Billy Tonnesen - Music Bio 1939 to 2006

Mitch Drumm · From: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Good job, Billy. We all appreciate the effort.

Wasn't Ray Hahn the band that Speedy played with after first arriving in LA?

Tiny Stokes!! I had no idea he had a Southern California connection. I know he was up around Idaho and Montana by the early 1950s.

Cousin Ford Lewis recorded for Bill McCall at 4 Star, along with the Maddox Brothers, Ferlin Husky, Merl Lindsay, and plenty of others. Here is a list of his recordings. Do you recognize any titles?

SINGLES
1164 Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine / Judy – ca 07-47

1165 Ain't Goin' Honkey Tonkin' Anymore / Vagabond's Dream – ca 07-47

1186 I'll Paint Your Picture In My Memories / You Hit The Nail Right On The Head – 09-47

1187 Jukebox Cannonball / When The Roses Bloom Again (For The Bootlegger) – 09-47

1204 Love And Tears / Love Me Now – 12-47

1218 Yellow Rose / Too Blue To Worry Over You – 02-48

1219 Faded Ribbons Of Blue / Love Turns To Hate – 02-48

1220 I'll Never Lose You / Don't Bother Me – 02-48

1312 Hillbilly Gal / Dora – 04-49

1390 Dear John / Best Of The Deal – 10-49

45-1436 Tennessee Border No 2 / Letters Have No Arms – 02-50

45-1503 Troubles On My Mind / I'll Paint Your Picture (In My Memories) – ca 06-50

45-1510 I'm Movin' On / Last Night You Said Goodbye – ca 08-50

Shorty Joe recorded for Bella and Golden West. I know Bobby Black was on some of his tunes, but I'd be interested in knowing any titles you might recall that you were on.

Blake Hawkins · From: Florida

Billy,
Thanks very much for the bio. I've been a fan of
yours since I got a 78 rpm of "We're Gonna Go Fishin'" in 1951.
It was hard to find Western Swing Music in Augusta,
Georgia in the '40's and '50's.
I would visit the local record stores every week looking for the music.
The Capitol recordings you did with Ole Rasmussen are all first rate.
Blake

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

Mitch:
Speedy West went to work with Ray Hahn sometime after I quit to go with Ole Rasmussen.

Tiny Stokes lived in my home town of Bell, Ca. One afternoon when I was at his house he wrote "Judy -your my angel your my Darling". I think Cousin Ford Lewis recorded it with Les "Carrot Top" Anderson on
Steel. I can't remember what songs myself and Earl Finley on Lead Guitar played on. Earl reminded me
of the session which I had forgot about.

Some of the songs with Shory were "Please Forget".
"My China Doll" with girl singer Randy Nissen, "Santa Clara Valley", but can't remember the
rest. I got a call from Shorty thiw morning and he
has been recovering from a bad fall but is O.k.
Shorty has made a CD of his Music career and there
is a film of when I played with the Band at Tracy Gardens. I don't know how to down load it and put it on U-Tube. Shorty gave me permission to uwe it any way I wanted to. Larry Black (Bobby's brother) was playing Lead Guitar.

Blake: Thanks for te kind words !

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

I left out the Tommy Duncan recordings on Entro Records around 1950 or 1951.
Tommy used myself and the rest of the Ole Rasmussen Band (without the Accordian). We cut two sessions for a total of eight sides.
o There's Not A Cow In Texas.
o Look Who's Sorry Now.
o Sick Sober and Sorry.
o Mississippi River Blues.
o Wrong Road Home.
o You were Wrong.
o My Wild Flower.
o I'm Suing You.
These are included in a Bear Family CD of Tommy Duncan recordings after he left Bob Wills.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

I've been hoping for a thread on your musical life since you came aboard, Billy. Thanx!

LJ Eiffert · From: California, USA

Billy,you still got a lot more in your history in our neighborhood as to how much of a great musician you are.I've enojyed working with you with Larry Settle & the late " Jack Tucker " who helped some many young musicians like myself to learn how to play country music. Thanks for the memories.Brutal Leo

Andrew Brown · From: Houston, Texas, USA

Great info, Billy. Thanks for making the effort and posting it here.

To help telescope one date: for 1952-54 you mention replacing Bobby Black in Shorty Joe's band while Bobby left to join "a band in Texas in Oklahoma."

That band was Blackie Crawford and his Western Cherokees, and Bobby was with them from about January, 1953 to September, 1953.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Billy, thanks a bunch for posting your bio for all to read and realize what an inspiration you and your music have been to all us old SoCal pickers. I remember at one point when you were at the SkyLite with Hank Manzell. I was at the Swizzle Stik in Huntington Beach at that time and was off on Sunday nights so I'd usually go by the SkyLite and sit off in the corner and watch you play that Fender 1000. I was more or less experimenting with playing steel full time and was playing mostly guitar in my band. I was amazed at the way you'd be playing a song and change necks during the tune without missing a lick. Also the tone you got out of the rig was awesome. I don't remember exactly what amp you had, but it was a Fender which looked like it might have been a "Concert" or something with four ten inch speakers in it. Do you still have that amp or any of your old equipment, steels, etc? How 'bout telling us some of the guitars you still have in your possession? I still remember when you bought that Sierra from Blackie with the 12 string neck on the outside and the 10 string neck on the inside, a pretty cool idea IMHO. I used to have a shot of you behind that steel but I can't find it.

Also, we used to have an old Ole Rasmussen 78 or "Tuxedo Junction" with Teddy Wilds on vocals and I know you were on steel on that one too! Thanks again........JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!

