INSTRUMENTAL INFLUENCE

A generic white business card with Arial black text. Printed in the center, it reads, "John Dougherty. Jazz Guitar," followed by two phone numbers.

The rest remains empty, unadorned.

But while his card may be nearly blank, his resume is anything but.

Among the world's fastest guitarists during the '70s and '80s as well as the inventor of the first stone guitar pick, John Dougherty has a lot to his name.

He's collaborated with big-name musicians such as George Benson, Ernie Watts and Kool and the Gang, for whom he wrote a portion of "Celebration." He's authored a handful of books about music theory and now dedicates his time and knowledge to teaching 88 students a week.

"It started when I was 11," says Dougherty, a Wilmington, Del., native, with white shoulder-length hair. "We first got a TV in 1955. The first thing I watched was the 'Lawrence Welk Show.' The guitarist got up and did a solo and I knew right away that I had to become a guitarist."

From there, he began studying with his first guitar teacher and once out of high school, attended Boston's prestigious Berklee College of Music.

"Going to Berklee changed my life," says Dougherty. "The information I got there allowed me to be a musician my whole life."

In 1969, he graduated, but returned in 1991 to do it again with his son Shaun, becoming the first father and son team to graduate from Berklee.

The rest of the Dougherty family is also involved in music.

His daughter Stephanie is a member of punk troupe the Dropkick Murphys as well as her own band, The Deadly Sins, and his wife, Jean, is an organist.

Since Berklee, Dougherty also has made a name for himself with his invention of the Min'd pick, the first pick made of stone.

"I had always searched for a better picking device," Dougherty says. "I used parts of hub caps. I used to flatten quarters on the train track and try to use those. Anything at all."

Over the years Dougherty had tried materials that varied from ivory to tortoise shell. It wasn't until he was visiting the home of a friend, who was an archaeologist, that he discovered a smooth stone in the shape of a guitar pick.

Eager to try it, he borrowed the rock and tried it on his own guitar. The pick was not only ideal, but improved his playing sound as well. In 1978, the Min'd pick began to be commercially marketed.

While Dougherty has the opportunity to still perform in the public eye, he prefers to play on his own and teach his students.

For 12 years he taught guitar classes at the Delaware Correctional Center to inmates from minimum to medium security. His teaching career began when he was 13 years old, showing his friends how to play.

"I enjoy every single student, and I enjoy playing with them," says Dougherty with a lively voice and frequent hand gestures. "I'm playing more at 64 than I did when I was 30."

Dougherty teaches a variety of instruments from trumpet to saxophone, although the majority of his students study the guitar or bass.

"When you walk in here you're a guitar carrier," says Dougherty. "When you sit down, you might be a guitar player. Then you become a guitarist. Then you are a musician and then an artist. I have never looked at music as entertainment. It's an art, and art is elevation of the human spirit."

His teaching, however, has extended far beyond his immediate students.

Dougherty's first book, "John Dougherty: Guitar '80 & Beyond," was published more than 21/2 decades ago. Throughout the book, he analyzes and discusses the components of harmony, musical theory and composition.

His second book, "John Dougherty: Gig Book 2008 & Beyond," is in the process of being published and lists the most important songs that every guitarist should know and play.

It's initially being issued locally and later will be sent to larger publishing companies. Dougherty also is beginning to write his third book, which will cover a comprehensive study of modern jazz.

Between playing, recording and writing, Dougherty spends nearly 10 hours a day, seven days a week dedicating his life to music.

"I still do it today for the same reason as when I first saw the Lawrence Welk Orchestra," he says with a big smile. "I have fun."