Wayne Gailey article in Fretboard Journal

[Andy Volk]

I had never heard of Wayne Gailey, the late pedal steeler from Albuquerque, NM until reading the latest issue of FJ (#39). There's an interesting article on Wayne and the fate of his guitars. Apparently he was a player who made a big impression on his peers and on audiences and who could have had a bigger career had that been fated.

Here's what he sounded like ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=617pXI-PoJg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e-aB_go1LE

[Storm Rosson]

I knew Wayne personally when I lived in ABQ. so unless this is about "Wayne Jr." you are mistaken as to when Wayne passed away. I was in ABQ. then hanging out with Wayne, Nestor and the "Swamproots" band. Wayne passed away while he and the rest of Swamproots were backing Kenny Vernon in Las Vegas or Reno in 1977 or 78,and he was indeed an incredible steel player and great guy in general. Stormy

[Andy Volk]

I misread the son's obit as Wayne's. Fixed the original post.

[Joe Goldmark]

Man, what a picker! That ain't hardly fair (Ole Slewfoot).

[Storm Rosson]

Andy now I'm confused,are you saying that Wayne Jr is passed also? Stormy...damn I hope not ,that would be very sad. You got that right Joel, wayne-o was freakin awesome.

[Bobby Boggs]

I only met Wayne once in 70 or 71. I had never even heard of him. So I was blown away. The youtube up-loader list Slew Foot as a 1962 cut. But to me it sounds more late 60's. Anyone know for sure. Thanks in advance.

b.

[Andy Volk]

Storm, the FJ article says that last Summer Wayne Jr. shot his wife and then himself. Sad ending to the story. But getting back to music, you can tell he was a formidable pedal player - on Slew Foot, he sounds like Ralph Mooney on fast forward!

[Storm Rosson]

Thanks for the info Andy, damn sad ending. Andy , I sent you a PM...Stormy

[George Duncan Sypert]

I bought the book, read the artice. Lots of miss information in that article. His fender steel was never a 2000. He had modified it with fender parts to be a 10 string, added the pickups. Added knee levers that he made, I never saw that guitar when it was green. He was always working on that guitar. At one point he had the D# & f# notes behind the low B string but soon moved them. His outside top note was D#.

His Baldwin guitar was and is a double 10.

I really did not like the article very much because it was not reflective of the way it was. I first met Wayne in 1962 playing behind Rose Maddox. Loved the man and his talent which cannot be described in words.

George

[Storm Rosson]

I agree totally about Wayne's talent, indescribable would be close, thanks for the guitar info.I only knew of the Baldwin as that's all he played in the 2 or so years I knew him.I think it was a crossover too, although I don't know if he had that hooked up. Stormy

[George Duncan Sypert]

Another word or two on Wayne Gailey, Sr. I just got off the phone with Kenny Vernon who was quoted in several places in the Article and at times not as stated. Kenny never worked for or played with Paul Harper. Gailey had just quit Paul Harper when Kenny hired him to play in his band and he did so for a long time. I was at the Navajo Hogan to see Vernon the first week that Gailey played with Vernon in Colorado Springs. He may have started with the Vernon band at some point before arriving in the Springs. The guitar in the Harper picture was the guitar Wayne was playing that night, most definitely not a Fender 2000.

Kenny Vernon was interviewed for this artice but did not write it. I have no idea nor does Kenny as to when the Fender guitar became that ugly green if it is in fact the same guitar. The last time I saw it when Wayne was playing it was right before he acquired the Sho-bud Baldwin and it was still the original paint.

Also Mike Castleberry told me that he was misquoted as well. I think he only saw Wayne play one time and at the time that he was was more interested in guitar playing than steel.

In my opinion it was totally unnecessary to make a reference to Wayne Gailey Jr's demise. I don't see that this had anything to do with Wayne Sr or his extreme talent.

[Jack Aldrich]

I met Wayne at McCabes in 1977 when Rose Maddox picked him to play on her "Live At McCabes" album. He was originally from Bakersfield and hung out with Mooney and some of the other West Coast steelers. He often played with a flat pick and finger picks on his middle and ring fingers. He was lightning fast. He'd moved to Albuquerque to get out of the rat race and away from pushers. I was very impressed by Wayne. He gave me quite a few tips, btw.

[Jack Aldrich]

btw, Wayne was playing a D10 Shobud Pro III when I saw him.

[Paul McEvoy]

unfortunately the youtube links are dead.

[Roy McKinney]

I grew up with Wayne in Riverside County, CA. He was not from Bakersfield. He lived in Corona, CA when he left and went to work with Paul Harper in San Diego. Don't remember the year for sure, but it was around 1959. In those earlier years he hung around with a guitar player named Gary Wilson (played Chet Akins style) , also from Corona. When they were teen-agers they would hang out in the desert and play their guitars. Wayne's first pedal steel was basically a home-made. I don't remember if it was a 3 neck or a 2 neck, but he put the hardware for a multi-chord on the middle neck. He also had a custom made one of a kind Standel amp in those early years.

[Andy Volk]

Here's an alternate link to Slew Foot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1opKluCKpxY

[Jay Dee Maness]

Wayne Galley did live in Corona Ca when I met him, I was a young wanna be at the time. He showed me the intro to Night Life back then. Wayne`s brother Lynn, was a hell of a guitar player who I was lucky enough to play with.

[Paul McEvoy]

Here's an alternate link to Slew Foot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1opKluCKpxY

That’s cool, sounds like electric banjo over the real banjo.