Lucky by Regina Ferguson / Montana Special & Emmanuelle Pickett
I really enjoyed this song about Regina's Guitar called Lucky and the film she made with Emmanuelle Pickett about its creation.
Emmanuelle Pickett messaged me this week out of the blue. I had long planned to write about her friend Regina Ferguson but not quite gotten around to it. Emmy wanted to highlight the film they made about Regina's Gibson guitar, which was built by Ren Ferguson. I learnt that a luthier is a person who makes stringed instruments like guitars.
Ren is one of the best and most famous luthiers that ever lived. That they share a name is nothing more than coincidence, or as Regina herself says: serendipity. Well now. It is serendipity that thrust me into the middle of the Tennessee music scene back in cold, dark London February. I am a firm fan of serendipity.
The song about her guitar is called Lucky. The guitar is made into a person. Lucky is also the guitar's name and she has been born from the plains, from the rivers, from the natural world and the woods somewhere in Montana. It is a haunting song about porches and warm steel and toil. It is beautiful.
I was born of wood under the big western sky
Carved out by hands that were leathered and tired
Hollowed out under memories, ivory and tears
A passion that's fleeting as we lose the years
When you see the words you realise the I is the guitar herself. The song documents her creation by Ren Ferguson and then documents her life. It would have been very, very good by itself. The guitar's pronouns come from Regina.
But that is not the end of the story. In some ways it is the beginning.
Emmanuelle Pickett is a rising star in cinema and somehow one of these two world-beaters had an idea to make a short film about the guitar being handmade by Ren in Montana. These five minutes took a whole year of work to come to fruition.
Lucky has such a sound. Regina sings in the film, just her and Lucky. There are some wistful shots of Regina in a field or by the river. This is a love letter to Montana as much as to this stunning guitar. Now we watch Ren shaping a lump of wood, working on the body by itself, the first part of Lucky to shimmer into existence. In the gathering dusk, all we can make out are Regina's silvery earrings dancing in the moonlight. This is proper filmmaking and top quality music. It is a perfect story.
At the end of the film you can see some of the global superstars Ren Ferguson has made guitars for during his long career. It is an astonishing list that includes Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ron Wood as well as Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow. Regina is right up there too. She's incredible.
I would like to add a note about Emmy too. All she cared about was getting Regina and Lucky mentioned. I did not know who she was and she did not mention her own amazing skills. In fact I thought she was Regina's publicist. She is a true friend, and someone who is really living her own authentic life in film. Her feature film All Souls is very much worth a look. Get on it before Emmy blows up into a global name as well. I mean, she's even called EMMY!
Emmy can have the final word. We agree on the importance of the guitar.
A great song transcends time and space. It can soothe a broken heart, start a rebellion and tell the truth. There’s nothing more true than the power and necessity of the guitar in our lives as humans. Imagine life without the guitar… Writing this song from the guitar’s perspective gives such a rich and unique way in to tell the story of all the lives touched and connected by one of the greatest cultural art pieces in the world.
Media
Tackle in this order: song first, then film, then the rest of the wonder that is Regina.
A special tribute by Emmanuelle Pickett
PAUL DETTMANN
Press Bit
About Regina Ferguson
Regina Ferguson is a singer-songwriter based in Topanga Canyon, CA. She has established herself in the Americana scene with her debut album, Fortune, which received a coveted 5-star review from Country Music People Magazine, praising her as “a rising star in alt-country deserving mainstream recognition alongside artists like Margo Price and Sierra Ferrell.”
Regina has shared the stage with notable acts including James McMurtry, Lord Huron, and The Wallflowers, headlined the Grand Ole Echo, and was an official showcasing artist at the 2024 AMERICANAFEST in Nashville. Regina’s captivating performances draw deeply from nature and personal experiences, blending honest storytelling with folk-rock elements to capture the true essence of Americana and alt-country.
About Ren Ferguson
Ren Ferguson is a master luthier whose renowned craftsmanship has made him legendary in the guitar world. He began his career in 1962 and founded the Ren Ferguson Company in Venice Beach, California, in 1971. Ren later became vice president and master builder of Gibson Acoustics, known globally for creating heirloom-quality instruments. After retiring from Gibson, Ren continued his influential career, and in 2019 he revived the Ren Ferguson Co. alongside his children, Timothy and Virginia, continuing his tradition of exceptional instrument craftsmanship.
