No Respect For Tommy

Peter Dollard · Posted 22 Nov 2003 5:53 pm

I have no problem with people not using the steel on the Opry especially if it has nothing to do with the essential character of the song but Le Anne Rimes and Radney Foster both played songs (Blue and Just Call Me Lonesome) without the studio pedal steel.

On the studio versions there was some great steel courtesy of Milos Deering and Radney's studio guy and yet they replaced it with an acoustic guitar with a dinky sounding slide and Hoot Heste's fiddle trying to cover the backup that was rendered so beautifully on an old fender steel on the record.

Wheres Tommy?, don't they have any respect for the guy or what? It's the Grand Old Opry and there is a world class steel player and they don't use him. They treated it like a Vegas lounge gig...Peter

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Perhaps the Opry ain't so Grand anymore.

Paul King · From: Gainesville, Texas, USA

That is why I do not watch the Opry anymore. It used to be I tuned in and saw Weldon Myrick as he sat in the main cameras range. Now Tommy White is there and a great steel player and they act like he is not even a musician on the staff. I had just as soon sleep than watch the not so Grand Ole Opry.

Mike Headrick · From: South Pittsburg, TN, USA

Changes are afoot at the Ole Opry. A very close source tells me Bud Wendell will soon be managing the Opry again. That COULD be very good. We'll see.

Dave Robbins · From: Cottontown, Tnn. USA (deceased)

It's the "artist call" on whether they use a staff player or not. LeeAnn doesn't have a steel player, so therefore there was non. I think that was also the case for Radney.
Of course, I would have liked to have heard the steel solo on "Blue" as well as anyone else, but they apparently had made other "arrangements" wthout steel. I'm sure Tommy would have been glad to have played. Tommy did take a great solo behind Vince Gill on "Look at Us" playing his "new Fessenden" but that was on the second show and not on TV. You sure miss a lot when you'r not there in person for the whole thing.
I don't think you can blame the Opry or management on this one!

Also, I believe that will be Bud Wendell "Jr."

Uh...oh yeah..."we did use steel" on our part of the show!

Dave

Jeff Coffell · From: Killeen Texas

Any so called "artist" that don't know Tommy White is there and what a monster steel player he is, SHOULDN'T BE ON THE DAMN OPRY to start with.

Jeff "PLUMB COUNTRY / MAJOR TOMMY WHITE FAN" Coffell

Walter Stettner · From: Vienna, Austria

I just mentioned this on another topic:

I think this is a general trend, from the view of producers and directors: Whenever it comes to Steel solo, camera's showing the audience, the piano player, the fingers of the lead guitar player, everything but the Steel. I'm under the impression, many people (incl. artists!) are ASHAMED to have a Steel on stage!!! It reminds me of the old days at the Opry when they were hiding the drum kit behind a curtain.

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Theresa Galbraith · From: Goodlettsville,Tn. USA

The camera was on Dave several times!

Theresa

Charles Curtis · Posted 23 Nov 2003 5:04 am

It is my opinion that one observes an analogy to the Japanese auto mfgs taking more of the big three's share by giving the customer what they want in lieu of "boss hoss" attitude. I don't consider some of the music country and in most cases, unless there is a pedal steel, forget it. I don't believe any other instrument can convey the emotion available in the psg.

Andy Alford · Posted 23 Nov 2003 6:42 am

The Opry is selling many tickets by giving the people what they want.They are progressive in that they bring the latest stars to the show.The steel guitar is a great part of the past country sound but today it is not used as much.Most hit songs, have little or no steel in them.The steel, is not the other voice in today's country music.As the older stars, continue to die,and the new ones come on stage look for less and less traditional sounds.Country music has changed.The opry seems to be drawing great numbers who are loving the shows,but the Opry of crying steel guitars is history.Traditional country will never recover from its life support status.

[This message was edited by Andy Alford on 23 November 2003 at 06:48 AM.]

Walter Stettner · From: Vienna, Austria

AND THAT'S EXACTLY THE PROBLEM!
The Opry will be one show among others, playing hit after hit, but they do the same thing in supermarkets, you'll hear hit after hit while shopping for groceries.
Also, I don't think it's completely true that country is using the Steel less and less. Alan Jackson's new record is proof of that, also Vince Gill owes a lot to John Hughey. I know that personality is not the most important thing today, producers are looking for the slick and polished sounds that sells records, everybody wants to be Pop because of the money. How many singers switched from starting in Country to straight Pop: LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Lee Ann Womack.

I just was asked by a friend of mine if I would attend the Shania Twain Concert in Vienna in January 2004, he was all embarrassed when I said NO, I don't think her music has anything to do with Country anymore. But probably she fits right in there at the OPRY!
Walter

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Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

first of all I do`nt understand what was LeAnn doing on the Opry???does she sing country music?I must be missing something here, and second,Rodney,who is Rodney?I heard his name once or twice but there was days when they would not let Elvis play on Opry because he was NOT country.Like someone said already here,"maybe the opry isn`t so great anymore"...and I agree,when you have an artist who plays songs like "Just call me lonesome" with no steel but some dude playing lead on Les Paul,I think that is far less country that Elvis was.Too bad,people are coming from all over the world to see some real country music and what they get?Not even a lick on the steel.Pitiful.I think they are ashamed,they think that steel would make everything sound too country.LeAnn didn`t make it on the pop scene because there are many other better talented singers than her who also look better than her.If I want to listen pop I listen Celine Dion and if I want to see some booty I switch to Bionce Knowels so LeAnn is realy nothing I would be interested in.I just hope she is not trying to make a comeback into the country,she doesn`t have anything good to give to the country music.Sad but truth and just my two cents.
country fan,Damir

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Walter Stettner · From: Vienna, Austria

Good point, Damir!
I think that everybody should make music the way he/she likes it, it is just a matter of personal taste, but why label everything "Country" just because the singer started in Country Music years ago?
Here is a short list of singers who recorded country albums at one time, but nobody would ever have thought considering them as major country artists: Louis Armstrong, Tina Turner, Dean Martin, Tom Jones, Ray Charles, Elvis Costello.
If somebody sees greener fields somewhere else, no problem, but the change should be noted somewhere!
I remember reading a record review in a Country Music publication in Europe for a soundtrack where the only track "associated" with Country Music was LeAnn Rimes' "Can't Fight The Moonlight"!

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jim milewski · From: stowe, vermont

I heard Vince Gill sing "Young Mans Town" live on the opry, it was on the radio here, I didn't know it was on the opry when listening, all I knew it was live, then Vince said, "take it Tommy", this solo was second to none!!! amazing, how this guy has such control, technical and emotional on the steel, now that he has taken possesion of the most gorgeous steel Jerry Fessenden has ever made, I wish I had broadband so I could listen to the opry, I'm sure it's gonna turn more heads

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Damir,

In one part of your post you imply that without the steel the music isn't country:

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

Well, thank goodness for singers like Jean Sheppard. She did a great job and Dave sounded and looked great as as always behind that Emmons guitar. Jean always makes it show that she appreciates her steel player. Way to go Dave (and Jean).
Jerry

[This message was edited by Jerry Roller on 23 November 2003 at 11:13 AM.]

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

Bob, I think I understood Damir's post fairly well, and it's not contradictory IMHO. In the first sentence you quoted, Damir was expressing his own opinion of the quality of the "country-ness" of Radney's performance to Elvis' performance, both without steel. His opinion was Elvis' was the far more "country," and implied that the slide guitar screwed it up. He doesn't state the opinion that steel should be on everything or else it's not "country."

In the next sentence you quoted, Damir was referring to the opinions of those artists trying to appeal to the "pop" market, they being ashamed of steel guitar and that steel would make the sound too country for the pop field.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 23 November 2003 at 11:22 AM.]

Mike Cass · Posted 23 Nov 2003 12:02 pm

while its true that psg can be hard to find on the TV portion of the GOO from time to time, the radio is where to listen to it. TW does get to play in that venue even if he's shorted on the TV spots. Thats just political & nothing more. The labels now have what they've always wanted: the Opry as their own personal showcase....& maybe thats a good thing. Guys like Joe Nichols (who I believe used either TW or Terry on his album) get exposure. That boy sings, and well. While we may have to put up with less polished acts on there from time to time, getting a Vince, Joe, Brad Paisley or a Martina makes it worth it, imho.
the TV spot isnt really the Opry, but more like a 1 hr commercial. The real Opry is still @ 650AM on yer radio dial.

mc

[This message was edited by Mike Cass on 23 November 2003 at 04:20 PM.]

Fred Einspruch · From: Alaska

I no longer get the GOO on TV since it moved off of CMT a few weeks ago. Before that I watched it frequently. Even though the solo player is often not present in the mix, the TV camera does not feature the soloist, every now and then a real gem comes across.

Awhile ago Tommy did a great solo on a song called "old enough to know better, but still too young to care" This was a killer solo that was both present in the mix and the video was on Tommy the whole time. I am not even sure that this song would be classified as "certified country", but I liked it.

Another Gem I caught a couple of weeks before the GOO moved off of CMT was a fiddle quartet featuring Vassar Clemens (sorry if I missed the spelling). This short song was just incredible, as each fiddle player in the quartet did a solo from the youngest to of course Vassar the Master. I think this was in the show hosted by Vince Gill dedicated to Roy Acuff, right after the passing of Johnny Cash.

Any way I got both these gems on video tape, and despite the various short commings of the GOO TV show, they presented a varitey of "country" music, with an occasional real gem thrown out there. I do not think that there is another live country show on TV that could present the quality of artists found on the GOO.

It ain't perfect, but its pretty damn good sometimes.

KENNY KRUPNICK · From: Columbus, Ohio

Is Tommy playing one Jerry's guitars now?

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Herb,
Ok, I see how Damir's post might not be contradictory. So I stand corrected.

But that still doesn't explain Celene Dion.

Bob

Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

I personaly don`t like Celine Dion, just tried to get my point across.I guess from time to time I get frustrated that we have such a great player who doesn`t get as close as much attention as he deserves.I guess at least Vince realized Tommys talent but then again Vince loves country music and has an ear for the steel guitar,he always has the greatest players working with him (Hughey,Manes,White)

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

Coming from a long background in western swing, I had a difficult time making the transition to the country sound (read E9).

I knew I had finally succeeded when the band I had worked with for three years didn't include me in a recording session because "they didn't want to sound country".

www.genejones.com

Theresa Galbraith · From: Goodlettsville,Tn. USA

Celene is one of the best female singers of all times.

I'm glad Vince used Tommy.
Did I mention Dave Robins got camera time?

Theresa

Mike Cass · Posted 23 Nov 2003 5:12 pm

Ive travelled a bit in my time & have never seen another town like Nashville. Only place Ive ever been where you can walk in a club & get yer head handed to you by some steel player who you didnt even suspect existed. Ive watched that show go down & its a hoot! Smile

I think that scares the bejeezus out of the "powers that be" here. They want to know that you can turn it on like a switch, but they never want to hear it. Or, to quote a songwriter I knew, "I guess the rear view of Shania beats the heck outta some old ballad...".

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