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Topic: Elvis with Pedal Steel |
Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 2 Jun 2019 11:49 am |
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Listening to Elvis channel on Satellite radio. They played "Just Call Me Lonesome From Now On". There was pedal steel on the song and even a steel break in the song.
Steeler?? |
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Jim Fogarty
From:
Phila, Pa, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2019 2:07 pm
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| Pete Drake.......cut 9/11/67 for the "Clambake" soundtrack at RCA Studio B in Nashville. |
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Jack Goodson
From:
new brockton,alabama (deceased)
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Posted 2 Jun 2019 2:30 pm elvis steel
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| he also did faded love with steel....jack |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 2 Jun 2019 3:43 pm
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John Hughey is listed on a couple of Elvis sessions in the more detailed discographies.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 3 Jun 2019 2:11 am
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Bobbe Seymour told me that he did some cuts with Elvis. 
Here's the track of Elvis with Pete on steel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvYUl4oV0ao
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 5 Jun 2019 9:32 am
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Ken.... 
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 5 Jun 2019 9:53 am
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| Roger Rettig wrote: |
| Ken.... |
If Bobbe ever came out with one of his whoppers (which he was prone to do on occasion) I would burst out laughing. That would set him off, and we would both be there killing ourselves laughing.
I used to get on really well with him, and one time I gave him a box set of DVDs of his favourite comedian - Mr Benny Hill - who lived in Southampton nearly all of his life. Bobbe was over the moon with that. 
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Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 6 Jun 2019 5:16 pm
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Yes, Ken - Bobbe was a real card.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 12 Jun 2019 1:27 am
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Benny Hill? I, for one, was mightily relieved when he (or, at least, his nauseatingly lowbrow humour) was'exported' to the USA.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 12 Jun 2019 2:49 pm
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Drake was supposedly present at about 7 Elvis sessions between June 1966 and January 1968, one of which was just an overdub of a home recording.
These sessions were comprised of several dozen songs, many with multiple takes. I have NO IDEA of how many of these on which Drake can actually be heard.
John Hughey is said to be on Rubberneckin', From A Jack To A King, and In The Ghetto; all from January 1969.
Alvino Rey was on the "Blue Hawaii" session from March 1961, which resulted in 17 songs, many with multiple takes. The best known would be Blue Hawaii, Can't Help Falling In Love, and Hawaiian Wedding Song. Oddly (?), Freddie Tavares and Bernie Kai'i Lewis were there on ukulele, when either could have certainly done a fantastic job on steel as well.
Jerry Byrd is on "Beyond The Reef", but it was only an overdub from August 1968.
The first audible use of steel guitar on an Elvis recording I can locate is from January 15, 1955 on the Louisiana Hayride recording of “Hearts Of Stoneâ€, probably by Sonny Trammell. Four days later on January 19, Trammell is on steel with Elvis on “Shake, Rattle, and Rollâ€, done live at the WJOI studios in Florence, Alabama. This recording survives as an acetate. |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 12 Jun 2019 4:02 pm
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| I have a book which lists the musicians on every Elvis recording session. It makes interesting reading. |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 12 Jun 2019 8:57 pm
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Mitch:
Surely Jimmy Day played steel with Elvis at the Hayride? There's at least one photo in which he can be clearly seen.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 13 Jun 2019 5:10 am
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Roger:
I’ve seen 2 pictures of Jimmy together with Elvis on stage—but none from the Hayride. I hope you can describe or post any Hayride/Day/Elvis pix you have---I may have one mislabeled or outright lack another.
I would guess Jimmy did play behind Elvis at the Hayride, but it’s tough to get accurate personnel on the actual known Hayride recordings. Jim Evans and Felton Pruett were also Hayride staff steelers in that era, so what can we know for sure?
It’s one thing to have backed Elvis on the Hayride and another to have recordings of the appearance.
The Hayride Elvis pix I have seen have either:
1: no steel in sight
or
2: an un-manned steel or two or even three
or
3: Sonny Trammell on a Fender.
Presley was on the Hayride about 40 times, but only 7 or 8 dates are known to have surviving audio and one of them (April 30, 1955) is a remote from Gladewater TX.
In fact, I don’t know of any confirmed Day/Elvis audio, regardless of location. There are about 30 Hayride recordings, most of which don’t have audible steel. But I haven’t gone through them intently lately.
There is a little steel on “Tweedle Dee†from Gladewater, but I don’t know who it is. I don’t hear any steel on the live Houston recordings from 1955.
Trammell and Day are both known to have been part of Hayride package tours for weeks at a time away from Shreveport. Trammell specifically for 2 or 3 weeks in mid-late January 1955 when he did Shake, Rattle and Roll at WJOI in Florence—after first joining the Elvis tour in New Boston TX.
Per Scotty Moore’s website, Trammell is known to be on the January 22, 1955 Elvis Hayride broadcast, although I can only hear him on 3 of the 4 recordings---mostly just doing glisses during Scotty’s rides. I’m sure you’ve heard this stuff. Grateful for it, but the sound quality is mediocre and worse.
He’s also likely on the January 15, 1955 Hayride Elvis recordings as he was known to be traveling with Elvis in that time period. Sounding just like he did a week later---glisses behind Scotty.
I just found a 30 page PDF from the Library Of Congress describing its Louisiana Hayride archive. Thousands of documents, over 200 recordings and about 200 photographs. Regrettably, the name “Jimmy Day†does not appear in the description of the contents. But they have identified Sonny Trammell as “Sonny Frommelâ€, so who knows what lurks inside. Trammell was apparently in a band with Frankie Miller in 1952 in California, while Sonny was still in the Army.
