Surprise! Award-winning busker gifted guitar by Steve’s Music Store after instrument stolen

With the help of Breakfast Television and CityNews, a Juno-award winning musician who lost his prized guitar after a day of busking has been given a brand new instrument so he can continue to entertain commuters on the TTC.

At the beginning of this week, Roger Ellis had been devastated to learn his treasured guitar had gone missing after accidentally leaving it in the Fairview Mall parking lot.

But after seeing Ellis on BT on Thursday morning, Kevin Parker of Steve’s Music Store offered to donate a guitar of Roger’s choosing to help him get back to doing what he loves.

He told CityNews earlier this week that preforming is an integral part of his life and who he is.

“Music is very very important to me. It keeps my mental health in check. It’s vital. If you’re a musician, you gotta play,” he said.

On Friday, while picking out his new guitar, Ellis said he has been “blown away” by all the support.

His daughter Rebecca said she has been humbled by this experience.

“It’s renewed my sense of community. When I put it out there, the only intention was bringing the guitar home, but what I was given was love, support, encouragement, condolences for the loss of the guitar and that’s just amazing,” she said.  “It’s just what our city needs right now.”

Parker said, “I can’t get him his guitar back and I hope you get it back, but I can certainly help you out with a new one.”

Meanwhile, his Japanese-made Takamine guitar, which he had kept for 14 years, has still not been located.

Ellis, who is also a Juno-winning Edward Bear guitarist, had packed his gear into his car near Don Mills station on Monday, where he performs, and driven all the way home to Scarborough when he realized he had did not have his guitar.

He raced back to Fairview Mall, but his case was gone. The missing case also contained items from Ellis’ father, custom guitar picks and his TTC musician’s licence.

After contacting the TTC and mall security, his daughters issued a plea for help on Facebook in locating the “piece of history.”

“This guitar has been a lot of places,” Ellis told CityNews. “When you play guitar for a long time you develop a relationship with it. It’s like a carpenter with his tools. What am I going to do without my tools?”

Ellis also has a regular gig at a Parkdale farmers’ market and is also very active in the community — playing music for seniors at nursing homes as well as school children and dressing up as Santa during the holidays to spread joy and cheer.