Remembering Jimmie Crawford

Jon Graboff · From: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Here I am, sitting at home, thinking about this weekends’ steel guitar convention in St. Louis and fondly remembering Jimmie’s many performances. For me, they were always convention highlights… chock full of great humor and even a greater display of chops and musical invention. I sure miss him and every time I look down at my JCH, a grin comes across my face.

He was quite a guy and the world is a lot less interesting and fun without him! Anyone else want to share some memories?

Bob Farlow · From: Marietta,GA,

Jon, I agree completely. Jimmie was a "Top Gun" in the steel world. We all miss him dearly.

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Jon, In 1981 I took a 5 day seminar with Jimmie and it was a great experience! Jimmie taught at his home in Nashville, and there were only 3 of us there with Jimmie for the week. It was like hangin' out at Jimmie's house for five days! He made a lasting impression on me... his humor, positive attitude, and love for the steel guitar... and of course, his jaw-dropping picking. Jimmie had some great stories, and he enjoyed sharing them. Besides the picking, we got an up close look at Jimmie's shop where he was working on prototypes of the JCH. One of those days Jimmie had a session, so John Hughey came over and taught us for the day. I was blown away by John’s C6 playing! ...and of course his E9 playing. At that time he was playing with Conway Twitty, and he shared some funny road stories with us. It was plain to see that both John and Jimmie were totally dedicated to the steel guitar and were born to play steel.
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Sonny Priddy · From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA, R.I.P.

Jimmie Was My Friend For A Long Time I Miss Him. SONNY.

Mike Shefrin · Posted 31 Aug 2007 4:48 pm

I remember being at Jimmy Crawford's old shop in Hendersonville one night with Jimmy when he sat down at a JCH he had recently finished, and then proceeded to play the living daylights out of the C6 neck. When he had finished he looked up at me and said "I want these guitars to sound like elephant b@lls" Lloyd Green came by the shop also and played the JCH which Jimmy had built for me, and shared some great stories with me and a couple of other steel players who were hanging out in the shop. I sold that guitar back to Jimmy a year later since I had decided to quit the steel. Whew, that was almost twenty years ago and I have since taken up the steel once again with a vow to not quit this time around. Jimmy was a sweetheart and kind of a genius. He was real nice to me when I was out there, and took me to restaraunts, bars, and introduced me to a whole bunch of super nice folks. I'll always treasure the memory of that special visit to Hendersonville many years ago. Jimmy was one in a million, and I sure miss him.

Charles Curtis · Posted 31 Aug 2007 5:16 pm

I wonder at the number of friends that Jimmy had; just a joy to be around. On two occasions I mentioned to Jimmy how I had quit smoking, (wishing that he would too) and both times he just smiled then changed the subject and we were laughing about something else. I believe Jimmy's birthday is the 18th of Sept; guess the good Lord wanted another great musician upstairs. God bless you Jimmy.

Alan Rudd · From: Ardmore, Oklahoma

Met Jimmy and got to pick with him at the Troubadour Theater in Music Village one night in '96. I didn't know who he was until he handed me a card and said, "Call me anytime you need a steel player". Didn't get to know him well, but knew right away he was a great guy.

Buck Reid · From: Nashville,TN

I'll alway's be indebted to Jimmie Crawford. He taught me so many invaluable things. Things about playing,building and life in general. It was hard not to learn around Jimmie ... and his great sense of humor. I remember us working late one night and something wasn't going well with trying to mount a knee lever bracket. I said "uh ... Jimmie,I don't think that's right". With a big smile he looked up and said "You'll never see it from the dance floor" and then proceeded to fix it properly.
His playing was so innovative ... one of Jimmie's last recordings is a tune called 'Traffic Jam'. He uses a very unique open string technique at break neck speed. I believe Fred Amendola has the transcriptions available here on the forum for anyone interested. Jimmie was a great player and a great human being - I miss him tremendously!

Barry Blackwood · Posted 1 Sep 2007 6:59 am

When I was a teenager learning how to play (steel) Jimmie's ride on "Big Midnight Special" by Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper was one of my personal benchmarks at the time. Later, I was fortunate enough to see him play it live when they came thru my hometown. I still remember it like it was yesterday ....

Charles Curtis · Posted 1 Sep 2007 7:03 am

Buck, I'll bet you have a lot of memories with Jimmy. He invited me to come see him and he would show me around town. I figured I'd wait till my guitar was ready and come pick it up; I wasn't about to chance it to a shipper. That is one of my regrets because I know that I would have enjoyed every moment.

