1960's Christmas Song, Lonnie Meeks, Bobby Black On Steel,

Herbie Meeks · From: Arkansas, USA

This Old Christmas Song written and recorded late 1960's by my Brother, Lonnie Meeks, Bobby Black playing Steel Rrecorded at San Jose California.
Can't remember the other musicians, Some one out there can probably remember the other musicians,?

A rare one for your collection
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=783505

Herbie Meeks

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

Probably Larry Black and Hoyt Henry were also involved. Got to love that killer Sho Bud tone!

Herbie Meeks · From: Arkansas, USA

Don
I was not sure , But I was thinking Hoyet Herny was playing Bass. maybe Jack Greenwood on Drums,
and Hoyet could have dubbed in the Piano,

HM

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

Sounds like most of the 'Green Beans' group.

Herbie Meeks · From: Arkansas, USA

This was recorded before The "Burritos"
Anyhow, Bobby could make anything "Fly"
Like the "Green Beans and the Burritos"
Add, Larry and you have a winner

H M

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

Thanks for posting this, Herbie. There are many out there who know about Bobby's great swing playing but aren't as aware of what a great country pedal steel player he is.

I'd sure like to listen to a recording of the 'Green Beans', that must have been pretty wild.

Joe Shelby · From: Walnut Creek, California, USA

I always wondered m'self about the Green Beans.
I know they all had early-Beatles hair do's. Was their hair dyed green?
A big amen to Dan about Bobby's abilities on the country side. Very soulful and creative. I miss hearing that sound.
Jack Greenback was a part of that circle that Hoyt and Bobby and Larry were a part of for many years.
Jack had played with Bob Wills as a younger upstart.

Joe

Joe Shelby · From: Walnut Creek, California, USA

Wonderful song, Herbie. Thanks for posting it.
Reminds me of several past Christmases.

Joe

Herbie Meeks · From: Arkansas, USA

Joe

I am still in touch with Hoyet Henry, and some of the old timers from that era. we all picked "together at different Places" around the Bay Area, That was a quote Hoyet used, Bobby and Larry came on the scene, and blew us away, but I have to say, They were some of the best friends a struggeling musician could have, never refused to pick with anyone, always friendly and helpful
I remember when Bobby and larry first came to San Jose, I played Fiddle with them on a couple of their paying gigs, Man that was a long time ago.

Herbie

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

I'm with you Herbie. Bobby and Larry Black were as good as it gets for a 'green' musician to play with. I probably had been playing a year or two when I first encountered those guys and they couldn't have been more supportive.

Now Jack Greenfield and Hoyet.....

They were great too but the next time you talk to Hoyet tell him that it was a real 'pressure' to play with him back in the day...

Herbie Meeks · From: Arkansas, USA

Lonnie, Here is Your Charts position today
12-19-07 This is an old one, But anything with Bobby ,Larry, Hoyet,"Will Fly" and still cant identafy, or remember who all worked on this session,
and has for many years, I think Gene Breeden was the A,& R man, I do remember several of the old gang was on hand when we recorded this in late 1960's

Charts position
» highest in charts: # 14 (34,653 songs currently listed in Country)
» highest in sub-genre: # 7 (10,846 songs currently listed in Country > Country General) » today's position: # 14 in Country
» today's position in sub-genre: # 7 in Country General

HM

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Jack Greenback (aka Greenbach) was also an ex-Hank Thompson sideman, played with the White Brothers and Pee Wee Whitewings' western swing outfit, right up to Pee Wee split for the south.
Jack stuck it out with them and their venture into proto-surf Santo & Johnny style material (The Five Whispers, Triplets) but split before the R&B era of the U.S. Six, Green Beans, etc and the return to country when Roy McMeans was the Black Bros. and Hoyet's drummer.

After Roy split around 1967, I think Jack may have been involved with them again, although he seems to have had some success as a songwriter by this point.

Didn't the Black Brothers have the run of a studio in San Carlos, Peninsula Sound Studio, circa 1966 to the late 60s?

