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Topic: Who wrote the instrumental Steel Guitar Rag? |
David Hartley
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Posted 24 Nov 2010 5:35 pm |
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| I was wondering? |
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Jim Bob Sedgwick
From:
Clinton, Missouri USA
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Posted 24 Nov 2010 5:50 pm
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| I believe Leon McAullife (SP) received credit for writing this one. (I too have some days when I can't find my butt with a flashlight and both hands.) (Referring to some days a person cannot play for beans.) |
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Paul Norman
From:
Washington, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 24 Nov 2010 6:54 pm
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Merle Travis, Mc auliffe, Stone.
I dont know the The Stone. But this info came from
a Merle Travis album. Merle plays and sings " Steel guitar rag "
on this album. |
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Paul Norman
From:
Washington, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 24 Nov 2010 7:09 pm
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In another place it says written by Leon Mc auliffe and recorded by Bob Wills in 1936.
Merle must have changed the version some.
I still cant find out who the Stone was. |
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Dave Harmonson
From:
Seattle, Wa
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Posted 24 Nov 2010 7:09 pm
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Merle Travis wrote lyrics after the fact. Leon has credit for the tune, but I've heard a tune a time or two that sounds incredibly similar that was played in the 30's on an open tuned steel bodied guitar by a black man who I don't believe ever got credit. Unless maybe that is the "Stone" mentioned.
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Bill Ladd
From:
Wilmington, NC, USA
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Posted 24 Nov 2010 7:14 pm
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| Cliffie Stone |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 24 Nov 2010 8:41 pm
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When I hear the start of SGR I can relate it to strains of "When The Saints Go Marching In". Sometimes ideas for certain songs can go clear back to Civil War songs.
Last edited by Billy Tonnesen on 25 Nov 2010 1:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Dave O'Brien
From:
Florida and New Jersey
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Posted 24 Nov 2010 9:11 pm Sgr
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Ok so who wrote "Steel Guitar Rag"?
_________________
Dave O'Brien
Emmons D-10, CMI D-10, Fender Deluxe Reverb, PV 112, Fender Pro Reverb
www.myspace.com/daveobrienband |
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Doug Palmer
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 25 Nov 2010 4:34 am Sgr
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Thanks Bob, I enjoyed that.
Doug
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 25 Nov 2010 6:37 pm
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| thanks for the link to weaver...he was the first! the steel guitar rag is a rip! never knew that |
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Earnest Bovine
From:
Los Angeles CA USA
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David Hartley
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Posted 25 Nov 2010 10:04 pm Hi
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| That's the first time I have ever heard the guitar rag. That is without doubt where the steel guitar rag came from, you can hear that straight away. |
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Dave Harmonson
From:
Seattle, Wa
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Posted 25 Nov 2010 11:07 pm
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Reminds of when I saw Dave Van Ronk and he told about Fats Waller telling him "If you can't write, rewrite. If you can't rewrite, copyright."
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Brett Day
From:
Pickens, SC
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Posted 1 Dec 2010 7:17 pm Re: Sgr
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| Dave O'Brien wrote: |
| Ok so who wrote "Steel Guitar Rag"? |
It was written by Leon McAuliffe, who played steel for Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. It was first recorded by Bob Wills in 1936.
Brett |
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Stephen Gregory
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Posted 1 Dec 2010 8:43 pm Re: Sgr
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| Brett Day wrote: |
| Dave O'Brien wrote: |
| Ok so who wrote "Steel Guitar Rag"? |
It was written by Leon McAuliffe, who played steel for Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. It was first recorded by Bob Wills in 1936.
Brett |
MCauliffe may have copyrighted it but it was certainly written by someone else much earlier. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 1 Dec 2010 9:32 pm
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| Quote: |
| It was written by Leon McAuliffe, who played steel for Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. It was first recorded by Bob Wills in 1936. |
Not really... the song was written and first recorded in 1923 by Sylvester Weaver and it was called "Guitar Rag" click here . Leon McAuliffe played it on his steel guitar, called it "Steel Guitar Rag" and copyrighted it. He gets the credit, but he didn't write the song.
