Red Rhodes

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

I was asked by a friend who was a fan of the Steel Guitar "What year did Red Rhodes die?" and I wasn't sure. I know it was in the 90's. Does anyone know the exact date? Thanks in advance.....JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Bob Knight · From: Bowling Green KY

Here's some info on Red.

quote:
Orville J. Rhodes was born on December 30, 1930, in East Alston, Illinois and began playing guitar when he was five.
In 1960, Red moved to Los Angeles, California. After some session work, he signed with Crown Records and released albums credited to "Red Rhodes and the Road Runners".

In the late 1960s, Red played on sessions for dozens of artists including Michael Nesmith, James Taylor, The Carpenters, Carole King, and Harry Nilsson.

From the late 1970s until his death in 1995, Red ran a guitar store in California.

[This message was edited by Bob Knight on 06 May 2003 at 04:52 AM.]

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I visited his shop in the late seventies - he had a couple of psg's hanging around to sell. I remember him as being very friendly and welcoming.

Tommy Detamore · From: Floresville, Texas

In his later years Red worked at Groove Tubes and helped design the marvelous Solo (now "Soul-O")amplifier, among other things. His playing on that Willis Alan Ramsey album is so tasteful and still slays me after all these years....

[This message was edited by Tommy Detamore on 06 May 2003 at 06:08 AM.]

David Wright · From: Pilot Point ,Tx USA.

I believe this is Red with Julian...
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DavidWright.us
Sierra Guitars

Sierra S-12 9&7
Peavey-2000-PX-300

[This message was edited by David Wright on 06 May 2003 at 06:36 AM.]

[This message was edited by David Wright on 06 May 2003 at 06:38 AM.]

Bill Fall · From: Richmond, NH, USA

One Carpenters song he played on was "Top Of The World." There were actually two versions of it released, each having different steel intros. The second, more widely distributed release was the one that had Rhodes'intro (the better of the two). Does anyone know who played on the first release? Was it also Rhodes?

Dave Burr · From: League City, TX

See this post about "Top of the World"; http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum15/HTML/001226.html

Red played the intro, and Buddy Emmons played the fills. Just heard this song on the radio this morning.

Respectfully,
Dave Burr

Bill Fall · From: Richmond, NH, USA

Thanks, Dave! Okay, so Rhodes and Emmons share honors on the popular release. But there was another Carpenters release, differing only with steel parts -- as I recall, the intro in particular. One other person mentioned it those threads referenced, but no one commented.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Lynn Anderson also had a good cut on that tune which probably featured Lloyd Green although I'm not sure. I liked Red's playing with Michael Nesmith and the First National Band on a song called "JoAnne" and also Freddy Weller's "Games People Play"..JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

[This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 06 May 2003 at 09:47 AM.]

Jesse Harris · From: Ventura, California, USA

Didnt Snaeaky Pete play on some carpenters records?

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

I bought my first two pedal guitars from Red, back in the late '70s, when he had the shop, Royal Amplifier Repair, on Cahuenga. Every time I drive past Ranchito Ave, where he used to live, I get a twinge of sadness.

Al Gershen · From: Grants Pass, OR, USA * R.I.P.

Hi SGF:

Thanks to Rogue Valley Oregon steeler John Bresler for the email tip today regarding this interesting subject thread about my very good old departed friend, Red Rhodes.

Mike Perlowin wrote above:

"Actually, Red ran an amplifier repair shop. That's what killed him. His illness was the result of asbestos poisoning, which he received from inhaling the stuff at work. Apparently at one time asbestos was used in the construction of amps of speakers enclosures or something."

Mike, I don't believe your statement is correct. As I recall, Red worked in the "old days" for many years for some chemical company (perhaps Shell Oil Co?) and I suspect that that environment created the incubator that ultimately lead to his untimely death. Unfortunately, the truth will probably never be known.

I've never hear of anyone dying from working in an electronic repair shop handling speakers, etc. It's an interesting scenario perhaps worth taking the time to research on the Internet.

One important thing to remember about the music of Red Rhodes was that he was an innovator rather than a follower. He never played the standard E9th tuning....it was always modified substantially to fit his needs.

Another important thing to remember about the person, Red Rhodes, was that he was a very gentle man with a warm heart and always a desire to help and assist other musicians.

I miss Red very much and I consider myself fortunate to have heard him play at one of his last concerts at the Britt Festivals in Jacksonville, Oregon during the early 1990s with the Michael Nesbitt band. (I believe this concert is available on video tape but I've never seen a copy.)

Part of Red is with me every day because I still play his Fender 1000 pedal steel guitar which I purchased from him around 1964 or 1965 (when he replaced it with a Fender 800).

Here's a link to some photos I took for another steeler who wanted to see the underside of Red's guitar:

http://webpages.charter.net/aldg/Aldgs%20music/Gear/Fender%201000/

I hope someday that Red Rhodes gets into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. Isn't it only a matter of time?