Herbie Meeks · From: Arkansas, USA

Thanks Jason.
for jarring some memories loose, Yes Bobby,Larry,Hoyet, Sonny Throckmorton, Jack Greenback, Roy McMeans, and just a bunch I can not remember their names right offhand, did recording sessions at both San Jose, and The San Carlos Studios,at that time, and Pee Wee Whitewing had already split, I was picking Lap Steel at the Old Hayloft Club in San Jose, 1949 with Cal Smith, Lee Ross, Jimmy Rice,Al Parker, when Peewee first started venturing out to the clubs to sit in, He was just out of Hi-School. Hoyet Henry worked with the Black Bro's for 15 years, They played mostly at, Cow Town, San Jose, Bobby was gone for a while and returned to play at Cow Town in late 1960's, The 1440 Club out on the Bay Shore, was going great back then, where many of us gathered up for Jam Sessions,
There was so many really good musicians around at that time, most did not belong to a regular bamd, seems we all worked together, we could make a couple phone calls and put a group together very quickly, to fill any gig within a couple hundred miles or more for a three night stand, Man it would take a book to write all the names and gigs that was happening just in The Bay Area, and Sacramento,
And we know where Pee Wee, and Bob White went with their superb Steel Playing, Also a Lot about Bobby, and Larry, And I know I am leaving out some Steel Players, I can not think of now,

HM

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Hey Herbie, you got me going now.

For a time, I guess around '68-69, Bill Tester's 1440 Club band was led by bassist Don West, with
Harold Riley (his sub was Jack Daniels..later of Highway 101 fame), drummer Al Garcia, pianist Jimmy Stewart and they worked a television show called the 1440 Roundup filmed every Tuesday in Jack London Square. According to Jack Daniels, Hoyet Henry was a regular on the TV show.

Herbie Meeks · From: Arkansas, USA

Jason.
I was content just to be a sidema, Fiddle,and Steel Guitar, I probably picked with evry one you mention here, Remember Johnny Leggitt The Rajun Cajun at the 1440, Yes I knew Bill Tester well, Hey I even remember, crossing paths with our " b0b," who runs this Forum, He is ok in my books. Cal Smith and I was Drafted into the Army, 1953, for a couple years, when I finally got back home, The Gang had a Weekly TV show out of San Francisco, "The California Hay Ride" Lee Ross, Cal Smith, Big Jim DeNoon, There I draw a blank I guess because I picked with these the most before the TOD, to Europe, Lee Ross Joined Bob Wills at Wills Point Sacramento, Cal Smith hung around until He joined Ernest Tubbs Band,Geo Jones came on the scene, He was stationed at Moffett Field,in USMC, I picked a few gigs with Big Jim at Hollister, and Salinas,CA Even picked the Old Coyote Inn, just south of San Jose, where Tommy Duncan played his last gig, with the house Band, on a week end, and went on to Modesto where they found Him passed on in a Motel early the next week,
Of Course I had the honor of playing at the Modesto,CA Fair Grounds, with Chester Smith, who owned the Local Radio Station at Modesto,
First Ballroom gig I ever played, was at Napredack Hall, With my Bro.Lonnie,Shorty Cloud and Blondie, ,Santa Clara/Sunnyvale CA, 1944, we were just teen aged Kids , this was when The Name Country had not been added to Western Music,
Now I have revealed my age, 81, so I have an excuse not remembering, until someone jars my memory.
Thanks Jason

HM

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

The California Hay Ride, is that the show the Black Brothers also played on, circa '53, I guess just before Bobby split for Blackie Crawford's band?

Herbie, you got fine recall there, did you ever run across a steel player named Jimmie (Jimmy) Collins?

He went on to play with the Smith Brothers, Freddie Hart and Wynn Stewart before leaving the west coast scene in '69.

cheers and merry x-mas

J.

Scott Wehmeyer · From: Texas, USA

From the April 1966 issue of Country Music Life

Herbie Meeks · From: Arkansas, USA

Thanks Scott, for posting the magazine article.
Lonnie is presently in the, St Josephs Hospital
at Hot Springs Arkansas,
He had a collapsed lung sunday night, they are doing more tests, he is hoping to be released soon

I will alert him about this to cheer him up
that I am sure will be good medicine for him

HM

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Sorry to hear that Herbie, pass on our best wishes, his internet fans.

Mike Black · From: New Mexico, USA

delete

Steve Gorman · From: Gilroy California

Herbie, thanks for the memories, very interesting to read. And I haven't even checked out the video yet! But I love Bobby's playing, always have. I wanted to let you know that I just recently saw Chester Smith in Modesto, performing for Modesto's Country Gospel Opry. A couple of gospel groups (very good) opened and Chester came out last. Evidently he has a new CD out, and also a new wife, about 35 or 40 years old and quite a looker.

Now, on to the YouTube video....

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