Another lost Bigsby? "Millie" in San Diego

Andrew Brown · From: Houston, Texas, USA

I know nothing of this band. The only clue to this picture is that it was taken in San Diego in 1952. There is a woman playing a Bigsby steel. Her name is spelled "Millie" on the front. Who was she? Who was this band? Anybody?

A bit unusual band I'd say. FIVE guitars, fiddle, female steel guitarist, bass, and a 100-year-old mandolin player on the far right. Maybe it was "bring your guitar and sit in with the band" night?

Here is a detail of Millie:

Deke Dickerson · From: California, USA

Mr. Brown, you never cease to amaze me. Thanks for posting that.

Deke

Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

What a treasure trove this forum is! Thanks!
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Roual Ranes · From: Atlanta, Texas, USA

Note where the amps are placed. Of course I don't remember those days. Rolling Eyes

Ernest Cawby · From: Lake City, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

5 guitars and they were not junkers either. They remind me of my days.

ernnie

Jaclyn Jones · From: Texas, USA

Looks like the bluegrass jams I go to here in Texas. 9 guitars, 7 banjos, 4 dobros, 1 dulcimer, a bass and 3 fiddles. The amazing thig is they all stop together!
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Barry Blackwood · Posted 4 Feb 2010 7:25 am

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Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

I wouldn't mind owning some of those nice guitars, that's no lie.

Photo kinda reminds me of a band Hal Rugg told me he assembled for a steel show one time: 18 steel guitars and a bass. But he got fired... too much bass.

Chris Lucker · From: Los Angeles, California USA

Millie Bybee aka Millie Wells?

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

Roual Ranes · From: Atlanta, Texas, USA

I had a Gibson just like the one the singer is playing........and I don't even remember what I did with it. That is sad.

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

The bigger Amp in front of Mille was a 12" speaker Gibson (you can barely see the logo). I hope it was for the Steel. Can't tell what the little Amp next to it was. This could have been before there were any Fender Amps.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

What a beautiful hunk of maple....wow.
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Mike Neer · From: NJ

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

I don't think it is Millie Bybee aka Millie Wells. Here is a pic of Millie with a mandolin; her sister Sue is on the left. She was Missouri based.

Chris Lucker · From: Los Angeles, California USA

Actually, I think that does look like the same woman. The nose and the mouth and jawline look the same. It is harder to see in the stage action photo, however, because she is sitting in a chair so far to stage left.

Are there any other band members from photos wherever you found the Millie and Sue picture that can be matched to the stage picture? I think there are at least two bands in that photo -- one western band and one jazz band.

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

Chris:

I found the pic here:

http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/follies/favorites.htm

There are numerous other musicians shown at that site, but there is no San Diego connection. I didn't do a comparison of the San Diego musicians versus the Missouri musicians.

I have to assume Andrew is right about the pic being from San Diego.

There is a resemblance as you say, but the Millie with the Bigsby appears to be noticeably older than Millie with the mandolin. Millie with the mandolin pic date is unknown, but likely mid to late 40s. Millie with mandolin, age under 30. Millie with Bigsby, age beyond 40? Just my guesses.

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Was this mystery ever solved?

The photos in the original post are gone. I did run across a photo of a young lady playing a Bigsby with the name Millie on the front. I should have bookmarked it; because, now I can't find it anymore. The photo was in a Pinterest collection of steel guitar photos.

Mark Eaton · Posted 30 Aug 2018 8:40 am

I believe this is the photo in question.

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Mark

Mark Eaton · Posted 30 Aug 2018 8:46 am

As far as Millie Wells the musician, she passed away in 2009 at age 88 and here is a link to her obituary:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37238073/lawana-faye-wells
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Mark

gary pierce · From: Rossville TN

I think Chris was right, it does look like the same lady holding the mandolin.

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Yep, that's the same photo. Any idea about where that guitar is? I always think about that when I see old photos from the past.

Mark Eaton · Posted 30 Aug 2018 12:40 pm

Not a clue as to the guitar's whereabouts Lee. When you mentioned that you had seen the photo on Pinterest it jogged my memory of having seen it there as well so I tracked it down on that site.

The link on Pinterest led to the French Steel Guitar Forum but when I clicked on it and did some serious scrolling through a lot of photographs, I couldn't find the one of Millie to see if there was additional information which might be of help to us here.
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Mark

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

I had looked through all those photos, too...3 pages of them.
There are some great photos on that site.

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