Bear Family put out a huge box set of over 500 Hayride recordings a few years ago. I don’t have the included book. It may or may not identify personnel in significant detail. Day and Floyd Cramer do at least one instrumental: “Floyd and Jimmy’s Boogieâ€. Ain’t heard it. Trammell has a couple of instrumentals as well.
Just found a relatively recent (post 2000?) video of Trammell doing “Oklahoma Stomp†on the dreaded Youtube. Somewhat surprised that would be in his repertoire. Maybe using an MSA?
Jimmy was with the Hayride as early as 1952. Here he is with Hank and Tommy Bishop in Biloxi on a Hayride tour, 4 weeks before Hank died.
I welcome any evidence as to which Elvis Hayride recordings are confirmed to have Jimmy Day on steel.
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 13 Jun 2019 6:51 am
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Ernie Cawby (forum member that has since passed on) was a steeler on the Louisiana Hayride. I don't know the details other than he was on that show.
He mentioned working with either Moon Mullins or Moon Mulligan and others.
I have a tape of some Elvis appearances on the Hayride but I've apparently put it in a "safe" place as I can't find it. I remember a promotion for a package show that Elvis was on and it included the "young kid" Johnny Cash. Nothing that I recall on the tape had any (recognizable) steel on it. |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 13 Jun 2019 5:24 pm
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Mitch:
I'm not sure where I saw it but it was unmistakably a very young Jimmy behind a Fender. Maybe it's in one of the many books I have here - I'll look for it when I get a chance.
I thought it was the Hayride because of the advertising hanging behind them. It's a bit of a blur, though, until I can locate the image and confirm.
I had always assumed that the steel on that bootleg of 'Tweedle-Dee' was Jimmy Day but there's no factual evidence to back that up.
Thanks for all that detail!
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 13 Jun 2019 6:45 pm
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Roger:
Here’s the only 4 semi-relevant pix I have---unless I have misfiled or mislabeled something; certainly possible.
All with Jimmy Day and all at Elvis appearances.
Elvis seen in only 2 of the 4.
3 definitely in Texas; the other possibly Louisiana or Texas; none at the Hayride.
Right click for details.
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Godfrey Arthur
From:
3rd Rock
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Posted 14 Jun 2019 5:44 am
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It took a while for Elvis to get around to a country sound with steel.
He was too busy doing pelvis work.
British comedy was a major influence on American comedy.
Benny Hill was a hit in America.
So was Sanford and Son, a spin off of British Steptoe and Son.
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ShoBud The Pro 1
YES it's my REAL NAME!
Ezekiel 33:7 |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 16 Jun 2019 8:20 am
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Mitch:
My failing memory had morphed two pictures into one (in my mind, at least). I was thinking of the fourth photo in your post but confusing it with another with Presley at the Hayride taken from the same upward angle. That one was taken at the Hayride and I'd confused the two.
In your picture Elvis has his D-18 Martin - in the one I'm recalling he's playing his first Martin, a short-lived 000-18 that preceded the Dreadnought. The story has it that he wanted 'something louder'.
Here's a capture of the one I was thinking of. 000-18 (see the tacky stick-on 'ELVIS' lettering - at an angle to the strings rather than parallel as was the case on his later Dreadnought) and a Fender steel in the background; no steel player, though. (Maybe it's not a Fender - certainly not Jimmy's Fender quad-neck.)
(I'm sorry I missed your reply - for some reason I'm no longer getting notifications about Forum 'responses'.)
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 16 Jun 2019 9:37 am
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In my dreams I play with Elvis all the time.
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 16 Jun 2019 2:21 pm
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Roger:
Here is an uncropped version of the pic you posted; Frank Page of the Hayride to the far right.
It's from the first Presley appearance at the Hayride; October 16, 1954. I assume this is before anyone had thought of accompanying him with steel as he was pretty much unseen at the time.
I think this was his first public performance outside Tennessee. Prior, only in Memphis, the Opry, and on Tubb's Midnight Jamboree.
Last edited by Mitch Drumm on 20 Jun 2019 7:35 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Pete Burak
From:
Portland, OR USA
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Posted 19 Jun 2019 7:03 am
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The Elvis version of Always On My Mind is a great song to play along with on Pedal Steel.
Pull it up on YouTube! |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 20 Jun 2019 4:39 am
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That's great, Mitch - thanks!
So - he had that first Martin (the 000-1 as early October, '54? It's said that he paid $80 for it - a considerable outlay in his fledgling days as a pro singer. It didn't last long and somebody must have told him that a Dreadnought would be louder ('though not as pretty in my opinion); he traded the 000 for his 1942 D-18 and, I believe, got a full credit for it.
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Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 20 Jun 2019 5:08 am
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I guess he used whatever was at hand.
Here he is on an Epiphone in Texarkana on Sept 2, 1955; said to belong to Charline Arthur.
This was the same day that he had a car wreck outside Texarkana before the performance.
I'm guessing Elvis was using Charline's guitar because the Martin was also AWOL, sitting impounded in the wrecked car.
Sometimes, you can approximate pic dates based on Scotty's guitar. White pick guard or black. I think he switched to black in June or July of 55?
What kinda machine is that in the second pic below? It is supposed to be the earliest known on stage pic. Eagles Nest in Memphis, late August of 54.
Hmmmmm.....is that Hugh Jeffrey's Harlin Multi Kord lurking in the background, between Elvis and the dancer?
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