Some west coast steelers.............long forgotten

[Deke Dickerson]

How about Joy Ann Farmer? Very cute young female steel guitar player up in the San Joaquin Valley during the 1950's. Anybody ever heard of her? Any idea what ever happened to her? I have a great picture of her but I can't get the "upload picture" function to work.

Deke

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[Jussi Huhtakangas]

Then of course there was Tommy Varner who was Billy Jack Wills' steel man before Vance. He also thought another local ( Stockton, CA )young kid, Eddie Gabbard some licks. Eddie played a lot with various bands around San Joaquin valley in the late 40's/early 50's, including Jack Thornhill & His Royal Texans. Eddie joined the air force in the early 50's and played mostly with the army base bands after that. Incidentally Mitch, Curley Cochran was Eddie's favorite steel player around then. I have a picture of Curley and two other guys in a club behind Curley's Bigsby steel, don't know how to upload it here, but I'd be happy to email it to someone who does.

Edit: Ha, now I know how to upload'em pics, thanks Mitch, so here:

[Mitch Drumm]

Good job, Jussi!

That's Curly on the left, I would guess?

All those pictures in the background remind me of the 23 Club. I wonder where the picture was taken and how you got your hands on it?

Has that Bigsby been tracked down or is it lost?

Deke:

Are you referring to Jo Ann Ford? This may be the same picture you refer to:

[Jussi Huhtakangas]

I have no idea where that pic of Curley was taken or who are the other two guys. It could've been Mike Black who emailed it to me long ago.

[Ray Harrison]

Down in San diego there were a few worth mentioning, like Wayne Galey, Clyde Hayes, Skip Thomas and Ray Ferguson. Each and every one of them was just too friendly with the bottle. All great players though.
Clyde used to take a 15 minute break and be gone for three weeks...

[Jim Sliff]

HowardR - just saw your post. I agree, the early "Sweethearts", when they were doing the "pizza circuit", McCabes, the Sweetwater and other local haunts were incredible - what was really funny to me was the band, some of whom I went to school with, like JB. J.B. Crabtree was pretty much under the radar, I think, among steel players are hardcore country folks, as he started as a rock guitar player and his steel influences were Sneaky and Buddy Cage; but the dud was unreal - we had jams in patios at the Stand (right on the beach) playing surf tunes with him on steel and me on electric mando! But anyway - the Sweethearts drummer was later in Blue Cheer, one of the loudest rock bands on the planet, and one of their bass players ended up as part of Ambrosia - sort of an artificial-sweetener version of Yes (lightweight prog-rock...but with a wonderful guitar player, Dave Pack).

Vince was out here playing with Byron Berline when he met Janice, and then they both went the (IMO) overproduced commercial route. Made tons of money, but the music just wasn't the same (personally, I think the same of vince - he was far better as a bluegrasser and sideman guitar player than as a slick country frontman, but obviously the public disagrees and buys whatever is "packaged" nicely.

But to get back on track - JB was the first dobro player I ever heard, and the reason I played dobro. I really feel terrible I'd lost touch with him over the last 10 years or so. He had SO many major opportunities as well, but was content being a local guy. And he was scary-good. Not just a "good steel player" - he could cop country guitar parts, Hendrix riffs, horn lines (playing like a full horn section using distortion and an incredible touch).

And he looked like a shorter version of Carrot Top.

[Ray Montee (RIP)]

Some really great and informative posts here. Most enjoyable to one who has, over the years, heard various names mentioned but had no way to connect them to events or places. THANK YOU!

The old Columbia Record group headed by Curley Willaims, did early steel instrumentals like "Bar-B-Q Rag" and "Saturday Night Rag"........ WHO was that steel player?

About the same time, "DRAGGIN' the STEEL" came out and was a short-time instrumental hit! Anyone remember who recorded that?

[Billy Tonnesen]

Ray:
I think possibly that "Draggin the Steel" was recorded by Tommy Sargeant. (could be wrong ! my memory is not as good as it used to be).

Regards: Billy T.

[Mitch Drumm]

Ray:

Yes, "Draggin' The Steel" was originally done by Jack Rivers, with Tommy Sargent on steel.

Curly Williams steel player was Boots Harris. I think this is Boots with Bobby Atcheson. What brand steel is that?

[Michael Lee Allen]

DELETED

[Billy Tonnesen]

I can't remember the exact year, but Curly Williams and his band did come out to the West Coast at one time. I remember them playing at the "Skylite" in Compton, Ca. I got to meet Boots Harris and remember him playing the steel tune "Roadside Rag". Also Curly had a terrific lead guitar player but his name escapes me. It was an excellent band.

[Jerry Hayes R.I.P.]

Billy, you mentioning the "Skylite" in Compton brought back memories of another steeler you might remember. For about a year around 1969 or '70 I took a job at the Skylite on Sunday afternoon and Monday night with a fiddle player named Johnny Rives (prounounced Reeves) who's wife was also one of the waitresses there.

I remember we had Crazy Ray Johnson on drums, Marie Laswell on bass, Johnny on Fiddle, me on lead guitar, and our steel guitar player was a nice guy named J.L. Jenkins. J.L. had at one point been the steel guitarist for the Johnny Lee Wills band. He played a double 8 Fender steel with no pedals standing up. I asked him once if he'd ever played a pedal steel and his answer was always "To me, pedal steel ain't true steel!"..... It was fun working with him as from his time with the Wills band he was into playing parts and he, Johnnie, & I had some nice arrangements going.

