** Bobby Koefer: Still Steelin' **

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Scan down about 20 posts in this thread to see pictures of Bobby
=============================================
Over the past several months a number of you have mentioned Bobby Koefer in various posts, mostly praising his playing. Bobby and his wife, Judy, have a computer and an email account, but otherwise they are not too active on the Internet -- so I have passed some of your comments on to him. He seemed truly surprised that anyone really thought he was good. I recently asked and was given his permission to post a report on his status. So, this thread is to update you on his status and history and to add a few words of my own regarding this steel guitar phenomenon.

As most of you know, Bobby played steel with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys from 1950 until 1952, after which he replaced me in Pee Wee King’s Golden West Cowboys when I went off to become a Korean War hero. When I returned from military service Terry Tiche (who played lead guitar) had just left the band to go to California, so Pee Wee offered me Terry’s old job on lead guitar. Thus, I was privileged to spend a year or two working with Bobby. I had told Pee Wee that I wanted to take a month off for R&R before I hit the road with them again. He said, “OK, but you need to learn some new arrangements Koefer has written, because we have a recording session coming up next month to record an album called Swing West.” Koefer made some tapes showing me his parts and my parts for all of the “Twin” stuff he had arranged. I spent much of my “R&R” break sitting with those tapes and learning some very difficult harmony parts that Bobby had worked out.

Bobby eventually left Pee Wee to join Billy Gray, who had been Hank Thompson’s band leader and was forming his own western swing group. When that group failed to catch on as had been expected, Bobby formed his own group and spent the next 5-1/2 years playing 6 nights each week in a night club in Wichita.

As the music scene began to change, Bobby’s second love, his interest in remote places, cultures and adventure took over. He went to Alaska and spent over 20 years in and out of there, working construction during the summers. (It was seasonal due to climate.) He became deeply involved in the Eskimo culture during several winters; traveled to other remote parts of the world and several times fell back on his music.

After returning from Alaska in 1980, Bobby re-joined the Texas Playboys. As most of you know, Bob Wills is no longer with us, but the Playboys and the great Bobby Koefer are still alive and kickin’ butt. Bobby lives in Bend, Oregon and travels with the Playboys (usually by air, now-a-days) when they are booked – and he still plays the same old Fender triple neck that he used in the old days.

Bobby asked me to extend his best wishes to all of you. I don’t want to post his email address here, but if any of you who know him or worked with him want to send him messages, email them to me at royayres@earthlink.net and I will be happy to forward them to him.

Oh, by the way, Bobby never went to pedals -- but Bobby never needed pedals.

Roy Ayres

[This message was edited by Roy Ayres on 05 July 2003 at 10:45 AM.]

Scott Henderson · From: Camdenton, Missouri, USA

I met Bobby in Pawhuska Oklahoma at the Bob Wills reunion. What a great guy and great player. In tickles me how he holds bar. And he explains that when you pick it up you grab it like this and that's the way you hold it...as good as he plays maybe I should do that to hahahaha send my best to him from vern and all the swingers in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Jerry Horner · From: Tahlequah, OK, USA

Bobby is and always will be the biggest influence in my music. I've known Bobby for about 47 years. I talked to him by phone about 6 months ago and he had just had his 73rd birthday and was still going strong. He was supprised to know that I still had the foot pedal he had given me back in those early years. That's something I will never part with.
I don't think Bobby knows how much respect he really has in the steel world. I know he has all of mine and always will have. They don't make them like Bobby anymore.

Jerry

Howard Kalish · From: Austin, Tx USA

And he does a mean Hawaiian War Chant.

John McGann · From: Boston, Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

It is always great to hear a unique voice on steel; when I first heard Bobby on the Time Warp Tophands recordings, I said "WHAT!?!?" in amazement and delight many times...anyone who hasn't heard him should do themselves a big favor and track down some of his stuff, it is really imaginative, incredibly musical, and funny as hell!

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

To me
Bobby Koefer is one of the greatest steel players to ever pick up a bar and picks.

Thanks Roy for starting this thread.I just saw this.

My Best to all of you Bobby Koefer fans.

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Thanks, Jody. You may be ugly, but you sure know good steel when you hear it.

Your buddy,

Roy

Jerry Horner · From: Tahlequah, OK, USA

Jody,
I believe you mean bar and thumb pick.

Jerry

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

I never heard of Bobby Koefer until 1989 when Lynn Owlsey was carrying the guys stuff in at the ISGC and passed me along the way and said "Watch this guy. He's awsome. Awlsome would be more like it. I seen The Big E taking pictures at the foot of the stage and the respect was very present. He walked away from the stage wiping his eyes. I kind of thought it was Koefer getting to him and the rest of us as well. All I know is when they made the final announcement "Here's Bobby Koefer!" this guy took off like a rocket and had that place jumping in seconds. You had to be there to describe it but instantly you knew who was in charge and this guy was on in a very big way. He never looked at his strings! Try that one! At that time I didn't give the non-pedal players credit for much but I hadn't heard Koefer. I read about him in Tom Bradshaws magazine. This guy's a legend.

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

How about you Buddy, could you post a pix or ten from back then? I seen you take them shots. How did they turn out?

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

Bobby Koefer is one of the great players of our time. He used to knock me out the way he could play without looking at his guitar. He was also Bobby Garrett's hero as well as mine in the "old days". I was priviliged to attend a party in Buddy's suite at the 1989 ISGC and was nice renewing friendship and talking to Bobby. Great to hear Bobby is still hanging in there. Jody.

Graham Griffith · From: Tempe, N.S.W., Australia

Bobby's fantastic ... wild ... need I say more!

Graham

Joan Cox · From: Eustace, TX USA

Roy, thanks for your post about Bobby Koefer. I hope he's doing well. You said that you would be passing some things along to him. I don't know if he would remember me or not, but I had the thrill of a lifetime when I got to play on stage with him, Leon Rausch, Tommy Allsup and the rest of the Playboys at the Western Swing Festival in 1996 in Snyder, TX. He was a very gracious man and was quite a showman. He was very nice to me and very encouraging. I haven't seen him since then and treasure the pictures that someone took of he and I on stage at that show. Again, I don't know if he will remember me or not, because I know he's played a bunch of shows since 1996, but please tell him that I said "hey", and give him my best wishes. My last name was Herndon back then. Thank you for letting everyone know about Bobby. I sure would love to see him play again sometime.
Joan Cox

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Joan:

I guarantee that Bobby will get every message posted in this thread as well as any private messages sent to him via my email address at royayres@earthlink.net

Roy

Mike Black · From: New Mexico, USA

Roy, glad you got reconnected with Bobby. He is one of only a few players that never changed his style, or his strings, in 60+ years. There are licks that are distinctly his. I'm flabbergasted that he's not in the ISGHoF! HINT HINT HINT

One time I was in Ruidoso, New Mexico attending a big tribute show for Western Swing Legends Cindy Walker and Eldon Shamblin and Bobby was there, it was our first meeting. I asked him if he minded if I tried out his steel. He said sure and left. I was messing around with his 7 string Custom, (Why 7 strings? He told me one broke and it was easier to remove one off the other necks then replace the one that broke!) After about 15 minutes he comes up behind me and very loudly starts accusing me of trashing his steel, anyone that's seen it knows what I mean. "Look at what you did to it, it was beautiful when I left" "How can I play that now?" Etc Etc. It was embarrasing but he had a good laugh at my red faced expense as I stood there stammering like Jackie Gleason! We've been friends since.
A great guy, full of life and very helpful to the non pedal enthusiast. He dosen't wait for the phone to ring, still travels, back country skis, mountian bikes and hikes the Cascades. He even keeps useing the Custom steel Fender gave to him when he was with PeeWee. The Fender ad from the day states "Bob Koefer with Pee Wee King's Orchestra prefers Fender". At one time he was wanting to down size and I tried to talk him into trading me that Custom for a Dual Pro I had at the time, but he told me he was just too attached to it. I did give him some spare parts, a set of tuners, a PU and fretboard just in case he should ever need them.
There's a great CD loaded with Koeferism's, it's called "Cactus Setup" by James Mason(fiddle and electric mandolin)and Becky Kilgore (rhythm guitar and vocals) It's a KILLER disc if you can find it! And I can never say enough good things about the TimeWarp~TopHands. Must have discs are volumes 2+3 "Let's Ride with Bob and Tommy" and "Let's take another Ride with Bob and Tommy" Get 'em and go "Ridin' on a Fender!!"

