What kind of member are you? (Check as many as apply.)

Collector, Fan, Dealer

What would you like to tell us about yourself, your collecting, or business.

My personal favorites are musicians, mostly classic rockers, and a few country stars that I have met or somehow gotten close to over the years, such as Garth Brooks, Bill Monroe, and Ricky Skaggs, and actors that I love to watch in movies or on TV, or have worked with in movies.

What is your level of expertise?

Long Time Lover

Why do you want to join Autograph Live?

I love autographs and just found out about you. I think what you do is so generous and would like to get involved with you and maybe be able to help other people also. I have quite a large collection and got most of the signatures myself, in person, so I know they are authentic. I've been a drummer for 48 years and a movie extra for 35 years. I also did dignitary protection for 11 years.

Who can we thank for telling you about us?

My wife, Christi Dickerson

What are your areas of interest?

History/Politics, Modern Hollywood and Stage, Classic Hollywood and Stage, Music

Why do you collect?

I'm not exactly sure. Some are from the memory of the moment. Such as Merle Haggard. He came to see me play one time in Vegas when I was playing with the Judy Lynn show at the Golden Nugget in 1975 or 6. I met him at Benny Binion's Horeshoe across the street from the Nugget a couple of hours before the show and he was playing baccarat alone at a table. I sat down next to him and started playing and after a few minutes I said "eat are you doing here?" And he said "I'm just killing time, I'm going to go see Judy Lynn play across the street." I gotta tell you, that was a thrill for me to know that Merle was coming to see me play instead of the other way around. I know he really wasn't coming to see me but Judy. But he was going to see me as well. Also my Ali I told you about earlier was a real awesome moment, and also, Bill Murray, from the movies "Stripes" which I worked on as an extra. I was with Bill every day for 3 weeks and when he signed an auto graph for me I said "act like you like me and he wrote "Gary, you're a total professional, Bill Murray". That's one I would never sell for any amount of money.

What is your favorite autograph in your collection?

I would say Muhammad Ali. I worked as a bodyguard for him and Ken Norton in 1997 during the Ali Cup. I was with the both of them for, I think, 4 or 5 days during the event in Louisville, Ky. He was so awesome and genuine and he kissed me on my right cheek. I'll never forget that moment. I also have a Ronald Reagan that I like quite a bit. It's on his calling card which I obtained from a man who worked for the White House. He worked closely with Reagan during his campaign for the White House and showed me a lot of candid photos with himself and Reagan sitting around in short sleeve shirts, drinking iced tea, and had many photos such as this of them together of them and you could tell it was different days, so I have no reason to doubt that the signature is authentic. He also gave me some other items from the White House that weren't signatures, but a signature pen and an unused inauguration ticket. I escorted this man and his group to the Kentucky Derby and we just hit it off and he invited me to his house to meet his family and he brought these items out of a room upstairs and gave them to me as gifts. At first I wasn't sure about the man, although he was very nice, but had been telling me stories of how he helped Reagan become president, but I went to see him at his office (he is an attorney in Louisville) and that's where I saw all of the candid photos of him and Reagan and they were obviously taken at different times and he had quite a few.

You can ask anyone living or dead for their autograph. Who would it be?

That is a great question and to give you the absolute correct answer would take me hours of thought. But the first person that came to my mind was Jesus. But if you're talking about in my lifetime, I think Jimi Hendrix would be awesome.