One "lead" bands

Roual Ranes · From: Atlanta, Texas, USA

This is a pet peeve of mine and some others I know.
Typically this is bass, drum, lead guitar and singer/rhythm guitar.
I am sorry guys but I for one am not going to pay money to get into a place that has a group like that.
I saw and heard too much of that in the early Rock and Roll days.
Gotta have a steel!

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I've played in a lot of bands where steel was the only lead instrument. People like it.

I saw a band last weekend that had no lead instrument on about half of the songs. They were well received. Audiences aren't nearly as focused on lead instruments as we would like to imagine.

I've heard a soon-to-be-released CD of an exceptional singer-songwriter and a world-class steel player. There's a rhythm section and some vocal harmony, but no other lead instrument. It works very well!

And let's not forget "Charley Pride Live at Panther Hall" with Lloyd Green playing all of the lead lines. Frankly, I don't see the need for lead guitar in a country band. All you really need is steel. Smile

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Fred Glave · From: McHenry, Illinois, USA

I agree bOb. Most audiences don't really know the difference. The lead instrument is a bonus to some of these people, and it's the few people in the audience who are totally into the lead
instrument(s), or somewhat musically educated that seem to get people excited about seeing the band. I'm always having people tell me that I'm the keyboard player in the band.

David Doggett · Posted 8 Sep 2008 8:41 am

It adds a little variety to have a lead guitar and steel that can swap the lead back and forth, in backup as well as in solos. But neither one is absolutely essential to most listeners. Johnny Cash was country, and plenty popular, with or without steel. With the money so poor these days, sometimes it comes down to whether the band can pay both a lead guitar and steel. And, regrettably, if you are talking about a modern country cover band, the lead guitar is more essential than steel. Sad

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

It is my opinion that there are no absolutely essential instruments in a band. It depends entirely on what the band is going for, and also the talents of the band members on their instruments.

Certainly, a good lead guitar player or steel player can each function without the other. In fact, unless they stay appropriately out of each other's way, I'd rather one of them just not be there. For some units, I think it's easier for steel, and vice-versa for guitar, but I think it depends mainly on the skill of the player and special expectations regarding the style of music. Yeah, I know in Texas there's gotta be a fiddle in the band, but every rule gets to be broken.

Even bass and drums are not sacrosanct, to me. Of course, I love playing with both a good bass player and drummer, but they are not always required. I have played with some keyboard players that cover the bottom end just fine. Tell me there's something missing with Jimmy Smith and Joey DeFrancesco covering the bass pedals - there are lots of lesser-knowns that also do this well. Similarly, I've heard upright bass players cover the pulse just fine slappin' it. I'd rather have a good slappin' doghouse than deal with an overpowering or speedin'up/slowin'down drummer any day of the week.

The limitations are in the mind, IMO.

I certainly agree that a lot of "proletariat" audiences couldn't care less what's going on with the band. When you consider that many of them would be just as happy - maybe even happier - with an obtrusive DJ blabbing over a karaoke or air-guitar contest, I wouldn't expect much support from them. Muttering

Richard Marko · From: Dallas, Texas

I've been very fortunate to play in Texas bands where the singer still strums acoustic using both lead and steel in the band.
I was even in a band that had lead, steel and keys -
this took the band material, energy etc ... way up.

I still give credit for any band no matter how many leads one or 10- at least they are working and thank god for that.
The disc jockey fad almost wiped us all out of work.

Don Brown, Sr. · From: New Jersey

Hey David, don't you know there is no "Modern Country" to us old Country folks.. Rolling Eyes

Simply glad I lived to be a part of it when "Country Was Country" indeed......

Don Cool

Richard Marko · From: Dallas, Texas

Don - ever play the Almonesson Inn in - of course- Almonesson, New Jersey ??

Is it still there ??

I played there back in the mid eighties with a chic singer Linda - house band at that time .

