Guitarist writes his life's song

It's easy to jump to conclusions about Jeremiah Maxey.

Watch him walk onto a stage and set down a guitar with his one arm and you're sure he's some sort of roadie setting up for the talent.

Then he sits down and starts to play and you realize he IS the talent.

He holds a pick between the third and fourth fingers of his left hand to strum the strings — he has no index finger on his withered left hand — and he uses all that's left of his right arm, a stump cut off at the elbow, to flatten out bar chords down on the frets.

At first, you focus your attention on how he's doing what he's doing.

But after about half a song, you forget all that and just enjoy the music.

The one-armed guitar player isn't just good, he's scary good.

"I wish I could play as well as he can. Most people wish that," says Glenn Maxey, Jeremiah's father and an accomplished guitar player in his own right.

It was Glenn who inspired his son to play in the first place. Fifteen years ago, when Jeremiah and his twin sister, Danelle, were 10, Glenn decided to teach Danelle guitar in her room.

Outside sat Jeremiah, sulking.

"I sat at the door and listened," Jeremiah said. "Just that he was trying to teach my twin something that I didn't know how to do made me insane."

So Glenn, who for the most obvious of reasons hadn't included his son in the instruction, started teaching Jeremiah, too.

He consulted a friend and professional musician regarding how it might be possible for his one-armed son to play an instrument meant for two arms.

The friend told him about open tuning — a way to tune the guitar so the one good arm could take care of the strumming and whatever is left of the other arm could flatten out bar chords.

It was all Jeremiah needed. After that, "Every day I'd come home from school and lock myself in my room for hours, just trying to figure it out."

Such behavior wasn't a surprise. Ever since he was born with a blood condition that threatened not just his arms but his life, Jeremiah had exhibited extraordinary determination and persistence.

"With Jeremiah, it has always been a matter of just figuring out how," says Glenn.