriptions are indeed what sets us apart from “anyone” on the scene. Ray and I have people from all over the world stop us and say, “And who writes those descriptions.” We both sheepishly reply. “We both do.”

3) Our integrity. I know companies say this to you all the time. But, if you look on our website, you’ll see that we don’t have a testimony page. Instead, we feature our clients and we write stories on “how great they are.” “They” are the bosses, not us. When you go to our site, just click “Elk Nation.” You’ll see people from all over the world rocking a grinningelk shirt with their latest acquisition. Powerful stuff isn’t it? They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well, get you hundreds of thousands. We love our bosses.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’d have to say there are many. But, OK, how about the time we acquired Paul Reed Smith #1. This was the first guitar this storied guitar manufacturer ever made.

There’s another time Ray and I had drinks with Alex Lifeson of Rush. He is a childhood idol of ours and I can tell you, there wasn’t enough time in the day for all of Ray and I questions from this legendary guitarist. Really, so many to choose from. This is the dream job after all.

Like Elvis said; “I did it my way.” Or, was that Sinatra?