Memories of Merle David.

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

I'm not sure when Merle David was born, or even when he passed on, but I remember the first night I went to work in his band in Odessa Texas in May, 1973. It was my first "Six Nights A Week" job, and I was scared to death. After hearing Merle on that fiddle, I sure didn't want a ride on anything. He also had a Steel Guitar set up, and a standard guitar, a five string electric Mandolin, a Dobro, a Banjo.....I sure was glad he didn't sing!

We lost Merle a few years ago, and I still have some great memories of getting to work with him. There are some great, humorus stories about him, and his antics. He sure wasn't dumb, but he somehow dodged the social graces that some folks seemed to find. I went looking on you-tube, and found some clips of Merle after he started having some of his problems. I think you will be amazed at what this man could do with a fiddle!! I miss him terribly sometimes, and wish I could get on the bandstand with him now. He never had a clue as to how much I learned from him. Not trying to put myself in his class as a Musician, but I picked up a few things here and there.

I was in Ruidoso New Mexico a few years ago, and I heard Rickey Bowen playing the fiddle, and asked him if he studied under Merle David, and he said he did. He (Rickey) is a monster fiddle player. I know Merle had some children, but have no clue where any of them are. I will post a picture of when Merle David played in MY band in 1979- Lubbock Texas. (I'm not sure if it will be now, or when I get smarter about this contraption.)
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Mitch Drumm · From: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Chuck:

Here is Merle with Billy Thompson's band in Las Vegas in the late 50s---Curtis Potter on bass and Albert Talley on steel.

Didn't he spend some time in Memphis in the mid 1950s?

I think I have a fiddle LP he did stashed away somewhere.

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

Top pic, Duane Brown- Merle David- Me- Barbara Raines-and Dee Purkepyle, not seen is. Royce Glenn on drums.
Please note that I had Hair!

Second Pic. L to R: Duane- Merle- Royce- Me- Barbara- and Dee.

bottom pic.Duane Brown on his old Black Emmons, and Merle David, Fiddler Monster.

And thanks Mitch!! For the old picture from Billy Thompsons Band!!! Wow, Albert had hair! Look at the little kid playing Bass, that grew up to be Curtis Potter! Great Memories!!
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Duane Brown · From: Reno,Nevada USA

Chuck, what are those young guys with all that hair doing in your pictures? What great memories these bring back! I had just bought that '68 Emmons from Billy Poteet and was not very familiar with it. Merle played steel better than I did, so I would not let him play my Emmons until the last song of the night.

He set up that MSA and the first time he sat behind it, he started turning knobs on his amp and said to me"Must be something wrong with my amp. My steel doesn't sound right" I said Merle, "there's nothing wrong with your amp,you just got used to hearing a real steel." If you remember that MSA sounded as bad or worse than the Pro2 Sho-Bud I played when I started in your band.

The picture of us all three playing guitars was probably one of the best arrangements I ever heard of Bonapart's Retreat. Merle was a musical genious for sure but what a flake. We sure did learn a lot from him though. Thank you for the post and thanks for sending them to me.

I sure wish we still had those two Les Pauls.
Duane
PS You posted the pictures on Shelley's birthday. You sang happy birthday to her the night she was born around the time these pictures were taken.

Jeff Evans · From: Cowtown and The Bill Cox Outfit

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

T.T.T. (Just in case someone else remembers Merle David) I'll always be a fan!
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Mike Gross · From: Manchester, Connecticut, USA

Chuck,

I haven't forgotten Merle and I still play his music on "Swingin' West" from time to time. He played some awesome fiddle. It was good for you to bring his name back.
_________________
Mike

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

Funny story about when I worked for Merle David in my very first six night a week job.
We all showed up one night at The Golden Egg, in Odessa, and Merle announced that he was going to work for Mel Tillis. We were sad to learn he was leaving, but happy for him at the same time. Mel had all the uniforms, tailored to Merle,s dimentions, and when Merle walked on the Bus, he gave his two weeks notice. That's where he acquired the nick name "Two Week Merle". Wasn't long and he was back Fiddlin'in Odessa. As odd as he was at times, I always loved him and his musicianship.
He was incredible!
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Howard Kalish · From: Austin, Tx USA

Chuck – I was mightily impressed with Merle David’s Zak-Tone LP, which I encountered in my wife’s record collection shortly after I met her in 1979. She had a great record collection, but that’s not the only reason I married her.

