Fred Bernardo aka the SmokinGuitarPlayer's story. In the early 1970's I was playing a gig with my band at a local bar and the "music reviewer" from the local newspaper, the Reading Eagle, was in the room and the next day he wrote something like " the band featured that smoking guitar player, Fred Bernardo, who was tearing it up with his usual assortment of tasty licks. I remember the wording because it's probably the most flattering review I ever got for sure ... more typically these types of reviews of my playing went something like "HE PLAYS TOO F-ING LOUD" but I digress ...In 1972 I came off the road with the UPROAR band and, frustrated that no local music store had the gear that was being used by professionals, I founded Fred's Music Shop in an 800 sq foot storefront on North Ninth Street in Reading, PA. ... 13 years later we moved the operation to a converted house in Shillington PA where I did business for the next 35 years.  In 2007 I decided to open a store selling barbecue cooking equipment next to my music/guitar store and it became "Tasty Licks BBQ" and since I was selling smokers, the SmokinGuitarPlayer moniker was born. I retired from business life in 2017 and now pursue my passions / hobbies/ and other things. I shoot sporting clays, cook, make stuff and once in a while play the guitar, and especially enjoy spending time with my wonder wife Dee Dee. .So that's the story. ...enjoy the website