Listen "Podcast 439: Guru Singh"
Episode Synopsis
Sit back, relax, and enjoy one of the most unforgettable Fretboard Journal Podcast interviews ever. This week's guest is spiritual teacher and yogi Guru Singh. Born Gerry Pond, this one-of-a-kind guitar fanatic garnered acclaim as a folk singer in Seattle's coffee house and music scene of the '60s. He was one of the first young rock musicians to sign with Frank Sinatra's Reprise Records. Gerry then relocated to San Francisco where he found himself playing concerts with the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and others. Unfortunately, he was also a fish out of water: A sober, meditation-loving yoga living in SF's wild Haight-Ashbury scene. To compound things, his early protest songs about Vietnam resulted in him being blacklisted from radio stations and targeted by the Feds. So, in the late 1960s, Gerry safely stored his cherished Gibson J-45 and went on a yearlong quest to the deepest reaches of Mexico, a journey documented in his book, Buried Treasures. When he returned, the J-45 was still there but his music and life was completely transformed. Now known as Guru Singh, he teaches Kundalini yoga and meditation techniques to practitioners around the world, collaborates with artists like Seal, and spreads positivity wherever he goes. We talk about all this and more on this very special podcast. He shares the story of his favorite guitars, offers advice to help you get through the holidays, and even encourages a little guitar acquisition syndrome. In a Fretboard Journal first, he also teaches us all how to breathe a little better. We first spotted Guru Singh on the Rich Roll Podcast, where we couldn't help but notice all the unique acoustic guitars he employed. We knew we had to get him on the Fretboard Journal podcast one day and here, at long last, is our first interview. https://gurusingh.com/ Registration is now open to attend our 2024 Fretboard Summit: https://fretboardsummit.org/ If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and consider joining the Fretboard Journal's new Patreon page. Subscribe to the Fretboard Journal and get our new 53rd edition: https://shop.fretboardjournal.com/products/fretboard-journal-annual-subscription Our podcast is sponsored by Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar, Peghead Nation (use the promo code FRETBOARD and get your first month free or $20 off any annual subscription); and Stringjoy Strings(get 10% off your order with the FRETBOARD discount code). This episode is also sponsored by iZotope. Use the discount code FRET10 to save 10% off off your Izotope order.
More episodes of the podcast The Fretboard Journal Guitar Podcast
Podcast 526: Love of Fuzz's TJ Hiemel
21/11/2025
Podcast 525: Paul Asbell
14/11/2025
Podcast 524: Paul Burch
07/11/2025
Podcast 523: Grateful Shred's Dan Horne
05/11/2025
Podcast 521: Paul Rigby
17/10/2025
Podcast 520: Ben Garnett
10/10/2025
Podcast 519: Vilray
04/10/2025
Podcast 518: Courtney Hartman Returns
30/09/2025
Podcast 517: Jacob Cole
26/09/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.