Every one of John Lang’s guitars has a story.
The idea of showcasing as many of the Lockport resident’s famous guitars, accumulated from his Bills Elvis persona, in one setting wasn’t a reality. But that changed when Lang received a call from the Kenan Center five months ago.
Now, with less than 30 days until the regular season begins, a collection of nearly 50 game-used guitars at the Bills Elvis Guitar Exhibit from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Kenan House Art Gallery in Lockport. The exhibit is part of a tailgating experience, with Lang’s band, Bills Elvis and the Tailgaters, performing from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. along with food, drinks, games and a chance for kids to decorate their own guitar.
The gallery won’t be the first time Lang has been involved with the Lockport community. Two years ago, Lang pitched in to help a community tailgate to benefit the family of Lockport resident and former police officer and security guard Aaron Salter Jr., following the racist mass shooting at a Tops Markets in Buffalo.
“It makes you feel good when you do good,” Lang said. “That’s what I try to say to anybody. But I love to be part of things like (the gallery) and to do something good for our town and our community.”
Lang’s collaboration with the Kenan Center came after he received a text from the Kenan Center’s marketing manager, Austin Hinton. The organization’s executive director, Bill Patti, had the idea of displaying the guitars in the art gallery after Hinton told him of his life-long relationship with Lang through family and as a design artist.
Lang estimates he’s used nearly 200 guitars since he began dressing as a Bills-themed Elvis Presley in 1992. The gallery features some guitars won at Lang’s previous tailgate fundraisers as well as Lockport bars like Gonzo’s, The Penalty Box and Attitudes, which agreed to donate them back for the event.
Each design for the guitar is unique. One guitar features a blue cheese head with chicken wings underneath the lettering, and, on the side, the phrase, “Hurt in Montana, Call Mark Danna,” in reference to the long-time Lockport attorney. Another guitar features an excerpt from the 18th-century Scottish poem, “The Ballad of Sir Andrew Barton,” recited by former Bills head coach Marv Levy following their Super Bowl XXV loss painted on the body.
The guitars will be displayed on the walls of the 1850s Victorian mansion and set up in a traditional art gallery fashion. The layout of the exhibit will allow visitors to move from one guitar to the next.
Some of the guitars will be displayed on stands for fans to hold and take photos with while others will be hung on the walls with the neck of the guitars upside down to showcase the entire design.
“When I first started doing it, it was just to put ‘Squish the Fish’ on a guitar or something simple, a message to ESPN or whatever,” Lang said. “So, probably about six years ago, we started getting creative with the artwork. So, I’ve been really blessed. I’ve had some very, very talented artists do some really neat stuff on the guitar. … It’s gone to another level of artwork.”
Lang’s guitars is the latest collection of artwork the Kenan Center has displayed since they were first displayed in 1966 with works from American colorist Charles Burchfield. Kenan averages nine shows per year, but according to Hinton, there is a goal to shorten the amount between five to eight exhibits per year, with each currently on display for roughly eight weeks.
Lang’s event will feature appearances from Bills fan Pinto Ron and former Bills play-by-play announcer John Murphy. The opportunity to combine art and sports ahead of the new Bills season is what Hinton is looking forward to the most.
“It’s the fact that this cool of an event can happen in Lockport is exactly what we at the Kenan Center are trying to do,” Hinton said. “Just provide the community with cool stuff that they’re going to remember forever. Where else can you do something like this where guitars are strung up in a 1850s Victorian mansion with a Bills Mafia tailgate raging outside? I mean, it’s awesome.”