Henry Goldrich, who supplied cutting-edge equipment to a generation of rock stars including Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, and Eric Clapton, died at his home in Boca Raton, Florida. He was 88.
The New York Times reported Goldrich died on Feb. 16. He had been the longtime owner of Manny’s Music in Manhattan. The newspaper noted that Goldrich had taken over the store from his father in 1968 and had turned it into a hangout for world-renowned artists.
Goodrich had matched James Taylor with a Martin acoustic guitar and Sting with the Fender Stratocaster the entertainer used to compose “Message in a Bottle.”
Townshend would order dozens of expensive electric guitars from Goldrich, who was not pleased when he learned the guitarist was destroying them onstage for theatrics.
“He had a gruff personality; he treated them all the same,” son Ian Goldrich said. “He’d tell Bob Dylan, ‘Sit in the back and I’ll be with you in a minute.’”
Manny’s, before it closed in 2009, had photographs on the wall from many of the world’s most renowned musicians, the Times noted at the time.
“Manny’s is the best. Bob Marley,” read one.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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