“#Superbowl #BabyFace Really? guitar upside down? Nice playing dude!” That was a tweet sent out after Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds’ performance of “America the Beautiful” at Super Bowl 2023. Did you notice it?
Why was Babyface playing his guitar upside down?
Some left-handed guitarists learn to play upside down and others choose to restring their instrument to accommodate their southpaws.
Guitarworld.com has created a list of famous left-handed guitarists. They stated, “left-handed guitar players have never had as wide a range of quality instruments available, so they’ve often had to overcome substandard gear to make great sounds.”
Two well-known guitar players that famously turned their guitars over are Kurt Cobain who played an upside-down guitar during Nirvana’s 1993 MTV Unplugged performance. Jimi Hendrix would do the same. Hendrix would also restring standard right-handed Fender Stratocasters.
Edmonds Resume:
Edmonds is known for his work as a producer, a writer, and a singer. He’s managed to achieve 26 No. 1 R&B hits along with 12 Grammy Awards.
Edmonds resumé includes hits with Whitney Houston, TLC, LL Cool J, Chaka Khan, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Toni Braxton and Aretha Franklin. Additionally, he produced Clapton’s Change Your World.
Famous Left-Handers:
There is a 26 percent chance of left-handedness in a child if both of the parents are left-handed although 10% of the world’s population are lefties. August 13 is international left-handers’ day. Guitars, notebooks, scissors, and even desks in schools are mostly designed for right-handed people.
Some recent former presidents are left-handed. Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, James Garfield, Harry Truman and Gerald Ford, all are “mollydookers”.
Also, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are left-handed. Babe Ruth, Bill Russell, Oscar De La Hoya and Phil Mickelson are also lefties. Mickelson is even nicknamed “Lefty”. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr, Oprah Winfrey and Eminem are “katy-handed”.