In my regular band at the Swizzle Stik in Huntington Beach, we were more or less a rock band so this break on Sunday and Monday was wonderful getting to play "real" music. Johnny was used to playing in horn bands and was well versed in playing in sharps and flats as was J.L. I remember that we played "Maiden's Prayer" in Eb... Can you imagine that? Johnny loved it. J.L. and I did a twin thing on "Perdido" which was a swinger........JH in Va.

[Billy Tonnesen]

Jerry:
When I was a middle teenager in the Mid 40's J.L. Jenkins, playing steel guitar came here from Oklahoma with the Merle Lindsay Band. They played at a dance hall in Compton called the "Lighthouse" which was later remodeled and became the "Town Hall Party". It was during Summer Vacation from High School and Merle Lindsay had a daily radio program from a L.A. Downtown hotel of Figuerora St. I would catch the Bus and Street Car and go downtown to watch their radio broadcast. It was open to the public. Years later when I was playing at Walt's Club in Southgate, a woman came up to me and asked if I remembered J.L. Jenkins, and that she was his widow. I think he spent his last years and died in So. Calif. As I remember the guitar player in Merle Lindsay's was the one who wrote "Water Baby Boogie". I think his first name was "Freddie".

[Richard Sinkler]

To add from the Bay area, although not necessarily forgotten:
Dave Robbins
Dave Ristrim
Carlos Claveria
Gary Chiapetta (Sp?)
Ned Selfe
Mike McKimmey
Steve French
Myself

[Ron Whitfield]

The only bummer is that there needs to be music posted of all these great steelers getting mentioned.

What a lucky bunch that got to hear and even know these now mostly forgotten steelers. Where's my way-back machine?

Only thing I can offer is that is obviously a '39 National Console in the last pic above. A steel I've long coveted, but for the tight string spacing.

[Al Risbeck]

[Spoke to Al Parrett 6 mos. ago]
Mike I sent you an email about Al

[Gary Walker]

Wayne Burdick, wow, I remember hearing him from Knott's Berry Farm Bluebird Theater with Tex Williams, a very long time ago. I still have an old Bigsby Brochure with a picture of his steel.

[Bill Bailey]

Does anyone remember Joe Byers who played a lot at the 101 club in Oceanside Calif around the late 50's early 60's? He was a good friend of mine I met in Ft Collins Colorado around 1974. He played Chalker and real fast swing style. He also played for a lot of the west coast stars such as Rose Maddox. He played E9th but IMHO his heart was not in it. Joe passed on a many years ago. Sorry to hear of the death of Barney Horn I remember him from Reno and saw him at Sams Town selling western clothes. He came to Kingman one week and played at a club called the Sundowner. I also remember Duane Brown and Jimmy Youngblood.
Bill Bailey

[Lee Jeffriess]

Also, there is Al Gordon who was the last steel player to be with Caravan at the Bostonian Ballroom.
Al lives near me now in Palm Springs and we have talked on the phone a couple of times.
He told me the lineage of the Caravan steel men.
Joaquin Al Petty Sneaky Pete then finally AL.
Billy he was probably standing next to you at Cowtown watching Boggs.
Lee
PS any of you guys know Ray Myers?

[Herb Steiner]

Besides wanting to drag up an old thread that I really enjoyed, I pulled out some of my old gig books from 1970-72 and reminisced over some great days.

Especially fond in my memory was the many times filling in for Noel Boggs with Doye O'Dell's band at the Mustang Room on Alvarado, across from MacArthur Park. Noel would occasionally have to go up to NV with Jimmy Wakely, and Doye would call me to sub. Ted Lessler usually played drums, and I can't recall the bassist.

Jason? Doyle O'Dell's band, Mustang Room, 1970...
personnel, please.

Noel would also occasionally do casuals with Hal Southern and some of his players, as well. They played at a few record company parties that I attended, and even in those days, I was the only one paying any attention to the band.

[Kenny Foy]

FRANK ARNETT---- Hope I'm not wrong here and hope he hasn't been mentioned.

[Louis Armentaro]

Noticed stories about west coast steelers. On that double row of pedal bars and pedals, my understanding is that Chuck Wright, who built the Sierra steel guitar, built that double deck row pedals on one of his custom steel guitars. Tom Bradshaw built the Brads Rack for some of the steel guitars for Chuck, if you wanted the rack instead of the four legs. I had Chuck build me a twin twelve with ten floor pedals and six knee levers in 1970. I had him build it with the Brads Rack instead of the legs. A wonderful guitar and a wonderful Rack built by Tom Bradshaw. Regards from Louis Armentaro from Livingston, Montana.. lousteeler2@msn.com

[Mike Poholsky]

Great thread! Lots of steel playing happening out west. Duane, I always loved Ernie Hagars playing with Commander Cody. I only have one CC&LPA record with Ernie on it. Very cool style. I can't remember the name of the album, but it had Hawaii Blues, My Window Faces the South on it. I also have his solo record, Steel Guitar Odessy. ?? I think that was it. Is there more than one Commander Cody record with Ernie on it? Man, you guys are lucky. Sounds to me, like it was a pretty good time out there for steel guitar.

[David Wright]

A name I haven't sceen is Chuck Wright, he not only built steel, but played them too follow the link to you~tube,
I put together some pictures and the music is My Dad when he was with Jimmy Rivers Band in the Bay... Vance took over his place when we mover to Red

Bluff, Ca,,,


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKG0oL8L3bg

[David Wright]