Sidney Katz succeeded Hank Kuhrmeyer as president of Kay in 1955, and his first order of business was to elevate Kay’s budget-brand reputation. To that end, he enlisted jazz guitarist Barney Kessel to endorse not just one but three Kay models.

A Charlie Christian disciple, Kessel had made a name for himself in the Oscar Peterson trio and had just been featured prominently on Julie London’s torchy 1955 pop hit “Cry Me a River”.

The Artist was the middle model of Kessel’s three Kay signature guitars, between the small, soundhole-less Pro and the fancier Special. All three featured what vintage guitar buffs today refer to as the “Kelvinator” peghead, nicknamed because it brings to mind 1950s-style appliances.

The Kessel models were a high-water mark for Kay, and the company reverted to budget-brand status in 1960 when Kessel moved his endorsement to Gibson. Kessel’s career continued to rise, as he became a first-call studio musician, but Kay did not make it through the 1960s.