Question for Herb Steiner – Alvin Crow/Pleasant Valley Boys

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

Hello Herb!

If I remember correctly, you were one of Alvin Crow's Pleasant Valley Boys back in the seventies. I have a couple of vinyl albums from that period, but haven't found anything new since then - which is a bit sad, because those hard-swinging recordings were really good in a down-to-earth, have-fun-and-feel-good sort of way. Maybe a bit rougly mixed and recorded, but great fun. Songs like Rear View Mirror, Wine Me Up and The Texas Kid's Retirement Run come to mind...

Could you tell us a bit about the band, and do you know of any more recordings?

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Per
Well, it's easier to answer questions than it is to simply start talking, but I'd say that the Alvin Crow band of the 1970's was very much of a fun band to play with. Probably because country music was a very dominant music in Texas at the time, quite popular with young people who went out to clubs every night of the week. That situation surely doesn't exist nowadays to the extent it did back then. And too, I'm now almost 63 and don't enjoy the same things I did back when I was 27.

My time in that band was from 1975, when I left Michael Murphey's group, to mid-1979, when I decided Alvin was going nowhere and I left to do a brief month with the Wheel before hitting the road with RCA recording artist Dottsy.

AC & PVBs played all over Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma, so we were a regional band. In 1977, when we were signed by Jim Halsey Mgmt. and our records were picked up by Polydor, we started doing bigger shows, opening up for Mel Tillis, the Oak Ridge Boys, and other Halsey acts. We toured the South, mid-West and East Coast frequently, from Boston to Florida, skull orchards to Carnegie Hall.

My closest friends in that band were rhythm guitarist/manager Bobby Earl Smith, drummer John Chandler, bassist Gary Roller, guitarist Rick Crow, and harmonica player Roger Crabtree. John, Rick, and Gary remain dear friends to me and with whom I'm still in close contact. Rick Crow left in the mid-80s and played for a long time with Jimmy Day, and is now a cabinet maker. John Chandler and I played in a couple bands together and he's still working with both Alvin's band and with Texas Fever, our group from the 1980's. Gary Roller lives in New Mexico, is a western artist, and has been Michael Murphey's bassist for over 25 years. Bobby Earl is an attorney and publishes a couple songs of mine. I do still occasionally gig with these gentlemen. Roger Crabtree tragically passed away about 6 years ago.

To me, those fellows were the core band. We had other many members pass through for various lengths of time, most notably Ed Vizard on saxophone and D.K. Little on rhythm guitar. But a complete list of the players in the Pleasant Valley Boys is quite long. Literally there were dozens. Alvin has continually worked a band throughout the 80's and 90's with many different players and still plays occasionally to this day.

After I left, his steel players were Pete Finney, Jr. Brown, Jerry Fessenden, Jimmy Day, Marty Muse, and Scott Walls. For the last 6 years, Neil Flanz has been his steel guitarist.

If you have some specific questions about that band from that time period, I'll try to address them.
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Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

Thanks Herb, most informative and interesting!

Being 16 back then, listening to that kind of music was a strange experience indeed – you were supposed to be into Pink Floyd, Queen, Bowie or Led Zeppelin, or else you got beat up. But when they ridiculed me for playing such corny music I put on Vernon Oxford or D L Menard instead. They just shook their heads... Smile

Jay Hudson · From: Austin, Texas

Herb's PVB stint was in the time frame that Mr. Steiner politely declined to give me lessons as he stated he would rather hang out at Lake Travis and skinny dip.

Mr. Green

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Mt Steiner,I have a question for you.When I subbed for you when you broke your hand what was that smell on the bus? Laughing

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Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Jay
No changes. I still prefer skinny dipping in Lake Travis to teaching lessons. It's simply that my sense of decorum has matured, and now I'm more in the visitor's role than being of the participants.

Stu
Without a doubt the smell you encountered was that of gym towels and workout clothing, since the band was heavily into athletics, physical fitness, and good nutrition.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

robert kramer · From: Nashville TN

I remember seeing Alvin Crow and the Pleasant Valley Boys on a TV show (PBS?) in the mid to late '70's - a great Texas swing band with a fiddle playing front man. Herb Steiner played great, jazzy single line C-6th. Roger Crabtree was a great harmonica player - playing from the Mel Lyman/John Sebastion school only tougher - probably from working the dancehalls. I think he went on to work with Waylon - sounding great on that band, too.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Hey Herb, I have an LP record here somewhere of you guys which has a picture of the bus on the front of it I believe. It has some band photos on the back and if I remember right, you were playing a ShoBud at that time. It looked like it might have been an old rack and barrel guitar. Was it? and do you still have that guitar?.....JH in Va.
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Fred Shannon · From: Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.

Herb, there's a strong rumor in this neck of the woods that Roger Crabtree was instrumental in your song Nyquil Blues. Anything to that? How 'bout the story for all the new folks?

phred
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Jack Harper · From: Mississippi, USA

and i have often wondered....what happened to or where is that bus. great artistic definition.
i used to see it come through arkansas, in one direction or another quite frequently back in the day.'78 - '79, ....and then less and less.
i was goin thru texas in the mid to late '80's and saw it in a parking spot where it had seen some winters...wind & weather and a blue northener or 2.
i used to envy those guy's on that bus, 'cept the time i saw 'em on the side of I-40, 'tween memphis and nashville headed to the d.j. convention, i think.
maybe it was exercise time!
a great piece of americana.....

country..........

