Curly Chalker

Brooker Buckingham · Post by **Brooker Buckingham** » 21 Aug 2002 7:04 am

I've been reading an awful lot about Curly on the SGF. I'm sort of a newbie on the PSG, so I'm constantly learning about everything when I read what all you great people have to say.
Is there any recommendations in the way of recordings I can pick up that have Curly on them?
As far as the music I've been exposed to, I'm a honky tonk junkie. Got lots of Jones, Owens, Haggard and Price. And I'll buy anything with Jimmy Day on it! Recently been digging into stuff like Gene Watson, Mel Street. I'm 30, so I'm learning a lot about the pioneers of the steel just by poking around. It's not like I can find this stuff on the radio.
Anyhow, I think I crammed too many questions into this post. Thanks in advance for any recommendations you may have.[This message was edited by Brooker Buckingham on 21 August 2002 at 08:05 AM.]

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 21 Aug 2002 8:45 am

Curly Chalker is an ICON my friend.....Try "More Ways To Play".....

Gene Jones www.genejones.com

Len Ryder · Post by **Len Ryder** » 21 Aug 2002 9:01 am

Just a "Monster" Steel Guitar Inovator. Chord progressions that the average "picker" would kill for. I was fortunate enough to meet and B.S. with him many years ago when he was on the road with Hank Thompson in Wash. State.

Jeff Lampert · Post by **Jeff Lampert** » 21 Aug 2002 10:12 am

Get ahold of "Counterpoint", a 2-record album that, IMO, is the definitive album of his playing.

John Knight · Post by **John Knight** » 21 Aug 2002 11:39 am

Big Hits on Big Steel, Any of the early Hank Thompson. He basically set his sound.

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D 10 Thomas with 8&6, '61'D-10 Sho-Bud 8&4
S12 Knight 4&4
Nashville 400 and Profex II
81' Fender Twin JBL's
Asleep at the Steel

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 21 Aug 2002 11:50 am

His "Long Black Limousine" makes me cry everytime I hear it. It's a killer!
JJ

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 21 Aug 2002 12:11 pm

My favorite Curly Chalker stuff was with Merle Travis. That has to be some of the greatest C6 playin ever!
About fifteen or sixteen years ago I used to go see Curly when he was doing the gig at the Skyline Casino in Henderson Nevada. One day his bass player called me and asked if I could sub for him on Saturday playing bass with Curly. I said I wasn't a bass player(even though I did own a couple) so I told him to call someone else. To this day that's been one of my biggest regrets, not having the nerve to play a night with Curly Chalker.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 21 Aug 2002 2:39 pm

I just picked up an old Bill Haley country album w/ Curly playing steel. It's great!

Try and find the live Dick Curless album from the early 70s. That's got a lot of truckdrivin' and honkytonk tunes.

'Counterpoint' is my favorite, which I think you can get from Tom Bradshaw.

What an incredible player. Wish he was still around.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 21 Aug 2002 2:46 pm

Alvin: Boy, I can give you a great big second on your album selection. That was my introduction to Curly and it did blow my socks off. Jason Odd and I have been trying to locate a guy I heard back then who was hot on Curly's trail when I met him in the 60s. His name was Dave Allen and while we never found him I can never forget what he was playing. He had the licks and chops that Curly used on MT album down to a T !!

Regards, Paul

Bob Blair · Post by **Bob Blair** » 21 Aug 2002 3:02 pm

In the late 70's I spent a few days in Nashville, staying at the Hall of Fame Motor Inn on Music Row. I saw a poster indicating that Chalker was playing in the lounge with a trio in the evenings. I had heard of him, and knew him to be the staff player on "Hee Haw". So I knew he was a hot player. But nothing prepared me for what I saw and heard that night when I walked into the bar. I was a ralatively new steel player, and hadn't had much chance to see a monster player really stretch out like Curly did. He sure changed my way of thinking about what a steel could do. Just all over that D-10 MSA, playing everything you'd ever hear a steel player or a guitar player doing. I spent every night I was in twon that trip in the lounge. Jimmy Bryant joined him every night, and a lot of people got up on stage with them. Whatever the situation called for, Curly could do it. Bryant, surprisingly given his reputation as a guitarist, played more fiddle than guitar, and really with Curly up there you didn't need another guitar player. I don't remember much else about that trip real well, but I sure remember those three or four nights in the HOF lounge.

Johan is right - "Long Black Limousine" on "More Ways to Play" is dynamite.

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 21 Aug 2002 3:34 pm

.[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 17 November 2004 at 06:12 PM.]

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 21 Aug 2002 4:27 pm

Jim: I know Gene Jones would and so would I, like to see that bike he was sitting on for the cover photo. Please !!!

Regards, Paul

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 21 Aug 2002 4:35 pm

Jim, those clips of Curly are priceless!

