About Bubble Up’s Guitar Works
Bubble Up’s Guitar Works specializes in expert guitar repairs and refinishing, serving South Florida including Vero Beach south to West Palm and far west as Okeechobee including Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach, Jupiter, Juno, Palm Beach Gardens and surrounding areas.
We are known in the industry as the leading expert in all guitar and bass repairs as well as other stringed instruments.
How Bubble Up’s Became Bubble Up’s.
Back in late 1984 I began work for the Van Zant family – yes, that family. I was guitar & backline tech for the Johnny Vant Zant Band. At that time, I was living in the Van Zant home on a multi acre lot on the westside of Jacksonville, FL. Johnny Van Zant and his family lived in a single wide trailer on the property. His sister Marlene and her family had a double-wide mobile home adjacent to the Van Zant home. Whenever we were “home” from the road, there was always work to be done; house maintenance, vehicle maintenance, etc.
Johnny was always hauling freight or working in some fashion as he had two little girls at the time. His (then) wife Cindy was always working. So that each of them could work full time, Johnny’s mother, who we called “Sister,” babysat for the kids whenever she was needed.
In those days I used to carry Double Bubble bubble gum in my front pocket – I was always chewing gum. One day as I was walking through the house, Kristin Van Zant, Johnny’s youngest (at the time) looked up as I passed through the family room and said “bahbul-uf? Johnny’s mom looked at me and said, “What the hell’d she call you?” We both had no idea! That same afternoon on another run through the house, it happened again!
Just then I pulled out a piece of gum and that’s when Kristin’s eyes got as big a saucers and had a huge smile on her face. Sister said, “Don’t you give that child no sugar on my watch!” Haha. Later that afternoon, when Johnny got home, his mom was telling him the story. I pulled out the gum again and Kristin got all happy and wide-eyed again. That’s when Johnny said one piece was ok. So I gave it to her.
During the next few weeks, right outta the blue “sister” started calling me Bubble Up. (Back in the day you didn’t question your elders!) After that, Papa Van Zant started calling me Bubble Up too and it spread through the family. (As a side note, Johnny’s cousin and our tour/stage manager Brian Evors, was also a “Brian.” So that’s where it all began – Brian Evors was Brian and I was Bubble Up.)
Flash forward years later, I happened to meet a 12 year old neighbor who called herself a “singer/songwriter.” A few years later, when I was setting up the company she asked me, “What are you gonna call it?”. After a few minutes she blurted out, “Bubble Up’s Guitar Works!” It stuck! She is now one of Nashville’s rising stars and goes by the stage name of Cassidy Daniels.* It was because of Cassidy that I started back into the guitar repair/maintenance business. And as they say, the rest is history!
Through out my life even my (late) Dad and Momma called me Bubble Up.You just can’t make this stuff up!
That’s how the business was named and that’s how I became “Bubble Up’s Guitar Works.”