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

Hi Jerry: Thanks for asking for my Bio. My Family
appreciated it too. I think the Amp I was using at
the Skylite was a prototype for the Fender Concert Amp with the four 10" Speakers. It didn'teven have numbers for the dials Leo had given the Amp to
Bobby Hines who worked at the Factory. Leo gave Bobby another Amp to try out and did not want the first one back. Bobby sold it to me for $200.00 with the money going to Leo for Gas for his Boat. It was probably the best Amp I ever had. Over the years I went back to a 15" Speaker Fender Amps. In the 70's I used a Carvin twin 10" for a while and then bought a Peavy Clone from Blackie Taylor, some
outfit in the Mid-West and after it finally died I bought a Peavy-400 from Blackie which I still have. I could usually find a good sound with most Amps by adjusting the Controls to my Ear.

My Pedal Steels from 1958 and forward Were:
4-Neck, 9-Pedal Wright Custom. (short lived, burned up)
Fender-1000
Sierra D10-12, 9-Pedals, 4-Knee Levers

Non-pedal
6-string Gebs student model with 6" Speaker Amp.
6-string Sunburst Gibson 12" Speaker and a yellow Linen Amp.
Console-Non-Pedal
3*necked Custom "Barder" (one of a kind). I used this on all recordings with Ole Rasmussen, Tommy Duncan, Jimmy Dolan and Frank Sinatra. I have previously posted pictures of this Guitar.

Mitch Drumm · From: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

That Barder is a dandy looking guitar:

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

Hi Mitch: Thanks for posting the "Barder" pictures.
As you can see Mr. Barder used Rickenbacher pickups which along with the 20 year old woods gave the Guitar a great tone. Later on when I adopted Herb Remington's inverted tuning on the inide neck, Paul Bigsby made me new Nuts to fit the strings on all three necks. Paul thought it was a great Guitar and periodically would re-string it for me with his brand of strings. I had variouw stands for the Guitar and never played it on my lap. It was very heavy and hard to play the inside neck if it was on my lap.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Billy:

Were you on Rasmussen's "CHARLESTON ALLEY" on Capital?

If so, what g'tar and amp?

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

Hi Ray:
Yes, I was on Charlston Alley and all the rest of the
Capitol Recordings. I used the "Barder" non-pedal
Guitar with the Richenbacher pickups. I also used
a Fender 15" Amp but don't remembner the Model No.
Charleston Alley was brought to our attention by Trombonist Kenny Cannan (not sure how last name was spelled). Kenny had been working with Bob Wills. The Guitar-Tombone parts were Myself on Melody, Lead Guitar player Earl Finley on 2nd part and Kenny playing 3rd part on the Trombone. Back at that time there was no Reverb or Digital Delay assessories. Capitol Producers Ken Nelson and Lee Gillette really brought the Band together soundwise on the reccordings. That old Guitar had just a super tone, I wish I could have heard Jerry Byrd play it !

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

Another high point in my Career was in 1992 when I was voted into The Sacramento Western Swing Society Hall of Fame. Along with myself, also voted in, were Bobby Black and Peewee Whitewing. After the Ceremonies we all had a Jam Session Vance Terry was sitting in the audience right in front of me. Vance was already in the HOF and did not play. That was a really great day !

Mark Durante · From: St. Pete Beach FL

Your bio is appreciated Billy and thanks for all your contributions. You were there and helped make it all happen.

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

When I played with the "Shorty Joe" Band in San Jose , Ca. while I was in the Army at Fort Ord, Ca. Mostly 1953 & 1954.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

If there was ever a non-pedal multi to copy, that Barder might just be it!

Great pix too.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Billy, isn't that Larry Black (Bobby's brother) holding the Telecaster in that shot?....JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!

Mitch Drumm · From: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Yep, it is, Jerry.

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

Mitch:
Yes that sure is Larry Black. In this picture he was only about 18 years old. He was already a great player.We played all lot of Twin Guitar music with Hank Doust on Accordian picking up the 3rd part.
I was so sad on his passing as I always hoped to see him again. Shorty Joe has has a new CD on his career and there are some film shorts from Tracy Gardens on the CD with Larry and I. I wish we could get them posted on the Forum. Shorty said it would be OK with him.

Mitch Drumm · From: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Billy:

I didn't realize it at first, but that appears to be your Barden guitar in that photo you posted of you and Larry at Tracy Gardens.

I notice it has legs in that photo, but the later color pic of you playing it recently shows no legs. I didn't realize that guitar ever had legs and am wondering if you abandoned them along the way? It looks like it would be tough playing the inside neck without legs.

Or is that a different guitar?

Maybe those Shorty Joe clips will show up on Youtube.

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

Mitch:
The Barder 3-Meck was sitting on a 3-legged table
stand I had built for it. The Guitar was very heavy being it was not hollow. The inside neck could not really be played if the Guitar was sitting on my lap. The wood top of the stand was routed out to fit the main body of the Guitar, about 1/4" deep so the Guitar could not slip around. Chrome screw in legs went into chrome receptables attached to bottom of the wood top. Unfortunatly, over the years the stand has been lost. The wood on the stand was flocked with a neutral color so as to not take away from the looks of the Guitar. If the Guitar was ever to be really used again I would have someone attach removable legs to the Guitar itself.

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Billy. Do you know what ever became of the Horton Bros that played at the old Skylite club in Compton i believe it was? Tracy

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

Tracy:

I heard the Horton Bros. (Jerry & Clarence) left California, possibly for Texas. As I remember, they were very Religious. I never quite understood their playing at the Skylite. They both worked together in the daytime doing Gardening work. I think they had bought a Route. The Latinos had not yet pretty much taken over this industry.
They were some on the nicest Guys I ever worked with !

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