| Author |
Topic: Thumbs Carllile and Curly Chalker - Holy Smoke!! |
Steve Cunningham
From:
Atlanta, GA
|
|
|
 |
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
|
|
|
Mark Mansueto
From:
Michigan, USA
|
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
Posted 18 Jun 2009 7:47 am |
|
I had the good fortune to meet Thumbs in 1981. He said he learned to play with the guitar on his lap when he was a kid because he "didn't know any better". He was very friendly, always cracking jokes. His sound was very full, and he used chorus and delay at that time, like in the clip posted below. Thumbs played standard guitar tuning, and used All of his fingers, not just his thumb. His hand looked like a spider on steroids when he played! Fingerstyle with lots of moving bass lines. Check out the video below from the 1980s. Thumbs passed away in 1987.
Thumbs, 1980s ---> Click
Thumbs, 1950s ---> Click
_________________
My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
|
|
|
Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
|
Posted 18 Jun 2009 9:14 am
|
|
He lived here in Atlanta in his last years. You could go see him play at little five points. Daughters are still here. One sings sort of like Joplin.
Thumbs and Chalker....two VERY bad cats. |
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
Posted 18 Jun 2009 10:06 am
|
|
BTW, Curley was left-handed, which may account in part for his incredible bar control, fast hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, as seen in this clip. In later years when he played pedal steel he had about the smoothest vibrato in the biz... he and Lloyd Green, who also happens to be left-handed. 
_________________
My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
|
|
|
George Piburn
From:
The Land of Enchantment New Mexico
|
Posted 18 Jun 2009 1:58 pm Edited
|
|
Edited
Last edited by George Piburn on 17 May 2012 6:59 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Mark Mansueto
From:
Michigan, USA
|
|
|
|
Bobby Burns
From:
Tennessee, USA
|
Posted 19 Jun 2009 5:16 am
|
|
| Back in the eighties I was playing in a band with Herby Wallace a in Chattanooga. Herby and thumbs were buddies, and Thumbs was also in Chattanooga for a while and played a lot with Herby. Herby got a lot of calls for conventions and things that required a wide variety of musical styles. Thumbs was no novelty act. You quickly got past the fact that he had a strange technique, and realized what an amazing guitar player he was. We played some gigs where almost every band member except for Herby and Thumbs was a singer. We all knew a totally different set of songs. One of us would call a song title, Thumbs would ask what key, and without another thought he kicked it off, perfectly. We never rehearsed for these events. Some of us had never met before the gig. We had new country, old country, torch songs, top 40, western swing and classic rock singers on stage, and because of Thumbs, we were able to pull it off. If he had ever heard the song before, he had instant recall. It was an aural version of photographic memory. I have experienced nothing like Thumbs before or since. |
|
|
|
Bobby Burns
From:
Tennessee, USA
|
Posted 19 Jun 2009 5:27 am
|
|
| I seem to remember that Thumbs did have his own tuning. I'm not sure, but I think it was mostly standard with lower bass strings. Herby got him to do an instruction book, and another guitar player wrote the tab. Thumbs taught this guy the notes he played, and the other guy wrote it out in standard tuning. I seem to remember that there were some notes that Thumbs played that were in the tab along with alternate bass notes that were actually reachable with standard tuning. If he did tune completely standard, it could be that some notes you couldn't reach with standard technique because, with his thumb on top of the fingerboard, Thumbs had a wider reach than normal. Herby would know about Thumbs' tuning. |
|
|
|
Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
|
Posted 19 Jun 2009 8:21 am
|
|
I remember Phil Baugh chatting with Thumbs on stage at the 1981 St. Louis convention, and I think he mentioned that Thumbs played standard guitar tuning... but I could be wrong about that. Forum member Bobby Caldwell might know. Bobby was on stage with Phil and Thumbs at that show. Thumbs really blew the doors off the hall with his smoking solos on "Back Home Again in Indiana". I wouldn't be surprised if he used some sort of open tuning. It would make perfect sense.
_________________
My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
|
|
|
Tom Pettingill
From:
California, USA (deceased)
|
Posted 19 Jun 2009 8:43 am
|
|
Very cool stuff ... Curly can really rip it up and Thumbs style is very unique 
I wonder what an optimum "Thumbs" style guitar might be.
The lap style playing opens up a lot of design possibilities. Wider spacing, more strings, thicker more stable neck, etc.
_________________
Some misc pics of my hand crafted steels
Follow me on Facebook here |
|
|
|
Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
|
Posted 19 Jun 2009 11:30 am
|
|
Thumbs used a capo a lot and I always thought he used a major Eb tuning. I don't think he used regular guitar tuning.......JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
|
|
|
Robbie Daniels
From:
Casper, Wyoming, USA
|
Posted 19 Jun 2009 1:06 pm
|
|
I worked with Thumbs here in Casper Wyoming for about six months and he is no doubt one of the great talents. I miss Thumbs. I played the wedding march on my steel when his daughter got married to the drummer, what a blast. When Thumbs got restless and wanted to go back on the road, I told him not me,to old for any more road work so Thumbs called Buzz and Buzz Evans took my place. I have memories that will last forever.
_________________
Carter D12, MSA S12, 12 String Custom Made Non-Pedal, Evans FET 500LV, Evans SE200, Peavey Nashville 400, Fender Steel King |
|
|
|
Lee Jeffriess
From:
Vallejo California
|
Posted 20 Jun 2009 4:56 pm
|
|
Doug/Bobby, I think he tuned his guitar to an Eb open tuning.
We all have to thank Russ Weaver for this Gem, I was shown this video about 14 years ago in vaults at the country music foundation in Nashville.
After watching it 20,000 times, I begged the curator for a copy, I was told that wasnt an option.
I asked the guy if at any point it would be put out, he seemed to doubt it.
I was pretty bummed out, I thought this stuff is life changing and its going to locked away, that aint right.
A couple of weeks later I was in KC and I ran into Russ and told him about the video and about the attitude at CMF.
He told me, I bet I can get a copy, I was thinking good luck buddy.
Well he did and lord knows how he wrangled it, before I knew it I had a copy and I gave it to Dave Stuckey to run a bunch of copys for the disciples.
Thank god for youtube , now everyone can see it.
Check Daves other clips,he has some great Jazz also.
Lee |
|
|
|
Jon Nygren
From:
Wisconsin, USA
|
Posted 24 Jun 2009 8:27 am
|
|
Lee, it was 'in the vaults'?...so it wasn't on public display or anything?
For the life of me, I can't figure out why anyone would want something like that locked up.  |
|
|
|
Terry Wood
From:
Lebanon, MO
|
Posted 26 Jun 2009 12:07 pm
|
|
Speedy West told me just a few years before he passed away, said that Curly Chalker could play more on a non-pedal steel than most players could play on a pedal steel.
I miss all these greats!
Terry Wood |
|
|
|
Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
|
Posted 26 Jun 2009 1:32 pm
|
|
| Lee Jeffriess wrote: |
I think he tuned his guitar to an Eb open tuning.
|
I never saw him take the capo off, and it was usually on the first fret. So you could say it was usually an E tuning. |
|
|
|
