Ernie Pollock
From:
Mt Savage, Md USA
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Posted 29 Dec 2007 5:56 am Don West |
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Sure did know Don, he lived about 15 miles from me, across the bridge in West Virginia for a year or two. He visted me in my little steel guitar shop/studio here several times. He took my place with one of the bands over here in Maryland for awhile. Don was a very good player. He also played with a friend of mine that I played off & on with other the years, Jimmy Miller from Keyser WV. Ol Don forgot more on steel than I ever learned!!
Ernie Pollock
http://www.hereintown.net/~shobud75/stock.htm |
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Eric West
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 29 Dec 2007 10:17 am
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Yes indeed.
Don, in the late 70s played with "The Nashville Sound" around the DC/MD area when I knew him.
I was stationed in DC at AAFB, and saw them at The Village Barn whenever I could,which was whenever they played. They shared nights with Smokey Mack. '76-'79 was the time period.
In "The Nashville Sound", Jimmy Groves played Telecaster, and Herby Jones played Bass. (Both old Arthur Godfrey band members) Jimmy played the absolute best telecaster I'd hear in the area for True Tele Tone. You could hear it through the walls and the high end cut like a knife. He was playing the DC/MD/Waldorf-CapHts area when Roy Clark was coming up. Stories abounded..
Don was right there with "Solos From Mars™" and whoever the singer was definitely had their work cut out for them. Mary Burgess, whose husband was always ready to pull a gun on her fans was a regular singer. Whoever it was had to REALLY SING, or they were in front of the wrong band.
Maybe Donny H or Somebody can help out as to who the regular singer was. He was good, but I paid more attention to Don and Mary. I got the gun pointed at me more than once.. I think that's what made her more interesting...
I was taking lessons from Bud C in Oxon Hill at the time with nothing but time on my hands to practice while others performed my military duties. I would wear myself out on Bud's exacting lessons, and then go see Don. He was NEVER too busy to spend his rest room time on breaks showing you anything you'd ask him. He had a 1 inch bar, and a brown wood grain Emmons and 3 finger picks. He'd show you how you could go anywhere from anywhere to anywhere. He had a particular 2nd fret hammer on "G" scale on the C neck that he used in every key he could.
I spoke to him at length, during his retirement in The Southwest after not talking to him for 25 years and asked his permission for taking his last name as my 'stage name'.
I'm glad he said it was Fine, and he said he was "flattered". Yeah right. (Mine, "Lundgren" was impossible for front people to say right on stage, and everybody out here had a stage name in the late 70s.
Prince of a guy, and he taught me as much as anybody. More about attitude and willingless to show people things on breaks than anything.
SGHOF candidate if there ever was one, but then he never cared much for that kind of thing.
Wish I'd known more of him, but his music was plenty.
He passed away after a long life of music.
The Village Barn is gone. So is Smokey Mack, Wally Simms, Fuzzy Groves, Don, probably Herby, and many others. I think Jimmy Groves still lives in MD whith his probably still new looking '57 Telecaster. I'll check.
The music is still out there.
I hear it more and more.
Play on Don.
Eric West |
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