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Regards,
Al Gershen
Grants Pass, Oregon. USA
Fender 1000 (1956),
Fender PS 210 (1971) &
Gibson Electraharp EH-820 (1960)
Al's Photographs at http://www.alsphotographs.com

[This message was edited by Al Gershen on 07 May 2003 at 11:46 PM.]

Carl West · From: La Habra, CA, USA (deceased)

Some of the wiring years ago contained asbestos. When I worked for Underwriters Labs. Inc. we had to survey companies that used that material in they manufacturing
of wire.

Carl West

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Al, you may well be correct, but I visited Red in him home about 3 months before he died, and he told me he was suffereng from asbestos poisening, and that he thought he got if from working on the amps.

Either way, it's a shame Red is no longer with us. The world lost a fine musician, and those of us who live in Los Angeles lost a good friend.

I miss him.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

The first time I actually met Red was around 1969 or 70 when I was working with Johnny McKnight at the old Swizzle Stik in Huntington Beach. We had a bass player (Robert G. Shablin AKA Bobby Ray) who had worked with Red at the Bright Torch or someplace like that before he'd came with us. It seems that Bobby didn't have a bass and Red had furnished him one to play. When Bobby left Red's band, he took the bass with him and eventually sold it. Red came to see us at the club and was out for blood, he wanted his bass back! He'd been searching for Bobby for a good while and had finally found him. Thank goodness the club owner really liked Bobby and floated a loan to him to pay Red for the bass and took some money from his pay each week. Red stayed almost all night and at the end of the night he and Bobby were buds again as they were laughing and joking with each other. I saw Red years later at Scotty's and reminded him of this and we had a good laugh about it. Red always was an influence on me in his approach to the steel by not following the "accepted" methods of tuning and setting up the guitar, just do your copedent to accomplish what you want to do and not sound like someone else. I think that type of thinking always has been in vogue more on the west coast than anywhere. The west coast players always seemed to be more "progressive" than copy cat. Look at Red, Sneaky Pete, Ralph Mooney, and our own b0b for some examples

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Henry · From: Europe

Who was the producer on that Carpenters song "Top Of The World."
The different steel intro's is there a story about it?? ( i like RED,,,,,)
But ,,,,Emmons NOT good enough??,,,,HA HA

COME ON,,,,,

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

Yep, David Wright , that's Red allright and Julian. I met Red in California when I was teaching guitar then, somewhere in the 60's I think. I saw him play acouple of times and we had a drink together. He definitely was not a copycat. He had a E6th modifide type tuning. I was interested in that because I always had a E6th tuning since the old days with Alvino Rey.
One thing about Red, he had a pedal with a lock like you hang up a broom with, and it changed some of his tuning, like the B6 lock does now. Then when he didn't want it, he would kick it and release it. Way ahead of his time. I liked his style.I guess it is true , the west coast guys had our own little secrets.....al

David Langdon · From: West Bridgford, Nottingham Notts, United Kingdom

Am I right in thinking that it was Red that played on Olivia Newton John's "Hopelessly devoted"? It sounds very much like him. I remember back in the late seventies trying to copy alot of Red's phrases (Mike Nesmith), but having to do it on standard E9. Some of his wonderfull cascading cromatic scales in 7th etc that were seemless just because of the way he had his steel set up. I remember tales that BE used to joke with him that he couldn't play the steel at all! That was why he played in such a different manner. Red lives on in all of us that have been influenced by him and play with a different approach as a result. Thank you Red.

Ricky Littleton · From: Steely-Eyed Missile Man from Cocoa Beach, Florida USA

I always loved his song "Dana's Waltz"

Ricky

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Emmons LeGrande - 8x4
Session 400 Ltd
Dan-Echo, E-Bow, Ibanez Distortion, Boss Comp./Sustain, Ibanez Auto-Wah

Chip Fossa · From: Monson, MA, USA (deceased)

Henry,
I'm pretty sure Richard Carpenter produced all of the Carpenters songs; that is if you
really meant arrange, instead of produce.
FWIW

Joe Alterio · From: Irvington, Indiana

There are two things I have never been able to figure out relating to Red's death:

1) Did he die from asbestos poisoning (which is what many of his friends have suggested) or from complications related to rheumatoid arthritis (which has been the "official" statement since '95)?

2) Did longtime collaborator Mike Nesmith show up to the funeral? There were rumors that despite their brief reunion in '94/'95, the two were at odds with each other from the late '70s until Red's death.

Joe

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

A DJ friend in Raleigh, NC called me and said he had a demo record he wanted me to have. When I heard it, the first thing I did was send it to Tom Bradshaw saying words to the effect: "You have got to hear this !" And that he did. It was titled Velvet Hammer and Tom had it in his record club soon after that. If you ever wanted to know what Red was all about musically, this is the album.....still on sale by Tom and well worth the listening. I think historical would be the correct word.

Regards, Paul

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