Anyways, Merle was an amazing player. Very inventive with all kinds of interesting techniques. It must have been a gas to play with him. Bert Rivera has some good stories on him from their days together in Hank Thompson’s band and the Puget Sound story made it into Hank’s autobiography.

I guess we’ve all met our share of brilliant musicians who could go off running with the bunnies sometimes, or even most times. But, you gotta love ‘em. The music pours out of guys like Merle.

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

Howard, If you'll look at the album cover of that Zak-Tone M.D. album, You'll see a very young Chuck Cusimano minus the Moustache, and hat. I had on a Gold colored shirt with a black vest. As Archie Bunker says, "Those Were The Days"!! Thanks, C.C.
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Mitch Drumm · From: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Chuck:

I've got that LP buried somewhere too. You may have inspired me to dig it out. There are very few of those around.

I think I have another LP Merle did later on--probably late 70s or early 80s--on a better known semi-major label (possibly the Hi label out of Memphis--where I think Merle spent his earlier days?).

Howard Kalish · From: Austin, Tx USA

Chuck - I'm going to pull that LP out when I get home from work and check out your picture.

I did a search on Merle David on youtube and got a few hits. Here's part 1 of 4 parts of a live performance from 1987 that includes Curtis Potter, LC Agnew, and others. These are terrific. Watch all 4 parts. In part 4, Merle really tears it up with some trick fiddling. Really stellar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo3u1l1TK9g&feature=related

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

Howard, Merle was very comedic without even trying. One night at the Red Raider in Lubbock, Merle was doing his trick fiddlin' act, and when he went to drop his bow on the stage to trap it between his boot toes, it hit the edge of the stage and went into the crowded dance floor. Well, he went after it, and nearly pulled his amplifier over. (Off the chair) Duane Brown was playing Steel and he caught it from toppling. Merle, somehow, retrieved his bow, and started backing up while playing, and stumbled into the stage, flipped over backwards, landed on his hands and knees over the top of his fiddle as it fed back, he picked it up and started fiddling in the kneeling position, stood up and went right on with his deal. The whole place was laughing so hard, but Merle just grinned and kept playing by himself. The band was wrecked! We were laying on our amps, and over the Piano. Except, Royce Glenn, who kept the beat on the drums. I don't know how. That's just the tip of the Iceburg of all the fun we had with him.
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Howard Kalish · From: Austin, Tx USA

Chuck - I pulled out that LP and sure enough, there you are on the cover. I listened to it again and it's terrific. What a talent. Incredible variety.

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

Howard, Is there a way to get a copy of that album cover?
I'd be glad to remburse any expences you'd have.

I had two of the albums, and about fifteen years ago, my ex and her sisters had a yard sale....... and well, you can guess the rest... They Said'
"Nobody wants to play them old records anymore! Cassettes are the way to go!

I'd like to post the picture on my web-site, www.chuckcusimano.com and my facebook page, with a bunch of other pictures on there
Thanks in advance, Chuck
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Howard Kalish · From: Austin, Tx USA

Let me see if I find a scanner that will work on the whole cover. I know I tried scanning it before and had problems because of the dark gold color. I'll see what I can do. I can see why you'd want that in your collection.

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

REMOVED
_________________
"Wisdom does not always come with age. Many times age arrives alone."

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

Hi Michael. This is the last album (As far as I know) that Merle did. It shows how great a fiddler, and musician he was, but It comes in second place to me. My good friend, Gary Carpenter, (Along with Johnny Case)produced this album back in the eighties, when Merle was working for Tommy Alsup at a club called the "New West" on the west side of Fort Worth.
At that time, I was working on a ranch near Lipscomb Texas with Fiddle great, Frankie McWhorter (Of Bob Wills and Miller Brothers Band Fame) {I was breaking colts, and Frankie was training Cutting Horses} Frankie came to Fort Worth to the Cutting Horse futurity, and he went to see Merle there. He said Merle was "still a monster." Of course we, in the music business know that to be a compliment.