Danny Hullihen · From: Harrison, Michigan

I could litterally write a book about my times with Jimmie Crawford all the way back to the late sixties. He was not only one of my mentors, but also a very close and dear friend of mine. We played, worked, laughed, and even cried together a time or two, and I will always miss him very much.

John Macy · From: Rockport TX/Denver CO

Jimmie was the first "big name" steel guitarist I met when Tommy Cass took myself and another player (whose name escapes me) down to a DJ Convention in Nashville in 1973. We spent a lot of time that week in the hallowed Crawford basement, and for a guy who had been playing for about a year, it was a very heady experience.

I looked Jimmie up whenever I was there and we kept in touch. When I moved to Colorado in 1976, there were virtually no Emmons players out there, so I ended up talking to Ron and became a dealer, selling a fair number of them in the latter '70s in the Rocky Mountain area. I started bringing Jimmie out to do seminars and that really became where I got to know him and the concrete was set for a lifelong friendship.

We did some of the seminars in my recording studio, and Jimmie said he had always wanted to to a gospel record, so we ended up tracking one before/after one of the seminars and had a wonderful time doing it. John Hughey added parts on later and it is still available. It is still one of my favorite studio memories.

About this time ('79) I switched to Jimmie's copedent, and had him build one of his legendary PP 10x10 guitars for me, which I still own... Though I play Fessenden's these days, the are still setup with the clusters and the second string tuned to D...

It goes without saying that he was a dominant force in my steel world Smile

. The hours spent around his world will treasured, and the friends I made there like Buck Reid will carry on his spirit to be shared with others. Everytime I sit down at one of my guitars and feel and hear his setup, I am pretty sure I can feel him chuckling behind me:)...

Miss ya, babe...
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Mike Weirauch · From: Harrisburg, Illinois**The Hub of the Universe

Jon, I watched Jimmie build your guitar with precision, love and hundreds of "Arkansas barking spider" sounds. I watched he and Bucky build his guitar and I got to watch he and Bucky build my guitar. The convention is not the same without Jimmie rambling around with a "fresh perm" and his teeth in. I miss Jimmie. Jimmie was my friend and I was his.

Jon Graboff · From: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Mike… Ha! There always seemed to be plenty of those old "Arkansas barking spiders" around Jimmie's place. He had an "infestation" while I was visiting too!

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

Jimmy was one of a kind. A super player and a super person. Just last night I was going thru some old photos and found several of Jimmy and some with Myself and Jimmy. I miss him a lot. Jody.

Bobby Caldwell · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA * R.I.P.

Anytime there is a gathering of steel guitar players Jimmy Crawfords name always comes up. It could be for his great playing, His humor, or the great guitars he put together or maybe all of the above. He was a friend to many and a hero to many. To me he was a talented dear dear friend who I miss very much. There seems to be an empty spot on stage at every steel show that belongs to Jimmy. I wish he was still here to fill it. I miss you my friend. Bobby

Jon Graboff · From: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Bobby, beautifully stated! Jody, can you post any of your photos of you and Jimmie? I'm sorry to say that I never thought to take a few snaps for myself while he was still with us.

Come on folks… post your Jimmie Crawford photos here!

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

Jon, I suffer from computer illiteracy. Don't know how to post pictures. Jody.

Jon Graboff · From: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Jody, there's a "upload picture" button above the text window. Click that button and a another window opens and that's where you can get your photo up there on the interweb.

Jay Ganz · From: Out Behind The Barn

I remember buying his first album when it came out. "Sea of Tranquility" and "Lunar Tick" just blew me away.
His later recordings never ceased to amaze me! His style was so unique. Luckily I got to see him live (along with Weldon) back in the 80's. What a show Whoa!

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Hard to even think about Jimmy without getting tears in my eyes,in my whole life he was always there, now he's gone and I have a big empty spot where his companionship was.

I'm so glad to see that he has also touched so many more folks that are remembering him. It was a black February second when I got the news of his passing. However, he left me with thousands of wonderful memories and many more smiles'

Thank you Jon for this wonderful post.

Bobbe

Uffe Edefuhr · From: Sweden

To meet Jimmy was an adventure for me and probably all steelers in 1980. He visited the third steel seminar that was hold in Sweden! I was lucky to have the honour to start the jam together with him! Niels Tuxen on guitar!
Uffe

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