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Mike:

I sincerely appreciate your having connected me with Bobby a short while back. It had been some 40+ years since I had seen or talked to him. Once he and I got started emailing back and forth, it occurred to me that the rest of the steel guitar world may like to have a snapshot of his life and current status. I asked his permission to start this thread and he gave me his OK, but he didn't think anyone would be interested. I think the responses the thread is eliciting may convince him that his great talent has not gone unnoticed by his steel-pickin' peers.

Stoney Stonecipher · From: Knoxville, TN (deceased)

Bobby Koefer is a great steel player. He has not gotten the credit that he deserves. He is a great friend also. Tell him I said Hi........Stoney

Tommy White · From: Nashville

When I was just trying to learn to play, my dad brought a PeeWee King record home for me. WOW! Bobby played a solo on a song called "Last night on the back porch" that I'll never forget. I said to my dad, that is the best pedal steel solo I'm probably ever going to hear. Dad replied, yes son it is, but you're mistaken, that guy has no pedals. Again, Wow! Unbelievable, no pedals. I could have sworn I heard.....Anyway, I still think it is some of the best steel playing I've ever heard even today.
30 or so years later I had the honor of meeting Bobby and the playboys while working on Music City Tonight on what was then TNN. Bobby still played his fanny off while smiling to the camera and made my day by being such a fine gentleman. Bobby remains one of my heroes as does my dad for introducing me to such great music.
T.W.

Lonnie Portwood · From: Jacksonville, fl. USA

ditto on the plaing and liveliness of this fine man. we had thr\e pure pleasure of hosting The Playboys" with Koeffer in march of 2002 here in Fl, at Silver Springs and later that night in Jacksonville, fl. where we opened up for them., one of the highlights of my life was sitting up front watching Bobby and Tommy Alsup doiung their thing. what a great guy!!. Lonnie Portwood

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Ok guys,
I will go find whatever recordings you guys say and spend some quality time with them.

What CD's should I find ?

thanks, Bob

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

I received the following email from Frank Parish, along with some pictures I told him I would post here for him.

quote:

Roy,
If you were there in 89 at the ISGC you would've had to remember seeing Bobby Koefer. I get a little bored sometimes at these shows because a lot of the time you hear the same tunes. Bobby Koefer opened that show with a bang and had the crowd jumping from the first note. I never seen him look at his strings as he straddled the back leg on that old guitar. He played with some kind of a flat bar and appeared to use only his thumb to pick with. His right hand would hang clear over the front of that guitar and you can see where he's wore all of the finish off on the front. I read in Tom Bradshaws Steel Guitarist magazine this guitar and the amp he used at the time had been in a flood. The guitar survived but the amp didn't. I was really surprised to see this guy there because from what I'd heard and read he'd pretty much quit playing or at least that's what I thought. If he'd quit it never showed in his playing. The guy was in command of that stage from the first note and it was the best set I've seen to date at any of these shows. The Big E was sitting just below him taking pictures and as he left he took his glasses off and wiped his eyes. I wish I'd had a picture of that because it was something to see. It was just electric there that night. You guys ain't seen nothing until you see Bobby Koefer!
Frank

The next three pictures are Bobby at the 1989 ISGC furnished by Frank.
The last picture is Bobby when I worked with him in the early 50’s.

[This message was edited by Roy Ayres on 05 July 2003 at 10:39 AM.]

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

Roy, this is an extract from one of my previous posts. I'd betcha that Bobby would get a kick out of it.

.....Many years later Bob returned to Oklahoma City and had a noon radio broadcast from the Trianon Ballroom....I forget whether that was the late 50's or the early 60's, but it was about the time Koefer started with Bob. I remember sitting on "adjoining stools" in the Trianon resttoom with Bob and he asked how I liked his new steel player (Koefer). Bob said he was amazed how the guy played with his thumb while looking like a cub-bear pawing at a pile of ----!....

www.genejones.com

[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 05 July 2003 at 12:21 PM.]

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Gene:

I'll see that Bobby hears that one. Incidentally, he was "Bob" to us in the old days. He said Bob Wills gave him the "Bobby" label.

Jerry Horner · From: Tahlequah, OK, USA

The last picture of Bobby was taken by me at the Hi Ho Club in Wichita, Kansas in 1956.

Jerry

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Thanks, Jerry. I "stole" it from Rick Tyson's site. That's the way I remember Koefer.

Forum Index > Steel Players	Goto page 1, 2 Next	Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic