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Topic: Denny Mathis - A Texas Legend... |
Clete Ritta
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 4:45 am |
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I've spent the last month or so studying steel and dobro once a week with none other than Denny Mathis. Although he plays live regularly, he only teaches on Wednesdays at Dellview Music School. I feel so blessed to have his guidance!
Luckily, I moved from New Jersey as a well seasoned guitarist not a moment too soon (or, not soon enough) to San Antonio. This is where I truly discovered the steel guitar.
Ive been playing piano, mandolin, blues harp, alto sax...ANYTHING but guitar, and pedal steel is one of the sweetest melody makers there is. I wish I had discovered it years earlier. I'm just breaking the ice on E9 with my Mullen S10, after struggling along on my Carter Starter for the last three years. Gosh if I dont want a double neck now!
When I hear Mr. Mathis play anything (and he plays it all well), it's inspirational and very spiritually uplifting to me. And now I think a C6 neck is the coolest thing besides maybe Junior's new GuitSteel ShoBud piano-hinged Tele with card spots to match I just saw here:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=163606&highlight=tele
But I digress,
Im looking forward to many more lessons from a real master who really doesnt need any pedals, levers, volume pedals, or even picks at all! Just a bar and any number of strings! |
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Fred Shannon
From:
Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 5:23 am
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Clete, you are probably the most fortunate forumite who will post today. Denny is without a doubt (IMO) one of the five best steel players/teachers on the face of this planet. For many years people have asked "who's the steel player" when Mr. Mathis really cuts loose. I'm so glad he's finally getting the recognition he deserves. A great player, a finer gentleman, and he lives in the right state for steelers. Have a good time studying under him because you'll probably find none better.
phred
_________________
There are only two defining forces that have offered to die for you; Jesus Christ and the American GI!!
Think about it!! |
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Randy Gilliam
From:
San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 7:12 am Denny Mathis
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Denny Is the Best teacher On the Planet, Pedals Or No Pedals he is The Best, Clete Keep going he will Teach You well, Randy Gilliam.  |
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Joe Rouse
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 8:41 am Mr. Mathis?
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Hey Clete,
Please don't call him Mister...He'll expect the rest of us to do so. As far as being a great teacher, words can't describe the mans abilility to teach as he does. Especially a old hardhead like me.
I've taken lessons from Denny for 2 1/2 years and look forward to more years to come. Along with learning the psg from a very good friend he keeps me challenged. Plus I get to hear him play.
Don and Gail Pack who own the studio Denny teaches are 2 great friends too. We're very fortunate to have these great people in our circle.
Look forward to meeting you Clete, Randy....jr |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 9:07 am
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| Fred Shannon wrote: |
| Denny is without a doubt (IMO) one of the five best steel players/teachers on the face of this planet. |
Who are the other four?
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Fred Shannon
From:
Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 5:11 pm
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Reece Anderson, Jim Loessberg, Julian Tharpe, and my dear old Daddy, RIP. There are several more great teachers, but this is just MY list. Danny fits in here quite well, thank you. 
BTW, Rick, love your tour bus. You wouldn't consider selling it would you?
Phred
_________________
There are only two defining forces that have offered to die for you; Jesus Christ and the American GI!!
Think about it!! |
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Rick Campbell
From:
Sneedville, TN, USA
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 9:07 pm
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| Fred Shannon wrote: |
BTW, Rick, love your tour bus. You wouldn't consider selling it would you?
Phred |
Fred,
Sorry. I traded it in on the Cash For Clunkers program for a Toyota Hatchback with AM/FM radio so I can listen to all the great country music on the airwaves.  |
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Clete Ritta
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 10:43 pm
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| Fred Shannon wrote: |
| Reece Anderson, Jim Loessberg, Julian Tharpe, and my dear old Daddy, RIP. There are several more great teachers, but this is just MY list. Danny fits in here quite well, thank you. Phred |
Phred,
Thanks for that list.
Jim Loessburg is also on my list of great steel players who also teaches that I need to meet. I'll look up Julian as well. Another is Roger Edgington (does he teach?). All I can say is I came to the right place to get hooked on steel! |
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Fred Shannon
From:
Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 1:38 am
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Clete, dear Julian has passed on to better places, but you can certainly aid in your learning process by checking out Reece and Jim L.
Rick, darn I'm always a couple of minutes late. But I really enjoyed your website.
phred
_________________
There are only two defining forces that have offered to die for you; Jesus Christ and the American GI!!
Think about it!! |
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Roger Edgington
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 7:48 am
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Clete,You are in the right spot for sure. If Denny can't show it to you then you probably don't need it anyway. When I came to San Antonio in the USAF I was a 19 year old green picker with a Fender 1000. As luck would have it, Denny was the first Texas steeler I ran into. He was playing the fire out of a D12 MSA. Scared me.
You asked if I teach. Not right now ,but I,m thinking about it after I get moved just east of SA. |
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 2:48 pm
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Here is Denny with Billy Gray's band, probably over 40 years ago:
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Milton C. Willmann
From:
Spring Branch, Texas, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 4:13 pm
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Here's one I found of Denny with Bubba Litrell and the Melody Mustangs. This was taken at The Farmer's daughter in San Antonio. Tony Pickens, Bobbie Barker, Shoji Tabuchi, Bubba Litrell, Denny and Junior Mitchum.
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Milton C. Willmann |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 9:09 pm
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I played a show in San Antonio back in 2002 and, witrhout a doubt, meeting and getting to spend time with Denny was the highlight of my time there.
I watched him playing live a couple of times, and he was kind enough to invite me to his home where we fooled around with our steels for a bit.
He certainly inspired me, and I'll never forget the cool stuff he showed me using the 'standard' C6th 4th pedal. What a wonderful musician and gentleman - maybe you'd be kind enough to remember me to him (the Englishman who's a friend of Larry Lucas....)
One of the best players I've ever heard!
_________________
Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles and Martins - and, at last, a Gibson Super 400!
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Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
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Posted 22 Aug 2009 5:45 am
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| Mitch Drumm wrote: |
| Here is Denny with Billy Gray's band, probably over 40 years ago |
WAAAYYY over 40 years ago!! Looks like very early 60's to me.
I think that's the amazing Leon Chambers on guitar sitting behind Denny.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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Roger Edgington
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2009 8:52 am
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| Herb is right again. It's over 40 years ago. Those Fender amps are around 62 vintage and I met Denny well after this picture in 66. My guess is the picture is around 63 or 64. In 66 he was playing a black and well worn MSA with killer tone. |
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Joshua Grange
From:
Los Angeles, California
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Posted 22 Aug 2009 4:20 pm
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I saw Denny near New Braunfels last month on a Fender T-8 and he was AMAZING! He was with a band named Two Tons Of Steel.
I was watching him from the side of the stage about 10 feet away and was completely amazed with his playing and tone. Wow!
I talked with him and his wife afterwards and he is a real down to earth nice guy. |
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Clete Ritta
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 8 Sep 2009 12:42 am
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Joshua,
I too saw Denny with Two Tons of Steel at Gruene Hall recently from about the same vantage point. They play every Tuesday there all summer. Heres a recent pic from their second to last show. Thats that Fender T8 (only 3 of 4 necks showing though).
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Tony Farr
From:
Madison, Tennessee, USA (deceased)
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Posted 8 Sep 2009 4:58 am
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| Hey Guys, The Farmers Daughter Club, thatbrings back a lot of memories, I played there back in the early 60's with George Jones. Seems like eon's ago. |
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John Hopkin
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Posted 11 Sep 2009 6:08 am ah, denny....
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in what is one of the strangest reversals ever, i took some beginning steel lessons from denny back in '67...i didn't have a steel at first but i scrounged up a fender 4-neck after a few weeks...i got discouraged early on because denny was playing a big emmons 11/10 with 10 pedals and i couldn't afford a pedal model...so now, 40 years later, i have 5 D-10s and denny is playing a fender 4-neck...the irony of it...the farmer's daughter was a strange place...they always kept the lights on bright and were TOO conscientious about having you out the door on time...last call came about 11:20 (this was back when they had to close at midnight)...way too early for us serious drinkers...i'll never forget the two signs posted by the bandstand..."No Dancing With Your Hat On" and "Do Not Ask to Sing"...
_________________
...honk if you've never seen an uzi fired out of a car window...
Mullen RP, MSA, Sho-Bud Pro II, Yamaha keyboards, MalletKat vibes |
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Roger Edgington
From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
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Posted 11 Sep 2009 1:02 pm
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John,
It was a fun place to play even if you did have to keep the volumn down and God forbid if you played anything close to rock-n-roll. Bobby was a strict ole gal but she bought me my first legal beer on my 21st birthday.
About the lights. One night in 67 or 68 I saw Roger Miller thrown out the back door by an over agressive rent a cop because he turned the light out over his table for a little privacy. |
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David A. Jones
From:
Bulverde, Texas, USA
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Posted 11 Sep 2009 3:35 pm Denny Mathis
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| Like Joe Rouse and Clete Ritta, I take lessons from Denny as well. He is really a great individual and one of the best players I've ever seen or heard. Denny will play rhythm guitar for me while I struggle with Gardenia Waltz and never frown once - even when we start over 30 times an hour. I don't know where his patience comes from - I just know that I'm very fortunate to have found him for my instructor. |
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Jim Venverloh
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 11 Sep 2009 5:37 pm
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| Been taking lessons from Denny for a few months now, AND HE DOES have the patience of Job!! When I manage to hit 2 or 3 correct notes "in a row" he just lights up like a proud papa!! He is always very encouraging. I used to take regular guitar lessons at Dellview Music School back in the 60's. Don and Gail Pack, two of the nicest folks you could ever hope to know still own the place and Denny still teaches. I certainly hope Denny continues help us newbies until they "close the lid"!!!! |
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Gordon Borland
From:
San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Posted 12 Sep 2009 9:03 am Da Man
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Yup! Denny is "Da man!" teaching, playing and just being a nice guy!
Bobby also had a sign that said "NO TWISTING".
Years after the closing of the Farmers Daughter someone rented the building and turned it into a
Hip Hop nightclub! Quite a shock to a few out of town
folks who would stumble in there thinking they were going to see folks like Denny playing steel in a country band only to find out the place had become the Farmers brother!
Times change but Denny does not. Thank the lord for folks like Denny Mathis!
_________________
Gordon Borland
MSA D10,1974 Fender twin reverb |
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Randy Gilliam
From:
San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Posted 13 Sep 2009 7:22 pm Denny Mathis
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| Well I Went To Play the 100 Year celebration and Denny Mathis(Texas Hall Of Fame Member) and His Wife Ginger Were There For Dennys Class Reunion, After some arm Twisting I Got Him On Stage and I Never Heard My Emmons Sound So Good,After Fraulien, Heart Over Mind,and a Few More Classic Tunes,He came Down, It Made my Day To See Him Play again, We Had George Straits Soundman,He Wasnt Bad Either, Big Crowd and Lots Of Food Music and Rain. Randy Gilliam. |
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