The most famous guitar in country music history has a name. No, not Gibson or Les Paul or Fender.

It's Trigger.

The trigger is famous for three things. It's sound. It looks. And because of the man who plays it.

If you're fortunate enough to see the legendary Willie Nelson in concert at the Swiftel Center in Brookings on August 11th, you'll see him play what looks like the world's most beat-up guitar. If you didn't know about that guitar, you'd wonder why this American Music Treasure named Willie Nelson would be playing something like, well, something like that!

While from a distance it may look like scribbling or gibberish written on and scratched into the wood of that guitar, if you can get a close look, you'll see the names of the biggest stars in music history. But the first thing you'll notice is the hole.

No not the hole that supposed to be in a guitar. The hole has worn through from decades of use.

But most of all, you'll hear the sound. I've always thought that, while Willie may not go down as the greatest guitar player in the world, he may be considered the most distinctive. And it's largely because of that sound, that unique sound that he pulls out of Trigger.

Trigger first came to my attention when I heard Willie's "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain". Willie may have sung that great classic (His first number one hit!), but Trigger was the star of that song.

Some people say that Trigger is the most important Willie Nelson band member. Some people say folks come to a show to see Trigger almost as much as they come to see Willie. Somehow Trigger has become more than an instrument.

So what's the story? How did Willie meet up with Trigger? And why that name, Trigger?

It truly is quite an amazing story. Check it out below.

You can check out ticket information for the Willie Nelson Swiftel Center concert on August 11th here.

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