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Topic: Old photo of George and Tammy |
Joe B. Long
From:
Llano Tx USA
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Posted 11 May 2014 6:54 pm |
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Somebody on Facebook shared this photo from a George Jones show in Huntsville TX....anybody know who the steel player? What brand is he playing? Really diggin' those white boots!!!
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Where do you want it?
Billy Joe Shaver
Last edited by Joe B. Long on 15 May 2014 3:05 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Craig Baker
From:
Eatonton, Georgia, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 11 May 2014 7:05 pm
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Great photo Joe.
Enlarged, the end plates look like an old Rustler similar to one Norm Hamlet played.
Best regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792
cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com
C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024
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"Make America Great Again". . . The Only Country With Dream After Its Name. |
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Eddy Dunlap
From:
Nashville, Tn
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Posted 11 May 2014 7:25 pm
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| That's definitely Sonny Curtis playing his red Clark guitar that he used with George and Tammy for decades. |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 12 May 2014 1:29 am +1 for Sonny
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That's Sonny Curtis playing his Clark guitar.
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Daniel Policarpo
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Posted 12 May 2014 3:07 am
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Man, one of my favorite steelers right there. They built Clark guitars in Owasso,OK just north of Tulsa here and sold them in Sonny's shop in Ohio. The Clark sound (and look) remind me of a cross between the old Sho-Buds and ZBs. I'd love to know what he put in his pickups.
Anybody know what amplifier is sitting by Sonny back there?
If I ever sell the great American novel, the first thing I'm doing is hunting down an old Clark, a Lil' Izzy,two trees and a hammock.
Great picture.
Thanks for sharing, Joe! |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 12 May 2014 3:28 am
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Daniel I'm pretty sure that is a Standel. Sonny has been using modified Randall's for the past several years. The undercarriage of a Clark is pretty interesting as well.
BTW Joe...Sonny has many band uniform items from his days with the President and the First Lady ! The guy is walking history.
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 12 May 2014 4:01 am
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| This has to be prior to 68. My friend Jimmy Peppers took over a George's band manager in 68 (to 73) and he said Sonny was gone when he took over. |
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Graham
From:
Marmora, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 12 May 2014 4:13 am
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Sonny was with George and Tammy until 1975 then went with Tammy when they divorced.
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Rebel� |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 12 May 2014 4:30 am
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Yeah Jack, Graham beat me to it. Sonny went with Tammy after they split,but was with The Jones Boys up until 75. Now maybe what he is referring to was that Sonny wasn't used on Jones' recordings after his musicor contract was over. Billy Sherill started producing Jones and Wynette at that time. I believe it was also about this time that the F lever gained a firm foothold in the standard copedant with Lloyd Green and Pete Drake on steel guitar for Tammy.
For More info on that go here=======> http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/007456.html
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Greg Milton
From:
Benalla, Australia
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Posted 12 May 2014 4:36 am
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Great photo!
I'm listening to George's Musicor era a fair bit at the moment (following on from a recommendation in one of your old posts, Daniel), and am really loving Sonny's playing. Very silky!
I like the idea of the A and B pedals reversed, lowering instead of raising:
__Pedal A__Pedal B__LKL_LKR_RKL_RKR_
F#--------------------------------------------
Eb---------------------------C#---------------
A------G#-------------------------------------
E-----------------------F----------Eb-----F#--
C#--------------B-----------------------------
A------G#-------------------------------------
F#---------------------------------------------
E-----------------------F-----------------Eb---
D---------------------------------------------
C#--------------B------------------------------
*Sonny's 1971 copedent published in Tom Bradshaw's publication 'Pedal Steel Workshop' - a great little read available from b0b's online store.
I use the 6th string G# - F# with the Es lowered position a lot, letting them off to the no-pedals position. It has quite a different voicing than the A and B pedal raise five frets down.
It is very nice when both lowers are combined with the 5th string B - A lower, or alternating the Es lower with the B - Bb lower. |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 12 May 2014 5:00 am
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Sonny's work is very under appreciated. He's top shelf stuff even in his 70's. He doesn't recommend that his inverted E9 setup be emulated,as he says it has some drawbacks.
