Published: January 26, 2008 08:08 am      

Charm, talent send youngster to stardom

Danie M. Huffman

wdreporter2@yahoo.com

When you first meet Matt “Mojo” Tedder, you’ll probably think, “what a charming young man.”

He has manners, is polite, holds open doors for ladies and smiles as he looks you in the eyes and genuinely thanks you. Then you hear him play.

Your second thought is “Wow! How can a 12-year-old play advanced beyond his years?”

The preteen plays as if he’s perfected his craft for decades.

His first guitar teacher, John Dennie, gave him the nickname Mojo.

The term Mojo has been translated as life-force, magic charm or soul.

If that’s true, then Mojo fits Matt. His guitar playing is the magic which charms his listeners into awe as they hear him play.

“[John Dennie] invited me to play at a restaurant, and when he introduced me, he called me by that name,” Mojo said. “And it stuck.”

He began playing just before his eighth birthday, but admits he wanted to play piano at first rather than the guitar.

A few years ago, Mojo and his younger sister were playing hide-n-seek. They discovered a guitar under their parents bed.

“She took it out and opened up the case,” Mojo said, remembering how fascinated he was with every part of the guitar.

His sister took her first guitar lesson before Mojo began his. He said he cried all the way home.

He finally got to take his first lesson at age 8 and said, “I never touched a key after that.”

He said it was hard, but he has always been one who is up for a challenge.

His favorite genre of music is the blues.

“[With blues], you get more leads to play in the middle of the song,” he said. “And I like the beat of it.”

Today, he plays equivalent to the beginning sounds of Stevie Ray Vaughn and BB King.

A favorite guitar instructor, John Nitzinger, was the lead guitarist for Alice Cooper.

Nitzinger taught Mojo the tricks of the trade and helped him develop his gift.

“He asked me to play at his wedding,” Mojo said of Nitzinger. “I really felt good then. I really like to play in front of people.”

During the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration last week, Mojo played in the talent portion of the evening. Once the emcee introduced Mojo, he strolled on stage as the crowd looked at the pint-sized version of a guitar player.

He plugged up and began to play. The crowd sat on the edge of their seats bewildered at the sounds coming from the 12-year-old.

Mojo is used to that reaction. He gets it often from people who hear him play at weddings, restaurants and clubs.

As one would only guess, Mojo’s mentors and heroes are BB King and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Mojo has met King twice and said it was a highlight for him.

King was playing at a concert at Bass Hall in Fort Worth.

His father, Charles Tedder, purchased tickets for $75 each.

Mojo was thrilled when he knew he would see King perform live.

He was granted the opportunity to play at McDavid Hall with his instructor, Nitzinger, April 4, 2006.

After meeting the manager of Bass Hall, Mojo got a phone call a few days later saying he had seats close to the stage.

“I got to meet [BB King] backstage,” he said. “I cried my way in. I told the guard at the door I was Mojo, and he came back and said ‘you’re a winner.’”

BB was sitting in a chair in his dressing room.

Mojo stood in amazement as he watched his mentor gaze at him.

“It was his birthday” Mojo said. “And he autographed my notebook for me.”

The next time Mojo got to meet King, the pair took on about a 30-minute conversation about music, education, guitars and school.

“He was a really nice guy,” Mojo said.

During King’s concert, Mojo said his favorite song was “Paying the cost to be the Boss.”

“Because I like the upbeat shuffle,” Mojo said of the song. “His guitar playing is so good. I didn’t get to play with him. I think the next time I get to meet him, I want to play for him. I’d love to play with him.”

His favorite part of performing is when he gets introduced.

“I walk up and they start clapping,” he said. “When I get to playing, the audience starts to clap because I know they like my music. That’s a good feeling.”

During the MLK Jr. Celebration, Mojo was the only performer to receive a standing ovation.

His mother, Hatice, said she knows her son is talented.

“I get so much feedback from people who say he’s going to do so good,” she said. “People tell me how extremely talented he is.”

From the time he had his first lesson, she said he picked it right up.

She hopes he would be famous but has mixed feelings.

“As long as he’s happy with it,” she said. “He’s bashful, but when he gets on stage, he loves to play for crowds. He just doesn’t get stage fright. Not even when he first started performing.”

His father, Charles, said he is amazed every time he hears Mojo play.

“He’s always coming up with something new and injects it into his style,” Charles said.

Charles was grateful to King for the way he treated Mojo when they met.

“He was a gentleman to my son,” he said. “I’ll be one of his fans forever. It was a wonderful experience for both of us. He spoke to him as a loving grandfather.”

Although he’s not certain what the future holds for him, he knows he wants to hit the big time.

Keep playing Mojo, you’re half-way there.