When StoryCorps rolled into Laramie, Wyoming, Rodger McDaniel came into the Mobile Booth to remember his father.

His dad, Johnny McDaniel, worked over the years as a miner and milk truck driver, married and divorced Rodger’s mother three times—and he loved music.

Rodger remembers his beautiful singing and his shiny, black guitar.
McDaniel16x9

After getting his dad’s guitar back, he tried to learn how to play without much success. It sat in his closet for years—until he got a guitar player for a son-in-law. They came together for a conversation on the StoryCorps Podcast.

McDaniel 16x9

Rodger went on to spend much of his career working in the field of alcohol and drug addiction.

Top photo: Johnny McDaniel, Rodger McDaniel’s father, when he was about 18 years old in Sweetwater, Texas. Photo courtesy of Rodger McDaniel.
Middle photo: Rodger McDaniel at his StoryCorps interview in Laramie, WY. Photo by Rachel Falcone for StoryCorps.
Bottom photo: Rodger McDaniel and his son-in-law Josh Jacobsen in Denver, Colorado, with Johnny’s guitar.

Originally aired February 1, 2019, on NPR’s Morning Edition.