 On January 28 , 1956 , Ely watched Elvis Presley on television for the first time , and he decided that he wanted to play guitar . At his first guitar lesson , he was required to play " Mary Had a Little Lamb " , an experience that Ely found so demeaning that he quit after that lesson and began picking out his favorite guitar riffs by ear . Ely played guitar and sang for the Young Oregonians , a travelling vaudeville show for entertainers under the age of 18 . " We didn 't get paid in money , we got paid in experience , " Ely recalled . 