Wikipedia has an interesting blurb on Sylvester Weaver and his song(s):
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| "Guitar Rag"... became a blues classic and was covered in the 1930s by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys as "Steel Guitar Rag" and became a country music standard too. |
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John Drury
From:
Gallatin, Tn USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2010 6:34 am
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| b0b wrote: |
Sylvester Weaver's "Guitar Rag" pre-dates Leon McAuliff's recording. It's very similar. Give it a listen:
http://www.we7.com/#/song/Sylvester-Weaver/Guitar-Rag+1
Leon is credited as the author on Bob Wills' record. Merle Travis and Cliffie Stone added the lyrics some time later. |
I can't believe what just came out of my speakers!
Man! Did "Sly" get screwed or what?
I had never heard that recording until just now!
Aaaaaaw Leon!
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John Drury
NTSGA #3
"Practice cures most tone issues" ~ John Suhr |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2010 12:56 pm
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I do think it's a bit generous to say the later McAuliffe version is "similar" to the Weaver cut.
I really would like to believe that Leon was under a lot of pressure to come up with an instrumental and regurgitated the Weaver tune with a little massage... and it just got away from him...
To think he lived out his career knowing it was largely kickstarted with a blatant theft would be very sad. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 2 Dec 2010 1:34 pm
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| I do think it's a bit generous to say the later McAuliffe version is "similar" to the Weaver cut. |
I agree, Mark. It's almost a note for note copy. Whatever the circumstance... sub-conscience plagiarism, blatant plagiarism, or whatever... Leon was able to copyright the song in his name with no objection from Weaver or his record company. I guess things were a little looser in the 1930s. That would never be allowed today. Maybe Weaver did not have the wherewithal or the interest to pursue legal action. The financial incentive certainly would have been there because the Texas Playboys were huge in the 1930s and sold a lot of records.
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Alvin Blaine
From:
Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2010 5:22 pm
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I do think it's a bit generous to say the later McAuliffe version is "similar" to the Weaver cut. |
I agree, Mark. It's almost a note for note copy. Whatever the circumstance... sub-conscience plagiarism, blatant plagiarism, or whatever... Leon was able to copyright the song in his name with no objection from Weaver or his record company. I guess things were a little looser in the 1930s. That would never be allowed today. Maybe Weaver did not have the wherewithal or the interest to pursue legal action. The financial incentive certainly would have been there because the Texas Playboys were huge in the 1930s and sold a lot of records. |
and who's to say that Weaver get the song the same way Leon did?
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Paul Graupp
From:
Macon Ga USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2010 5:53 pm
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Just because the verse of SGR sounds the same or at least kinda similar does not make the song the same !!
The bridge on Guitar Rag is in no way similar to the SGR steel players have been playing since Leon played it his way !! Same positions perhaps but the same...I need to go get my ears checked !!   
Regards, Paul  |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 2 Dec 2010 9:35 pm
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...again, I quote Wikipedia:
| Quote: |
| "Guitar Rag"... was covered in the 1930s by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys as "Steel Guitar Rag" |
Yes, Leon added a third section, but the main melody of "Steel Guitar Rag" was lifted from "Guitar Rag" almost note for note.
As far as the origin of the tune... who knows? But Weaver was the first one to record it (on Okeh Records, 1923) and according to wikipedia his recordings did quite well during the 1920s. So Guitar Rag did get airplay back in those days.
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Alvin Blaine
From:
Picture Rocks, Arizona, USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2010 11:40 pm
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| Doug Beaumier wrote: |
Yes, Leon added a third section, but the main melody of "Steel Guitar Rag" was lifted from "Guitar Rag" almost note for note.
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Weaver's second recording of the tune, April 13, 1927 (OKeh 8480), has the third part JUST like Leon's future version.
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