Stonebridge Guitars International founder, Roger Schmidt, was born and raised in the Laurention Mountain area of Quebec, Canada. When Roger was 10 years old, he got hold of his first instrument, which was purchased at a junk shop for $1.50. Somehow, he managed to fix it up enough to make it playable and he was determined then and there that he would teach himself to play. There were no music teachers anywhere close, so along with a Mel Bay “Learn to Play Guitar” book, and a couple of records of Chet Atkins and John Williams, he persisted on his own. Later on, Bruce Cockburn, would become one of his strongest influences, and from there, a host of great fingerstyle players have had an impact on his playing and composing styles.

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