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 12 May 2014 5:05 am
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| Greg Milton wrote: |
Great photo!
I'm listening to George's Musicor era a fair bit at the moment (following on from a recommendation in one of your old posts, Daniel), and am really loving Sonny's playing. Very silky!
I like the idea of the A and B pedals reversed, lowering instead of raising:
__Pedal A__Pedal B__LKL_LKR_RKL_RKR_
F#--------------------------------------------
Eb---------------------------C#---------------
A------G#-------------------------------------
E-----------------------F----------Eb-----F#--
C#--------------B-----------------------------
A------G#-------------------------------------
F#---------------------------------------------
E-----------------------F-----------------Eb---
D---------------------------------------------
C#--------------B------------------------------
*Sonny's 1971 copedent published in Tom Bradshaw's publication 'Pedal Steel Workshop' - a great little read available from b0b's online store.
I use the 6th string G# - F# with the Es lowered position a lot, letting them off to the no-pedals position. It has quite a different voicing than the A and B pedal raise five frets down.
It is very nice when both lowers are combined with the 5th string B - A lower, or alternating the Es lower with the B - Bb lower. |
I believe that gives you a V to I change. b0b suggests his students have those changes on opposite knee levers. He says "squeeze the knees and V is a breeze" or something to that effect.
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 12 May 2014 5:15 am
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Both Bobbe Seymour and Neil Flanz confirm talking to or auditioning for the Jones band with Peppers. Neil told me he went to the Nashville Union Hall in 1969 and did an audition for Peppers, as they were looking for a new steel player for the Jones band.
About 4 or 5 years ago, before all of Bobbe's medical problems and when he was still at the store, I stopped in. I mentioned Jimmy Peppers and he told me about auditioning for Peppers. I got Peppers on the phone and gave it to Bobbe and they talked about that time.
Peppers was with George and Tammy when they were living in Lakeland Fl.
Peppers wrote "Playing Possum" and "Tonight I Just Don't Give A Damn" (and about 20 others) that George recorded. |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 12 May 2014 5:46 am
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Well, I've known Sonny personally for several years...don't think he'd have a reason to exaggerate......I've seen several pictures.....even the one above is clearly from the 70's just by judging the style of clothing in the picture.
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Tommy White
From:
Nashville
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Posted 12 May 2014 6:40 am
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Last edited by Tommy White on 12 May 2014 6:45 am; edited 3 times in total |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 12 May 2014 6:40 am
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Here is a picture of Jones and Peppers. Peppers also sang harmony with Jones at times. Before going to work for Jones, Peppers was the drummer in the Ferlin Husky "Hush Puppy" road band.
The picture is a "picture of a picture" so not very clear.
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 12 May 2014 6:55 am
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| Who is the little girl in the pic? |
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Tommy Minniear
From:
Logansport, Indiana
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Posted 12 May 2014 7:30 am
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I saw George Jones at Buck Lake Ranch in Angola, Indiana in 1970 and Sonny Curtis was the steeler at that time - playing a Clark steel guitar...jus sayin'. 
Last edited by Tommy Minniear on 12 May 2014 7:32 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 12 May 2014 7:31 am
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Look,neither one of us were there. I have nothing more to say about this because I have to take my friend Sonny Curtis at his word. He's had no reason to lie to me,nor has anything to prove either. The following exerpts are from his website. Sonny monitors the forum from time to time,but hasn't posted in quite a while because he choses to stay away from debates. Now I don't know any other way to say it,but,these are some pretty weighty accusations Jack. Sonny has several photos on his website backing Tammy as a solo act that are from his personal archives. BTW look at the Peavey amp behind the female singer in the bottom left corner of the photo. Pretty sure thats a 70's era amplifier.As for the little girl in the picture...she's a little too old to be Georgette. By Jack's dating, this picture would have had to occur before 68. Don't know when George traded in his Nudie Suit for Leisure Suits as this picture depicts...must've been about 1966...all the men on stage are wearing mutton chops and Beatles Mop Tops......
