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Topic: Who Is The Oldest Steel Player You Know? |
Paul King
From:
Gainesville, Texas, USA
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Posted 13 Apr 2005 6:30 pm |
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| Today I met a gentleman while doing a delivery. We got to talking and I asked him if he knew an inspector in the town where he retired from. He said yes and that the inspector played the steel guitar. I told him I did too and to my surprise he said I play one too. He is 78 years of age and still picking. The ironic thing about this story is the guitar he has, I have a picture of me sitting behind it in 1981, after my first trip to the Convention in St. Louis. I guess it goes to show you just never know who you might run into and who plays. It sure was nice to meet someone else that plays and strike up a friendship. |
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Frank Parish
From:
Nashville,Tn. USA
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Posted 13 Apr 2005 6:56 pm
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| Nobody could be older than Smiley Roberts! |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 13 Apr 2005 7:16 pm
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My wife and I just lost a great friend to cancer who, at 96, could still rip fantastic music out of his 80 year old fiddle, bang off the steel guitar rag, with four fingers picking the strings, on his dilapidated S10 and, could still do things with his five string banjo that many young guys could not do.
He was the crankiest old bastard one could possibly meet but, who really gave a hoot when you were able to listen to a near century old talent like that. He was still playing gigs out at 91 years old: when he could find someone who could get along with him that is.
As a side note, his name was Al Décore. Born in Wichita Kansas, moved to Canada in 1954. He toured a few times with Hank Snow, Wilf Carter and a few other well known names of 50s.
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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 13 Apr 2005 7:55 pm
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OK, Les, you win. We can close this thread now...  |
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Ben Elder
From:
La Crescenta, California, USA
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Posted 13 Apr 2005 9:14 pm
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Neal Penner, still picking a bit at age 95, but is mostly building and repairing instruments in Oklahoma. He and his brothers formed the "Gloss Mountain Hawaiians" in Fairview, OK (NW part of the state before you get into the panhandle) when he was in his teens and played throughout OK, KS and TX in the late twenties and early thirties. His main instrument was the Hawaiian guitar, favoring a Weissenborn in the pre-resonator era. After the resonator era hit, too, as far as that goes. He had various stints working in or owning retail music stores and spent many years as a sales rep for Chicago Musical Instruments, Gibson, LeBlanc, William L. Lewis and other companies and/or divisions. During WW II, he became a very skilled machinist. I don't know and haven't heard of many other folks out there who've been active in the music business for more than three generations.
Once upon a time, legendary Kansas fiddler Lue Berline brought his young son to Neal's house. Youngster Byron Berline showed his stuff, but according to Neal, wasn't very good...yet. (That would come in time.)
Before I met Neal in 1991, he had pretty well dispersed his collection of 150 guitars--mostly things he picked up on sales calls to various music stores. (Everything has in turn been sold, so don't pester him unless you have something that needs fixing.) Instruments like Gibson harp guitars, National tricones, L-5 archtops and the odd Martin sat for months or years at these stores and Neal was happy to take these slow movers off the hands of grateful owners.
I met him after hearing that he had built his own Weissenborn-style Hawaiian. Since he's not far from my ancestral (and parents') home, I visit him every time I'm back for a visit. I've tried to get some conversations on tape, but the last time was trouble-fraught. Not only do memories fade with time, so do high-end Sony professional cassette recorders. We spent several hours with me having to manually hold down the play and record buttons because the internal locking mechanism had gone south.
They don't make anything like they used to. |
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Paul King
From:
Gainesville, Texas, USA
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 3:04 am
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| I failed to mention I have a friend here in town who play a Fender non-pedal steel. He is 79 years of age and still goes out and plays. I have another friend here who is 75 and just plays in his music room. |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 3:28 am
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Kenny Dail would have to be the oldest steel picker I know! He played on the Mayflower with the Pilgrims when they came to America....JH in Va.
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Livin' in the Past and Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 4:36 am
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I'd have to agree with Smiley, or maybe Bobbe Seymour.  |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 5:28 am
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me  |
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Drew Howard
From:
48854
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 5:55 am
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A more apt title for this thread would be "Who is the Most Experienced Steeler You Know?"
Al Marcus has had a remarkable career that parallels some of the big-time greats. He has been there from the very beginning of our instrument, from Hawaiian to big band to country, from lap to consoles to pedals, single-, double- and triple-necks. And almost every tuning along the way. That's 70 years of playing time, folks, a lot of that full time.
Al is retired, in his '80's, and still playing and swapping guitars! Right on, Al!
If you haven't seen his website, you owe yourself a visit.
http://www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/
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Drew Howard - website - Fessy D-10 8/8, Magnatone S-8, N400's, BOSS RV-3
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 6:42 am
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Having met both Herb Remington AND Don Helms,
I have to add them.
Still pickin' but not spring chickin's. 
But 95 and still pickin' a bit... whew hard one to beat! |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 7:20 am
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Although these people are no longer living, the earliest reference I know is in the Bible.
Psalms 33:1-3
"Sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings." |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 8:45 am
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Lee,
I was thinking the same thing! |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 9:11 am
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If someone can still run in the Boston Marathon at 94, why can't someone stand in one spot and play a musical instrument that has been in their hands for most of their life.
Check out some of the senior's games competitions. That will open your eyes to what the elderly are capable of.
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(I am not right all of the time but I sure like to think I am!)
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Daryl Stogner
From:
San Diego, CA * R.I.P.
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 10:20 am
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I've researched this and to save time, I will post some pictures as my evidence to prove Smiley is the oldest player still around...
Here's a portrait he had made, when he was much younger in the 17th century or so...
and here's one of him playing his old non-pedal steel....
Old geezer! 
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Jim Simon
From:
Moses Lake, WA
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 11:42 am
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| I would have said (cruely) "Bobbe Seymour" until I recently found out he looks like he does as the result of a lightning strike he suffered while playing the grand opening at a golf course. Ask him-he'll tell you all about it. I feel bad now cuz it isn't his fault. |
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 4:36 pm
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We have a super nice gentelman in town, doesn't play out any more, but I had the pleasure of working a few shows with him before he offically Retired! I think he is in his mid-late 70's.
"Sid Cline"
Larry
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Emmons S/D-10, 3/4, Sessions 400 Ltd. Home Grown E/F Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY"
[This message was edited by Larry Strawn on 14 April 2005 at 05:37 PM.] |
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George Redmon
From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 5:17 pm
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whew....after seeing those pictures, and hearing all those stories i am starting to feel better already. I thought i was the oldest steel player i knew. Ummmm that bottle
of Geritol in my pac~a~seat is really my girlfriends, and the citracal tablets are just something to chew on since i stopped smoking.
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Whitney Single 12 8FL & 5 KN,keyless, dual changers Extended C6th, Webb Amp, Line6 Pod...i was keyless...when keyless wasn't cool....
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Bill Moran
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 6:05 pm
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| Bryan Adams !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 7:58 pm
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Oldest steel player I know.... Hmmm. In the Biblical sense? That would be my wife.
Brad Sarno
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Kenny Forbess
From:
peckerwood point, w. tn.
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Posted 14 Apr 2005 10:11 pm
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uhhhh,,Me ,
Just kidding,
You gotta hear Mr.Eddie Rice from Memphis Tenn.
He's 82 and still can play like the hotrod tykes of today,
He prefers the smooth type ballads, but can mix it up with you.
Hope I can do Half of what he does when & If i reach that age,
BTW, he plays the Newman set-up, E9/B6.
GO EDDIE !!,
your friend ,
Kenny
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 15 Apr 2005 5:56 am
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| Good one, Brad! |
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Joe Casey
From:
Weeki Wachee .Springs FL (population.9)
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Posted 15 Apr 2005 7:08 am
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Actually Smiley is a lot younger than he looks, A lot older than he feels. Bobbe has just had a "harder" life. 
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Smiley 15-4 Crank&pull pro model Deluxe with auto string changer.200 ft. roll.
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Michael Garnett
From:
Seattle, WA
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Posted 18 Apr 2005 12:17 pm
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My great-great uncle played back a long time ago, but hasn't in decades. He's 97. He does have something in common with the rest of you old farts, he's deaf as a post.
-El Garnetto |
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