I noticed on your Sound Clips page you say, "these clips are NOT for download", but how about Curly's? For some reason with IE 6 and RealOne Player all I can save are the 1k .ram files.

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 21 Aug 2002 4:57 pm

.[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 17 November 2004 at 06:12 PM.]

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 21 Aug 2002 5:08 pm

.[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 17 November 2004 at 06:12 PM.]

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 21 Aug 2002 5:29 pm

That worked Jim, thanks a bunch!

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 21 Aug 2002 5:30 pm

Paul....that picture of Curly on the Honda is on the back of the jacket of "More Ways To Play". I have about worn that vinyl out...I wonder if it was ever placed on a CD?
Jim I couldn't bring up the Chalker clip for some reason.....but while I was over in your website I listened to all the great clips of your guitar & steel playing again. Good stuff!
www.genejones.com

Oops, never mind....Jim posted pictures of the album while I was composing my post! [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 21 August 2002 at 06:32 PM.]

Oops again....I now have the clips also![This message was edited by Gene Jones on 21 August 2002 at 06:36 PM.]

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 21 Aug 2002 5:39 pm

.[This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 17 November 2004 at 06:13 PM.]

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 21 Aug 2002 7:50 pm

When this man's name is mentioned, my ears stand at attention. Forty years ago I heard Curly for the first time on the "Travis" album and it turned my world upside down. I tried to collect every record he ever played on, Thompson, Gibson, Smith, Bush(not George) and many others. I have had the privilege of obtaining some live stuff that I treasure and my quest will never stop. A Stand alone E9 player like no other and when it came to the C6, he has no peers. I hear his style intertwined in many players but no one has captured the complete Chalker to a tee. Johnny Cox can play some great CC stuff, some of the best I have heard to date.
We have heard Curly compared to so many others, temperment, popularity, earnings etc., but he is THE giant that we may never see the likes again and I miss him dearly.
JP, thanks for sharing this great bit of history that we can enjoy. It is a treasure to be sure, Gary.

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 21 Aug 2002 7:55 pm

Forgot, as the Black album is Buddy's masterpiece, Big Hits On Big Steel is Curly's.

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 21 Aug 2002 8:19 pm

I was a little shocked to see this thread!
I was planning to start one on Curly! Today, while digging through an old box of cassettes, I came across a tape labeled "Curly Chalker and Earl Ortega".
The first song I had taped off the TV show, Hee Haw, was Curly backing Patti Page on a song that had the words, "I'll always love you like I do". AWESOME! Then, there was an instrumental I taped from the Wilburn Brothers show, with Jimmy Capps on guitar. Also, AWESOME!

Earl Ortega's instrumental was taped off a New Orleans radio station in the early 70's.
IT was AWESOME, too!

Curly was truly a great steel guitar player!

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 21 Aug 2002 9:16 pm

He had some pretty good chops on regular guitar too, and if I'm not mistaken I think he said he used to play trumpet...? Never heard him on trumpet, but it would explain how he thought of everything as horn parts, at least when playing his trademark C6th style. He also could play the heck out of E9th when appropriate. I remember when we'd talk music, he was into the music, not just the steel. He was into great musicianship no matter what instrument was being played. [This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 21 August 2002 at 10:23 PM.]

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 21 Aug 2002 9:49 pm

I listened to the Curly chalker clips and Freaked! The man had a touch! His phrasing reminded me of Hammond organist jazz great, Jimmy Smith, the way he used his volume peddle.I can't thank you enough for posting the clips.

Bob Blair · Post by **Bob Blair** » 22 Aug 2002 6:18 am

Andy, I suspect that"freaked" in exactly the same way when I walked into that bar all those years ago. I still remember the first number he played - "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" - very similar to the way he recorded it.

Jim, thanks for posting the clips. I got to "freak" once more over "I Love You Because".

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 22 Aug 2002 6:42 am

One little known... since it hasn't been mentioned... album that has Curls all over it is "Little Jimmy Dickens Greatest Hits" on Decca/MCA. I'm sure its OOP now, but it can be found on eBay and elsewhere. These songs are not the originals of course, they were on Columbia. These are remakes, and Curly takes some AWESOME solos.

I too saw Curly and Bryant at the Hall of Fame Motel in 1979. Awesome stuff, and I had nice reminiscences with JB since I had worked with him in LA in 1971. To make a great few nights even better, Wade Ray was the security guard at the hotel (sad

), and sat in as well! Even MORE awesome!

The rest of the band were really young Texans on their first road trip. They had no idea who Chalker, Bryant, and Ray were, but were blown away. I informed them that they were watching real legends of country music and to see them jamming in a little hotel lounge was a rare privilege. To top it off, Curly came up to the room with us and we had a jam session with Curly playing rhythm guitar, and the lead player just about soiled himself!!

I think he STILL talks about that night.

I guess I do too!

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