Mike Holder wrote:I had most f Mandel's records, forgot he had Pete on that cut but do remember it was the first time I heard Freddie Roulette on his Snake album on a track called Levitation...my world changed that day.
Yes, "Levitation" is a great cut and Mr. Roulette really shines. I can see why your world changed upon hearing the tune for the first time. Freddie is an original (like Harvey Mandel) and it reflects in his playing.
Location: Alabama! Home of the great “Don Helms” & his singer “Hank Williams”!
State/Province: Alabama
Country: United States
Postby Mike Holder »
Yes he is! Turns out both he & Pete were! One last word on Freddie as I don't want to change subjects here but another must listen is The Charlie Musselwhite album " Memphis " Freddie all over it!...amazing!
I thought Nashville was the roughest, but I know I’ve said the same about them all.
I received my education, drivin through the Nation listenin to Paul!.. ( Franklin that is! )
Pete Drake was a very important part of my life and career. Pete produce the first number 1 record I played on. He thought me a lot about making records. He and I would spend hours in his studio "Pete's Place" after working hours. We would take turns playing on something he had produced and a lot of times I played on the session originally. I would play his guitar and then he would play mine. Great Memories !!!!! Pete gave me his last talking box. I have it in my music room. I Miss You Pete !!!
That's a very cool picture. Looks like Pete's playing a double 9 Bud...Permanent, maybe...thru a Standel, with an ashtray attached under the back keyhead. Probably slid in and out like you would find on an old car. And dig that crazy pak-a-seat...
Always been a fan of Pete Drake...met him once. He told me about helicopters and dive-bombers...the names he gave to his licks.
How about something from the Pete Drake archives? Bet you haven't heard this one before. I listened to this man play steel guitar my whole life and never confirmed who he was until my mother passed away...
this thread is great proof that Pete did a lot more than just "dive bombers"
his playing on Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline, and Self Portrait was some of my first exposure to pedal steel. and his instrumental "Pleading" was the first song I really sat and learned.
it's been reported that Pete would come up with specific lever changes for any given record he played on, in order to give it a unique sound. how many players would go that extra mile?
I think Pete Drake was a genius on steel if there ever was one. Pete became extremely popular with producers in Nashville as country music moved out of the Honky Tonk realm into Pop Country Crossover when steels and fiddles took a back seat and strings took the lead parts.
Pete somehow knew how to throw in very embellishing steel licks on songs that other players couldn't come up with unless they could take an entire 20-30 second lead break. The King of Honky Tonk George Jones was the leader of the pack in the new Pop Country and Billy Sherrill would not use a steel player unless it was Pete Drake and he had good reason. Sometimes being the star of the show isn't what the producer is looking for. Pete taught the world the pedal steel doesn't have to be in a box labeled Honky Tonk although he did play on the greatest honky tonk hits ever recorded. R.I.P Pete Drake. Your cool licks put food on my table too.
scott murray wrote:
the 100 dollar bill story is a good one but I think Buddy claimed it never happened. Buddy also said he came up with the "talking" steel guitar effect but had no use for it. Pete took it and ran.
I'm the one that originally posted that story so let me explain some things. I wasn't there so I'm not swearing to anything but that story was told to me by Walter Haynes while we were driving to Palestine, Tx. one night to play a VFW hall. Just him and I in the car and I was driving. Walter played steel and fiddle in my band for the last ten years of his life after he left Nashville and moved to East Texas with his wife Cindy. Walter passed away in 2009 and I was a pallbearer at his funeral. The 10 years I worked with Walter I never caught him in a lie and being that Buddy Emmons was one of his best friends and picked out all of Walter's steel guitars till he died I see no reason for Walter to lie about it. It really doesn't matter because they were all friends and all equally great. Walter told me they all had a mutual admiration for each other. If they weren't all buddies back then they would not have been doing sessions in Nashville. It was a close family community in the 50's and 60's in Nashville but not anymore. Now a few more details. According to Walter this happened when he was producing for Owen Bradley on the Decca label. Walter had quit Jimmy Dickens and got Buddy who was still pretty much a kid to take his place. Walter was the first in Nashville to open the doors of session work to Buddy but this happened before Buddy became a regular first call session player. He was pretty much unknown at the time but Pete and Walter knew who he was and knew he was gonna be Nashville's new session player shortly. They both thought Buddy hung the moon. So Walter said after a session one night they thought they would go check Buddy out at a club he was playing close to Nashville. Owen Bradley was only using Pete Drake on steel at the time and Walter played steel on some of Decca's records too. You know the rest of the story but it happened before Ray Price and Buddy doing sessions in Nashville. Of course Pete Drake was making more money back then. Buddy soon caught up with the rest of the boys.