Colm Chomicky · From: Kansas, (Prairie Village)

Wow, great posters. Brings back memories of Austin a town that has changed dramatically since the 1970's to 80's when I lived there. Got back last fall to hear Alvin Crow at the Broken Spoke. Seems the Broken Spoke is one of the last holdouts -- South Austin, former Bubba Capital, is getting somewhat Starbuckyfied. Other places like the Soap Creek Saloon, Inner Sanctum Records...gone like the old rocky dirt tracks of the Hill Country that have now yielded to McMansion cladded bluffs.

Caught Herb the next night playing south of town in Niederwald. Now that is the Texas I remember.

Jay Hudson · From: Austin, Texas

Allan Jirik · From: Wichita Falls TX

I "danced country at the Broken Spoke" to Alvin Crow with Herb on steel in 1977. One of my favorite memories. Never saw the bus, though.. in fact the only band bus I've seen lately is the Insane Clown Posse. Shows what kind of talent finds it's way to Motown.

Kerry Johnson · From: the Bay Area, CA

Hello Herb

I hope your doing well these days.
I sure miss Austin alot and going out to hear you guys perform.

Shortly after Jimmy Day passed in 1999 I began playing gigs with Alvin at the Broken spoke and a few private gigs he would call me to play with him, the Salt Lick etc.

I wish I had pictures of that time period but I didn't own a camera then. Bummer man.

Best regards,
Kerry Johnson

~

Robert Fleming · From: Camden, NY

Our band Moss Back Mule Band does a cover of Nyquil Blues. One of our favorites. I still love my Alvin Crowe LPS. I saw Michael Murphy at the Broken spoke in the mid 70's?(so long ago) I wonder if it was Herb on steel then. Our fiddler went on to do a few recordings with Michael Murphy and band leader in Mickey Gilley's Urban Cowboy Band. His name is Ron Levine.
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Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Kerry
Hey man, sorry for the belated answer. Haven't watched this thread lately. Nice hearing from you.

Robert
If you saw Murph at the Spoke, I don't think it was with me on steel. In Austin, we pretty much just played at the Armadillo WHQ because first, it was one of the few venues in town with the capacity to handle a Murphey show (we were bigshots back then Wink

), and secondly, the Spoke was more of a redneck joint in those days (my tenure with MMM) and the clientele didn't care for longhairs all that much and it was consider "wise" to avoid the place.

So finally in about 1974, the country music columnist for the American Statesman (yes, in those days our local daily had a C&W music writer) Townsend Miller went to the owners of the Spoke and told them that there were major recording artists living in Austin who were afraid to come into his place, and what was he gonna do about it? Owner James White took the bull by the horns and made the place friendly for longhairs. This was also one of the major events in what became the "longhaired country boy/redneck rock" transition that took root in Austin back then. And thank God for that... the Spoke has been my home away from home for 36 years, I'm part of the family, and I play there 60 or so times a year, at least once a week or more.

When I was touring with Alvin, Murph had already moved to Colorado and he may have played there when I was out of town. Jerry Jeff Walker still plays there during his yearly birthday week celebration.

Phred
The story of how Nyquil Blues was written was humorous, fer sure. But the fact that my dear pal Roger Crabtree died of an alcohol/drug overdose makes the retelling of the story a little painful to me. So I'll just say that I was witness to, but didn't participate in, certain youthful indiscretions of my bandmates during the 70's. Which is why I'm alive and in good health to this day, praise God and the love of a good woman. A lot of our pickers and all of our bus drivers and roadies are now no longer amongst us, sad to say. Crying or Very sad

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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Robert Fleming · From: Camden, NY

Thanks for the info Herb. My brother lives in Austin. He is a gunsmith. Hank Fleming is his name and he goes by the monicer Hankgun. Maybe you have heard of him? Anyway its good to know you play the Spoke. I have not visited my bro in many many years and now I think I should.And when I do I will have to see if your in town so i can come see you play! That would really be my pleasure. Your a legend and an great influence to a lot of us
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Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Robert F.
Come on down.

Robert K.
Your eyes and memory do not deceive. Alvin and the PVBs taped two "Austin City Limits" shows in the first two seasons of production. The show in those days was somewhat reflective of the music scene in and around Austin. So the show had a lot of the local "progressive country" artists that were living here in town at the time (1975).

As the show got bigger and more popular, the need to sell the show to more PBS station subscribers required booking higher profile acts. And over the years, the country music aspect of the show dwindled for the same reason... a buyer for a PBS station wants to attract viewers and therefore contribution money, so he has to see a list of upcoming performers that he can recognize. That's the way of the world. PBS is not immune from the demands of capitalism.

KRLU produced many ACL type shows over the years for other TV networks, as well as other PBS shows. I've probably done a half-dozen shows there over the years with Alvin, Gary P., Marcia Ball, Johnny Bush, etc.

Jerry my bro.
The guitar in the photo on the album is a red Pro III I got from Lynn Woolbridge in 1975, but the one I recorded the albums with was a 1970 Professional with R&B undercarriage. I don't have that guitar any longer but I do have one practically identical to it, though it does have a Jeff Surratt undercarriage now.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Steve Robinson · Posted 1 Nov 2010 11:56 am

I once was a radio disc jockey, and I played those Alvin Crow records on college & commercial radio stations in Northern California in the late 70's, when I doubt anyone else was doing so in those parts, except for KFAT (whose sound I was stealing). Little did I imagine that so many years later a band member would become a friend and steel guitar mentor - thanks, Herb!
(I was a terrible DJ, and had to find a new line of work)

Danny Hammers · Posted 4 Nov 2010 8:17 am

Sorry about posting this here.

Steve, Please, Sent me a email about Jim Nelligan

Thanks Danny

dhammers@tampabay.rr.com
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