Charles Davidson · From: Phenix City Alabama, USA

I love to work with a GOOD guitar player that knows when to play[AND WHEN NOT TO PLAY] The guitar player I work with right now[we have worked together off and on for about thirty years]and I know how to split the leads,turn a rounds,fills etc,I don't like to work with keyboards,unless it's a blues band with a B-3,[love a B-3]Remember one time was called to play a country job,Was myself,a friend that is a real hot guitar player,got to the gig,the bass player did not show up,the great guitar player had to play bass,The singer only played rhythum guitar,I had to play EVERYTHING,kickoffs,fills,and all the lead all night long,wore my old butt out,to make things worse,the guy had a young drummer with him that did'nt have a clue what was going on,the first song we were going to do,I asked the drummer to count it off,he said [WHAT DO YOU MEAN]Knew then I was screwed for the night,But made it through the night and got PAID, Also this is a rare occasion I agree with my esteemed friend Mr. Doggett,for most[not all]but most of this new country music,all you need is a hot rock and roll guitar player.DYKBC.
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Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Back in the good old days, when the country bands were 5 to 7 pieces, WHAT DID WE DO THEN?.......... HOW IN THE WORLD, DID WE DO IT?

In the smaller groups, they didn't even have (drum and bugle corpse, self-taught drummers) drummers to bang away all night with the BIG END of the sticks!!!
Slamming away two-beats........during a 3/4 time waltz. Gadd! What next?

No drummer to "count off"? I can't believe it!

We'd give a 3 note pick-up and everybody started playing right on the beat.

SIMPLY Amazing! In the olde school (before ROCK & ROLL, of course), many of us found a fiddle, lead and steel to be the essential instrumentation. Lot's of opportunity to play steel/lead harmony intro's and also lead, steel and fiddle 3-part harmony arrangements. These usually were done on the spot without benefit of tableture and/or weeks of rehearsing and the like.

Yepp! I guess REAL COUNTRY has simply been blown away and look where it's taken us.

Mark Treepaz · From: Hamburg, New York USA

With regard to more traditional styles of country music, some of the cleanist combinations of instrumentation that I've experienced is drums, bass, guitar and steel and sometime the addition of a fiddle player (who might double on another instrument or two.) It seems that with that instrumentation, each instrument has it's own place staying out of each others way. However, add to it a second guitar, and the steel and second (lead) guitar seem to go to battle!

Of course, regardless of instrumentation, you have to have smart musicians playing them.
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Don Brown, Sr. · From: New Jersey

Hey Richard M,

Sure you aren't thinking of the "Lakeview Inn" in Almonesson?

Yes, played there many times. I'm trying to think of the female singer's last name, you're referring to?

Was George Edwards playing there around that time, on and off too?

Do you remember when Les Sebers (Spelling?) was playing there as the house band?

Small world huh!!!

Don Cool

Richard Marko · From: Dallas, Texas

YEAH DON your right it was the Lakeview Inn. DUH !!

This is all I remember about the band :
Sonny on guitar, his wife on bass, Linda ?? singing and a crippled guy singing duets with Linda.

Man I have some fond memories (women Whoa!

) of that place !!

It was a gig that played the house band 6 nights a week !!!

I remember hearing the name George Edwards alot but never met him.

Charley Wilder · From: Dover, New Hampshire, USA

I played non-pedal in a one lead instrument Country band for years and never heard any complaints. In fact steel players were very scarce in my part of the country back then and I had many people over the years tell me that they came to hear us because they heard there was a steel in the band. I developed my lead guitar work and played both now and then just to break up the boredom for me. As the pedal became more prominent in the area I figured I was on my way out but the opposite happened. I could write my own ticket. A lot of the lead singers didn't like pedal players because they didn't play melody, they just riffed. I wasn't that great but I DID play melody. It kept me working!

Gabriel Stutz · From: Chicago, USA

I feel lucky to have a guitar player in our band. He's a great player with much more experience than I have, and it has been extremely educational in terms of how and when to play with a singer. I like the variety, as well. I enjoy simply accompanying a singer, not always playing fills. I have a gig once a month in which I am the only "soloist" in a trio - steel, upright, and acoustic (the singer), and it is a daunting task for me. I think it has been very helpful, but it is also taxing trying to sound vaguely interesting for 2 hours by myself. I prefer to listen to a band with a steel player, just because I'm really into the steel, but I can be just as happy with a band with out one if the guitar player is really good. I'm not much of a "lyrics guy", so I do prefer a soloist of some kind in a band.

Gabriel

Don Brown, Sr. · From: New Jersey

OK Richard, Sonny, would have been (probably) "Sonny Caudill" on Lead (6 String) Guitar, his wife on bass, Linda singing and "Bill Burris" (had one arm crippled) was a pretty darn good singer.

