In Memory of Joey Stuckey: King of Strings

Joey Stuckey, Macon, Georgia’s Official Music Ambassador, passed away on October 17, 2026. This is one more conversation with him, recorded on October 10, just before the release of his new album, King of Strings, which he cut live in a single twelve-hour day on Les Paul’s own 1957 console at the Les Paul Recording Studio in Hollywood.

Joey was a blind guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer, a Professor of Music Technology at Mercer University, and a longtime friend of Big Blend Radio. In this Music Talks conversation with Lisa D. Smith, he’s funny, opinionated, and generous with his stories.

He talks about:

- Why he made a CD instead of vinyl, and why a signed CD is “a souvenir of our time together”

- Owning your music versus renting a license from the streaming services

- How a request to touch Les Paul’s console for 15 minutes turned into the first album ever recorded there

- Six songs, eight channels, no punch-ins, and a film crew capturing it all

- The stories behind Temple in the Wind, Born to Be Your Toy, King of Strings, Hertsmere Blues, and Baby Don’t

- Being ready when your shot comes, and being in the moment at a show

LINKS:

- Listen to King of Strings: https://found.ee/joeystuckey-kingofstrings

- Joey Stuckey on Big Blend Radio (YouTube playlist): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzIUCV2e7qm2zNDtr23NbGx4q90u3Ok0f&si=yUxe5i9wpaAxCF-f

- Joey’s website and his family’s statement: https://www.joeystuckey.com/

- More from Big Blend Radio: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/

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