“I’ve gone from a kid who couldn’t go to the supermarket to playing with Buddy Guy and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram”: This 16-year-old blues prodigy suffered extreme anxiety, then the guitar saved him – now he’s been called “the next Stevie Ray Vaughan”

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, independent UK gear retailer guitarguitar has launched a new campaign that shines the spotlight on 20 guitar players who all have one thing in common: the guitar changed their life. It has been launched with a ‘Guitar Heroes’ photo series headed up by renowned music photographer Aaron Parsons, who has snapped the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Taylor Swift and the Red Hot Chili Peppers throughout his career. The campaign sees players from all age brackets and demographics from across the UK share their tales of overcoming grief, adversity, viral fame and more, which all have the guitar at their heart.

A standout anecdote comes from 16-year-old Rhys John Stygal – a London-based prodigy who, as a result of his autism, once suffered extreme anxiety and isolation, before the guitar completely changed his life. Now, Stygal – who once was unable to leave his house with his mother – has a huge online following, and has transformed from a young teenager who couldn’t even go to the supermarket, to an up-and-coming guitar hero who regularly plays to crowds of up to 2,500 people. Not only that, he’s managed to impress some of the biggest names in blues during his journey, and has performed alongside the likes of Buddy Guy and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram.

In guitarguitar’s campaign, Stygal credits the guitar with helping him find his place and understand his purpose, and giving him the confidence to stand up and communicate with thousands .