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Topic: Hoot" Rains |
billchav
From:
Houston, TX USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2000 3:31 am |
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Anyone know what became of "Hoot" Rains, the original steel guitarist with Slim Whitman. Haven't heard of him since the early 50's when they played occasionaly around the Houston area. Bill Chaviers. ICQ 36667112
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 23 Apr 2000 3:17 am
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Hey Bill,
I heard somewhere that he'd died quite a few years back. I have an old CD which is like an early Slim Whitman greatest hits with songs like, Indian Love Call, Love Song of the Waterfall, Rose Marie, and tunes like that. Hoot is all over these and what a style and sound. I like the way he'd pick those single note and slide up an octave. On Rose Marie there's a great solo.
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Have a good one! JH U-12 |
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Loy B Moore
From:
Bossier City, LA, USA
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Posted 23 Apr 2000 5:45 am
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After Hoot Rains left the Slim Whitman Band he paired with Whitman's lead guitarist Curley Herndon as "Hoot and Curley" and appeared for several more years on the Louisiana Hayride. After the demise of the Louisiana Hayride, Hoot went to work in sales at Red River Chevrolet in Bossier City, LA and I understand Curley went back to his day job (which he never really left) as a civil engineer in Shreveport.
According to the Bear Family CD compilation, Hoot's last session with Slim Whitman was in the March of 1953 and Rose Marie was not recorded until March of 1954. Lester Fry played steel on Rose Marie with considerable effort to duplicate the Hoot Rains sound.
Hoot Rains died about 10 years ago. His Gibson Console Grande is in the Louisiana Bluegrass Museum in a State Park in Marthaville, LA about 65 miles south of Shreveport/Bossier City, LA. |
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billchav
From:
Houston, TX USA
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Posted 23 Apr 2000 6:52 am
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| Thanks, Jerry and Loy. I recall one of them using palm pedals. Were those similar to the [Lectra-chord][sp.], or it may have been Slims brother whom I was told played steel on some of his later records. According to the linear notes on my CD Jerry Byrd played on his first sessions for RCA before he got the Imperial contract. www.billchaviers.com ICQ 36667112 |
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Loy B Moore
From:
Bossier City, LA, USA
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Posted 24 Apr 2000 8:05 pm
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Bill, You are correct about Jerry Byrd being on the early RCA Slim Whitman records. Also on those early RCA records were Chet Atkins on lead guitar, Henry "Homer" Haynes on rhythm guitar, Kenneth "Jethro" Burns on mandolin, and Anita Kerr on organ. Pretty good band. According to Kevin Coffe and Bear Family records, Don Helms played steel on two of the RCA cuts; "Rainbow in Every Teardrop" and "Lets Go To Church"
Its hard to understand why none of the RCA records never did anything until after Slim Whitman established himself on Imperial Records. |
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billchav
From:
Houston, TX USA
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Posted 24 Apr 2000 9:25 pm
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| Thanks Loy. I often wondered about those recordings also. Bill |
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