In 1977, a Paducah disc jokey called Ovation Records and told them a huge mistake had been made with one of their acts. It seems the best song on a new single wasn't actually the featured selection, but was the B-side.  The DJ was right.

 Promotional efforts were launched and flipside "Heaven's Just A Sin Away" went on to become the biggest hit for the Kendalls. One call made the difference.

 Country newcomer Blaine Larsen had a similar story about his breakout debut single, "How Do You Get That Lonley," written about the suicide of a teenage friend. Requests made one at a time created a buzz in the industry and earned him a major record deal.

   Local guitar guru Rich Fabec is hoping to adopt a similar stratagey. He wants to take his latest CD, "Talking to Shadows," and distribute it to blues fans throughout the United States, converting one listener at a time.

   "The blues is the great tradition of American music," Fabec says. "It has been the common ancestor to all forms of  Western music for the past 130 years. Rock, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass, even Rap and Hip-Hop, owe their musical beginnigs to the Blues."

   Rich will utilize a medium that idols SRV and Jimi Hendrix had never even heard of: The Internet.

   "The first step is Internet radio," Fabec says. "there are two conglomerates that control 98 percent of all radio programming. An independent doesn't have a chance. The internet is wide open.  I'm already getting play on Texas Noise radio. They put me on their "Should've Been A Texan" segment. They were wanting to know where to but the music before they were done listening to the first song."

   If there is enough interest, it could lead to bigger and better things with a major record label.

   "I sing in self defense," he says jokingly. "I leave plenty of room for guitar. I used to think lyrics wre wated time between solos." 

   Fabec will wrap up production of "Talking to Shadows" in mid-March. He play all the lead, rhythm, and bass guitar parts on the 11 song recording. He will market the CD on the Internet and hopes to get shelf space at local music outlets like Target, Sam Goodies, Wal-Mart, PMac and Best Buy.

   Surrounded by seven well worn Gibson and Fender guitars, Fabec is at total ease in his Anna home studio. He is well versed in all genres of music, but he has a passion for the Blues. "I want to build a solid base with music that has legs," he says. "I could play blazing fast all over the record, but that would get pretty old pretty quickly for the listener. I strive to keep it as simple as I can. Simplicity is the easiest way to reach people. How you choose to mix it up defines your style."

   Fabec is a guitar instructor at Shawnee Community College and Fred's Fair Street Music in Marion. He was raised in Moon Twp., just outside or Pittsburgh, PA. He counts B.B. King, Albert King, Aerosmith, Kiss, and Cream as early influences. And Jazz was a natural attraction. "I saw how the Blues had influenced the thinking of Jazz players," Fabec says. "They were common ancestors, two sides of the same coin, and I wanted to put the two together and see how they fit."

   When he was 17, his devotion to his music earned him a Jazz Master Scholarship to the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston. In 1990, he migrated to Nashville and played in a wide range of bands. He met several of his musical heroes during this period. A battle scarred gold Gibson Les Paul standing in the corner is evidence. It bears the signature of legendary pickers Chet Atkins, Bill Monroe and Jerry Reed.

   Fabec developed a reputation as and outstanding versatiler guitarist. In 1994, when a band called Wild Horses needed a fill in guitarist for a few dates in southern Illinois, he jumped at the chance. "Two weeks turned into three years," he says smiling. "I have some terrific memories of those days. We are still good friends. I was jumping up and down when they got a record deal and broken hearted when it didn't work out."

   Playing the National Anthem with his teeth on his seafoam green Stratocaster-nicknamed "Kermit"-at the end of each performance helped him earn a loyal legion of fans.

   Fabec left Wild Horses in 1997 to commit more time to his Christian faith. "I felt God saying "I have something else for you to do." He says. starting in 2000 he released a solo Christian album a year including, "Inside," "Surrender," and "Acoustic Prayers." In 2003 he formed Calling 12 and released a five-song disc.

   Fabec has been youth minister and worship minister at Anna Heights Baptist church since 2003.

   "Last year was the first time in four years I didn't make an album,"Fabec says. "I tend to be overly creative. I've written 20 songs in various styles. I picked the best 11 and put them on the CD." He says tunes like "Not Done Yet," which will be the first single released, "Nobody," "Love thing" and "Delta blue" are solid efforts that could be radio friendly.