Thanks for posting the album cover. I guess Merle David crosses my mind at least once a day.
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Randy Carson · From: San Antonio, Texas, USA

OK guys,
I was doing a search on Merle and saw this thread. I graduated high school in 1981 and immediately moved to Ft Worth to work for Tommy Allsup at the New West Club running sound and spinning records on breaks. I stayed with Tommy and one night we took Merle to the Johnny High show to do his trick fiddling and a peg popped out of the fiddle scrow unwinding the string..Merle grabbed it on the fly put in tune and maybe missed a bar...darndest thing I ever seen watched it from the side of the stage with Tommy and we both just looked at each other...til this day Tommy said Merle had the best recall on any song he had ever heard....after awhile Merle took over steel duties.
Thanks for remembering one of the greatest

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

I have been contacted by one of Merle David's sisters. I found out that Merle's son, Bill, has put up a website, www.merledavid.com
I went there and reflected on all the good times I had with Merle.
He was one in a million. A little backward about certain things? Maybe. He was a great Jokester. He'd unplug one of my patch chords and watch me panic and crawl around on stage trying to figure out why I wasn't getting any sound out of my guitar.
One night, he'd brought a fiddle bow with a small nail in the end and while playing a HOT ride, at the last note, he let it fly and it stuck like an arrow into the cardboard celing tile.
Another night, our Drummer, Royce Glenn got his hands on a squirt gun. one by one, he'd give us each a tiny squirt to the back. Of course, it would take you by surprise and your natural reaction is to look up at the celing to see if water is dripping onto the stage. When Royce squirted Merle, he didn't look at anyone or anything. He just hung up his fiddle, and went into the men's room. On break, I asked him where he went, and he said, "OH, I just remembered I had to pee." We never knew if he was joking or a little strange with some of his answers.
PLEASE check out the YouTube Videos and/or the videos on his website. If you never had the pleasure of hearing him, that will be your only chance.
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

I have some cassete tapes of Merle made on the band stand in Albuquerque,N.M.Some where near 1960 give or take a couple of yeas. Think it was the old Hitching Post but don't remember for sure as there were several 6 night a week jobs there back then in Alba QQ Merle was quite a fiddle player. It was at the time i had left the Miller Bros.western swing band and getting more into steel than fiddle.
and I left Albuquerquue and took a gig in Odessa playing steel.Those were the good ole days as one could get a job playing steel if he could hit a G chord. Was a good thing as i went into a country band and had not been playing steel very long and didn't know much about the E9th neck.
If any one remembers Sonny De Jersey he was the one who got me started on the E9th. Later we worked the Golden Nugget at the same time. I don't recall who he was with. I may be off on some of the times as it was so long ago.Tracy

Sonny passed on in Cheyene,Wyo.not long after at a young age. He was a very advanced E9th steel player.
sure miss those guys.

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

Hey Tracy, Merle once told me that he worked at the Hitchin' Post in Alb. He said Glenn Campbell was in that band at the time. Of course, both Merle and Glenn were very young and both still Monsters on their instruments.

I have heard from Merle's sister, Jewell and she is trying to compile anything and everything that has Merle David on it. As I stated, Merle's son, Bill, has put up a website, www.merledavid.com . The family would probably like to have copies of anything they can find. I can help you get the cassettes transfered to CD if you're interested.
Thanks for posting, Chuck Cusimano
P.S. Come see us at the Stagecoach Ballroom some Sunday. The band plays from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Tracy Sheehan · From: Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Hi Chuck. I will see if i can dig the tapes out with Merle playing and if his sister or who ever whould want to put then on CD they could borrow them. I really don't need one as i never listen to music any longer. Last dvd i bought was of Curly Chalker and never watched all of it. Think i suffered burn out years ago.LOL. Tracy

Chuck Cusimano · From: Weatherford, Texas, USA

I went searching for this thread from a while back. I wanted to refresh it and see if anyone wants to participate. Thank you!!
_________________
They call it FILL 'cause it goes in the holes. Don't cover up the singer.

Forum Index > Gone Home		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic