RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — For a self-taught guitar player, Lou Wilson has come a long way.

''I pick a little bit,'' Wilson said. ''It's mostly for my own amusement.''

And now it's for a wider audience.

With son David, the 78-year-old Navy combat veteran from Richmond recently performed at the 2007 National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in St. Louis.

''I love bluegrass, I love good country music, and I love good classical stuff,'' Wilson said in an interview from the festival.

The event showcased the talents of about 150 American veterans who participated in yearlong competitions in music, dance, drama, art and creative writing to earn a place in St. Louis.

It ended Oct. 28 with an art exhibit and a professionally directed stage show, complete with live orchestral accompaniment in a 1,600-seat performing-arts center. The show will be rebroadcast on public television.

''They cheered and stamped their feet,'' Wilson said of the audience's reaction. ''It really was a good show.''

But for the veterans who put it on, ''it's work — one thing after another. It's a time-consuming, rather arduous process.''

Wilson knows what he's talking about. He and his son, a Navy veteran who works as a professional musician, are no strangers to the national festival.

''This is my seventh show and David's third,'' he said.

Playing with his father is a wonderful experience, David Wilson said. ''We don't get a chance to do that much,'' he said, ''and when we do it's a real blast.

''I'm very fortunate to have a father like mine,'' said the younger Wilson, who lives in Seymour, Tenn.

The competition is open to former armed-services members who receive care at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities.

Veterans hospitals and clinics have found they can use the arts to help veterans recover from physical and emotional disabilities.