The place rocked most of the time. And it seems as though the owner usually always wanted a female house singer.

That place could really get rough after the Hockey games, as it was the "Philadelphia Flyers" choice of places to cool down... Very Happy

You're right, lots of good memories from times back. Don't know if you ever knew "Walt Rutledge" or not? He played Pedal Steel. Carol Ann, (his daughter) was a great singer.

George Edwards, was a road musician, around that time, he was with Faron Young, and later moved to nashville and played pedal steel with Kitty Wells, until she retired.

Indeed a small world, and getting smaller all the time.. Very Happy

Roual Ranes · From: Atlanta, Texas, USA

Guys, believe me, I put in my time with a "one lead". During the 70's, I worked with a group that was a trio with me on steel for 40% of the time. I had a D12 with special strings & pulls to get the exact voicing of a guitar. 40% of the time we had a singer/rhythm player and the other 20% we had a guy that could play some lead guitar. Nawh the audience dont really care .........but I do. Ain't ah paying my money to hear a one lead group.....if other people do that is their business......I dont like DJ's dance, or them thar drunk audience singers trying to sing with a CD.......not my bag either.

Richard Marko · From: Dallas, Texas

Holy Cow - yup that is the crew !!
I was still green back then, as a matter of fact the first time I was in front of an audience was at the Lakeview Inn doing a talent competition with some guys band who tried to be a cross between Elvis and Billy Crash Cradock !!

Ever hear or see any of those guys lately ??
If so get me some contact info on them if I may ask you to do so.

I've played some other back in the sticks places but don't remember them any more.
I was still living with my parents in Philly at that time.

Walt Rutledge doesn't ring a bell,
how about Al Taber with you.
He lived in Philly and was pretty old at that time.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Raoul, I work in three different bands each week. On Tuesday's and Thursdays I play pedal steel with a classic country band. On Saturdays I play lead guitar with a variety band which is a trio and we do some pop and older rock along with country. My favorite gigs of all are the Friday night things my wife and I do with our band. It's only her on vocals, a drummer, a bass player, and I'm on lead and steel. I really like it this way because I really hate working with other leads because on a steel gigs I wind up wanting to play guitar and on a guitar gig I wind up wanting to play steel so this solves the problem. We're trying to book some more Saturdays but my current Saturday gig is the best paying of all of 'em so it's hard to give up.Over the years I've developed a way of playing lead guitar and steel guitar together. It's sort of like having a double neck instrument. I started this around 1979 and always play a single 12 and leave my solid body Tele strapped on. After a while I was able to play breaks on both instruments and splitting the leads like there were two people. All you have to do is have one note of the chord available on either instrument while you're changing over. That way you can pick one or two open string notes on either instrument while you're either laying down the bar or picking it up. If you're in E or A you can do some drone chord work on steel while you're playing single note lead lines on guitar at the same time. I use the thumbpick and fingerpicks for both instruments so that really makes it much easier. Another thing is that we have a very capable drummer and bass player who fill up a lot of holes...............JH in Va.
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Alvin Blaine · From: Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA

Roual Ranes · From: Atlanta, Texas, USA

Jerry Hayes,
I've done that too. I started out carrying both until I got where I could get through the night just on steel..........never went back to two instruments.
We work five people.....sometimes take a little less in order to have five...group decision. The money around here is not enough to fuss over and sometimes we get to go elsewhere for more.

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

Before I had to quit playing in 2006 I was fortunate to play in a four piece group with a seasoned Guitar player (Carl Walden}. We were together over five years. We pretty muich knew all the classic country music and knew when it was best for each to be playing lead and backup. If there might have been a question of who should play or fill, it was almost always done with "eye contact" and a little nod. We each respected each other's space and never overrode each other. The band could literally play a four hour gig. never repeat a song and still sound organized. This made playing a real pleasure. However, if there are three or more leads in a group it becomes a lttle more difficult and the band leader needs to que who plays when. Some band leaders are not too good at this !

Bo Legg · Posted 8 Sep 2008 2:15 pm

I rather play in a three piece band than to have a rhythm guitar played by the lead singer or band leader. You can't get them to turn the dang thing down. I play most of the time where I'm the only lead.
Again submitted for casual blah blah only.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Roual Ranes · From: Atlanta, Texas, USA

bOb, I vote for Dolly............thats TWO.

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