Cowboy Copas

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 26 May 2002 10:29 pm

Don: The Steeler in the photo is Don Davis. He was the steeler for George Morgan and he also did some sessions for Hank Williams Sr; most notable was "My Son Calls Another Man Daddy" and "Lost Highway". The steeler for George Morgan's original cuts for "Candy Kisses" and "Please,Don't Let Me Love You"was The great Billy Robinson. In my earlier years...I gave Jerry Byrd the credit for the "Kisses" and "Please, Don't..." Hope I'm not confusing anybody.

Ray: Cowboy Copas used quite an array of steelers for his sessions and road work. You can add Howard White to that list. Howard wrote an instrumental that Buddy Emmons recorded in his early years with Dickens at WSM and I believe I can safely say it was done on the "Bigsby". The instrumental was "Border Serenade". I learned and play this instrumental to this day.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

[This message was edited by Kenny Dail on 26 May 2002 at 11:39 PM.]

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 27 May 2002 9:36 am

Kenny Dail........YOU are indeed correct. Howard had a very distinctive Hawaiian touch.
If you folks haven't read Howard's book "Every Road out of Nashville"...you should try to find an old copy. It kinda makes some of us glad that we kept our day job.

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 27 May 2002 7:16 pm

I didn't think that looked like Bob Foster in that picture either. That looks like an old Magnatone D-8 in the picture. Anybody know for sure? That is a great sounding guitar. Very mellow and rich tone on those guitars. I hear they are popular with the Hawaiian players.

Don Walters · Post by **Don Walters** » 27 May 2002 9:38 pm

Thanks Kenny. I'll update my database.

You "young" guys are a treasure, you know that?[This message was edited by Don Walters on 27 May 2002 at 10:38 PM.]

Hill Phillips · Post by **Hill Phillips** » 28 May 2002 7:07 am

It's a National D8 Just like Mine Frank.

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 28 May 2002 7:31 am

To me the steel in the photo looks like a National D8. There were a few guys playing them when I started to play and in the fifties I rebuilt one into a homemade body
for a budy, Alex Klick from Wattsburg PA later of Fairbanks, Alaska

J W Hock · Post by **J W Hock** » 28 May 2002 7:37 am

Ray, A good example of the sound I'm refering to is the steel in the original "Signed , Sealed and Delivered " . I say original because Copas rerecorded it in the early sixties . The steel in that song and many others make the " Cowboy Copas sound " . The same way for instance , that Johnny Siebert gave Carl Smith his. Or Jerry Byrd for Hank.
Could it have been Howard White ?

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 28 May 2002 8:00 am

J. W., The "Signed Sealed and Delivered" you are referring to has some awesome steel work on it. I cannot tell you who it is but...it is not Howard White. Howard plays a VERY good Jerry Byrd style. The styled used in the SSD cut would lean more toward the Billy Bowman style and/or the Don Davis style. Listen to Don Davis's style used on Hank Williams Sr.'s "Lost Highway". There is another thread on here in the archives that discusses this very subject. Someone identified the steel player but I can't seem to find it on my 'puter. You might want to try your luck...BTW, on SSD you can clearly hear the picks and strings clicking as he attacks the strings. Could this be an indication that no foot volume pedal was used????

To the person that referred to the National D-8. I have seen the opry film with Don playing this particular instrument. That is an additional clue I used to ID Don as the Steeler in the group shot earlier.

Choa...

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kd...and the beat goes on...

[This message was edited by Kenny Dail on 28 May 2002 at 09:05 AM.][This message was edited by Kenny Dail on 28 May 2002 at 09:07 AM.]

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 28 May 2002 9:29 am

Re read my post above regarding the great steel work on Signed Sealed and Delivered.

Hi Kenny,,,,,happy to see you back,,,let the Beat Go ON Forever my friend,,

Everett,,to my knowledge that song was titled "A Gypsy Told Me" I will double check and e mail you.....

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 28 May 2002 1:53 pm

Hi Jody, My best to you and the family. Still praying for the wife. Hope she is enjoying some improvement. Check your mailbox. Choa...

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kd...and the beat goes on...