Edited to add that Jim Clark sold his first steel in 1970
http://clarksteelguitars.com/History.html
“ I would build one and play it and someone would want to purchase it. So then I would have to build another one to play†Jim recalls. “I met a very good friend John Buffington (by the way he bought my first steel a D-10) I think he said it is still in his familyâ€, that was about or 1970.
John was a fan of Sonny Curtis who played steel guitar for George Jones and Tammy Wynette. John told Sonny about Jim building steel guitars and they discussed bringing some of the Clark guitars to Columbus Ohio where Sonny had a music store. John and Jim took 5 or 6 D-10 steel guitars to Columbus to let Sonny look over and play the guitars that weekend at the guitar shop. Sonny was delighted with the quality, sound and playability of the guitars and said he would like to play one of Jim’s guitars on the road with George Jones & Tammy Wynette.
http://sonnycurtis.net/bio.html
Sonny's first professional job was working with Bobby
Bare in a Wellston, Ohio, club. Soon Bobby put out a hit
single called "The All American Boy" and left the area
to tour. Sonny continued to work local clubs working
with Johnny Paycheck (who was then Donny Young).
Sonny made a few tapes at a friend's house, one of which
landed in the hands of a popular performer named
George Jones. George asked Sonny to join the Jones
Boys, which consisted of Charley Justice, Don, Gary and
Arnie Adams.
Their first gig was a 1964 Jimmy Dean television
show in New York City (ABC). Sonny traveled
with George from 1964 until 1969 when he
married Tammy Wynette. He then traveled with
George & Tammy until 1975.
When George and Tammy divorced, he stayed with Tammy until 1980.
During these years with George and Tammy, Sonny's travels took him to
all 50 states and 15 foreign countries.
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Tommy Minniear
From:
Logansport, Indiana
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Posted 12 May 2014 8:00 am
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Taken from Tammy's bio on Wikepidia:
Tammy Wynette divorced her second husband, Don Chapel in 1968. Tammy married George Jones on February 16, 1969 in Ringgold, Georgia. They were married for six years, until their divorce, which was finalized on March 21, 1975.
As Graham said above; the band went with Tammy after the divorce. The band name was changed from The Jones Boys to, I believe, The Country Gentlemen.
I'm not contributing to this thread just for the sake of being argumentative. It is just that Sonny's presence is pretty well documented and I don't like seeing players short changed in the acknowledgement of their many years of work and dedication. |
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Dustin Rigsby
From:
Parts Unknown, Ohio
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Posted 12 May 2014 8:44 am
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Tommy,that's all I'm trying to do as well. I argue enough with my wife...😃
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D.S. Rigsby |
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Mike Sweeney
From:
Nashville,TN,USA
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Posted 12 May 2014 9:26 am
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I see a Standell and a Randall.
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Zumsteel steel guitars, Telonics and Peavey amplifiers, GHS strings. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 12 May 2014 10:25 am
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Dustin, I'm only reporting what was told to me by Jimmy Peppers, Bobbe Seymour and Neil Flanz.
Bass player Bernie Waldon also talked about Peppers time with Ferlin Husky and Jones. Bernie has passed on. Bernie was a Country Music DJ in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, back in that time period. |
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Graham
From:
Marmora, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 12 May 2014 11:33 am
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Jimmy Peppers wrote 9 songs that George recorded and co-wrote 1 more with George (I Just Don't Give a Damn)
Of more interest to me was the song George co-wrote with Jimmy Day Called "Memory Is A Flower."
The last Musicor lp that Sonny played on was the 1970 lp "Will You Visit Me On Sunday." George released 5 more Musicor lp's dating up to 1972 but they don't feature Sonny. There were also 16 lp's on the RCA label (1972-75) that were licensed from Musicor, also without Sonny. The majority of songs recorded by George and written by Jimmy Peppers are on these RCA lp's.
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Rebel� |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 12 May 2014 2:18 pm
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| This is a post 68 photo. Curtis played ZB's before 1970 when he picked up his Clark. Clark's weren't even made before 70. |
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