Introduction by Mary Pettigrew:
Leonard Hatcher is a force of nature! A few years ago, Leonard & I decided to chit chat about various things going on our world of MS, so instead of texting back & forth, we scheduled a phone call. I became instantly intrigued with his persona & colorful background. With his gorgeous wife, Courtney by his side, Leonard embraces his life with passion & gusto. When life or health issues try to knock him down, he fights back with unwavering grit & determination to rise up again. To connect with Leonard Hatcher, you can find him on Facebook.
Writen by Leonard Hatcher ~ March 2018
There was a time in my youth where I spent a considerable amount of time playing guitar. It was 1990 and the beginning of my sophomore in college. I received a call one evening telling me that my older sister Catherine had been in an accident and was presently in the hospital and it did not look good. I remember staying up all night playing, trying desperately to write the song I had promised her I would so that I could go play it for her and she would wake up. It didn’t play out that way and Catherine died the next day.
I spent the next few years at school meandering through life and still playing my guitar as I tried to find my way and deal with the loss of my older sister and best friend. Catherine had always told me that I could do anything if I put my mind to it, that is how much she believed in me.
Playing guitar was something that I always counted on when things got tough and life happened. I remember playing and composing music during some of the darkest periods of my life. It was something that always eased my mind and brought me peace, one of my most treasured gifts as I saw it.
That was until I was stricken with MS in 2012 and after a rather nasty bout with the monster I lost the use of my left hand overnight and with that my ability to play guitar. It was devastating to say the least and something I did not talk about much with anyone. I don’t think I need to explain.
Anyway this past fall I finally decided it was time to see if I could once again learn to play. I applied the same principals I used to learn how to run again, only this time it was about redeveloping minute motor skills, regaining use and control and teaching my fingers to move delicately and purposely across the fretboard.
It has been a long, tedious and painful process. However I am once again playing things I have not played in years, beautiful music that is known only to myself. Someday I hope to really be able to play once again as I could when I recorded with the late engineer Gary Loizzo who recorded Styxx and REO Speedwagon. He walked up to me after I played at one session and said to me, “with the things you write Leonard, there’s a place out there for you.” It was the biggest compliment he ever gave me. Someday maybe I will prove he was right.
**Video: Leonard & his guitar