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Topic: New member; Old man. |
Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Oct 2002 3:08 pm |
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New member checking in. Love the forum. I see lots of names I recognize from the old days in the various posts. I'll be checking threads quite often; may even post now and then.
Regards to all.
Roy Ayres |
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John Hawkins
From:
Onalaska, Tx. on Lake Livingston * R.I.P.
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Posted 9 Oct 2002 4:30 pm
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Roy ,
Welcome to the Forum !! You already know how valuable it can be as a learning tool and just plain good reading ( most of the time ). Things can get a little "heated" now and then but over all ,it is a great place to come and learn or if possible ,help out someone that has a problem you have already encountered .
As to being old !-- There are a lot of us old folks here that are still learning after a lot of years bent over a D-10 . We can help others too sometimes !!
Welcome again and enjoy the forum !!
John [This message was edited by John Hawkins on 09 October 2002 at 05:31 PM.] |
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Paul Graupp
From:
Macon Ga USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2002 5:08 pm
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Roy: Jog this old guy's memory one time. Starke, FL rings a bell for me but I can't place it. I used to work at Tallahasse Communications and I'm sure I worked in Starke. I also played steel out of there and later Thomasville, GA but it has been a long time ago.
At any rate, Welcome to the Forum !! It is an interesting place to be associated with and involved in. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have for the last couple of years>
Regards, Paul   |
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Willis Vanderberg
From:
Petoskey Mi
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Posted 9 Oct 2002 7:30 pm
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Hey Roy;
Wellcome to the forum.The Florida Steel Guitar Club is meeting Monday Ocy 14th at Catfish Johnnies 7:00pm.Come on over.
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Dr. Hugh Jeffreys
From:
Southaven, MS, USA
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Posted 9 Oct 2002 8:35 pm
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| Hello Roy - I've asked a number of people what happened to you. The last time I saw you I was playing with the Big Diamond Band in Meridian, Ms. I think you went with Pee Wee King to play steel. That was a long time ago. Well, anyway as far as steel goes, I have an album CD out; you can hear a sample and check a few years of my biography on my web site if you care to: www.steelguitarbyhughjeffreys.com Hope to hear from you; Fla. is our favorite state (besides Hawaii); we were on cruise in the Western Caribbean just last July. Best, Hugh Jeffreys |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 9 Oct 2002 11:32 pm
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Welcome to this great Forum Roy
the Forum is somethin' that happens every day to young and old (just like the Blues... 
Jump in there Son
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Steel what?
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Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 10 Oct 2002 3:07 am
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To all of the above:
Thanks for the welcome. I feel "at home" already.
John Hawkins -- "Old" means 72 in my case. Thanks.
Paul Graupp -- Starke, Florida is a little North of Gainesville; between Gainesville and Jacksonville on U.S. 301. It's where Florida's Death Row is located. I came here about 12 years ago; worked as the County Manager of Bradford County until a year ago when I retired. I couldn't stand sitting around, so I went back to work as Zoning Director for Clay County. After traveling around in music for 17 years I finally concluded that every place is really about the same, so why not settle down where I am.
Hugh Jefferies -- Yep. I played with Pee Wee King for over 8 years: recorded Tennessee Waltz, Slowpoke, Bonaparte's Retreat, and the Swing West instrumental album. I still get mu old Fender 1000 out now and then, but havent played professionally for more than 30 years. I still remember most of my favorite licks, but for some reason I just can't get there in time.
Good to meet all of you. I still love the steel and still listen to steelers any time I can. This forum looks like a good place to keep in touch. I learned about it from Bobby recently while ordering a copy of "Murph" who was at the time my gretest idol.
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Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 10 Oct 2002 7:23 am
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Hey Hugh:
I just pulled up you web site and listened to the excerpts from your CD. I'm impressed. GREAT STEEL WORK.
By the way, I take it you remembered me from Meridian, Mississippi. I was with Red Stanton's band there and went directly to join Pee Wee from there. Remember Red Stanton?
Roy
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Paul Graupp
From:
Macon Ga USA
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Dr. Hugh Jeffreys
From:
Southaven, MS, USA
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Posted 10 Oct 2002 2:46 pm
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| Hi Roy - Yes I sure remember Red, Doc Holiday and many of the others in Meridian; Carl Fitzgerald does a talk show on WMOX, and has a gospel singing group; one of the Burns brothers also has a gospel group in Ticfaw, La, and a Restaurant there. Red Stanton lives in Gulf Shores, Ala. so does Don Davis (steel man with Tex Ritter, Geo. Morgan, others). I saw him about 3 weeks ago; he no longer plays. Barney Miller is in Covington, Ga., and his daughter lives in Gulf Shores also. We go to the condo down there often and really enjoy it. It's just 3 mi. from Fla. My brother, Jeff, played drums with the Big Diamond Band; he's in B'ham and retired from the transportation business; we travel a lot together; he'll be delighted that I've heard from you! He's still married to the Meridian girl, Betty. The Big Diamond Band went to Galveston about the time you went with Pee Wee; I stayed until I got a Call from Richard Prine (and the All Stars) in Beaumont, Tex. That's when Decon Anderson had just written RAG MOP, and he went out on his own. I played with Richard several months at Club Forest in Beaumont 6 nights a week. Richard was just off the road with Bob Wills and had written a big hit: WHEN YOU'RE NEAR ME, recorded by Jo Stafford; he had several of Will's guys---good players! I learned a lot down there. We should get on the eMail or horn and rap awhile. Best to you, Hugh |
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Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 10 Oct 2002 3:29 pm
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Paul Graupp:
Yes, Bob Koeffer played sttel with Pee Wee while I did a 2-year stint in the Marine Corps (Korea). It was my work on slowpoke. After I returned from service, Terry Tiche (lead guitar) had left the band and Pee Wee asked me to rejoin them on guitar. Bob did most of the steel work on the Swing West album while I played harmony parts on lead guitar. Bob was a tremendous steel man on his old Fender double neck. His technique was so unusual. He used only a thumb pick, and could swipe across the strings with a quick motion and skip any string or group of strings at will. He held his FLAT bar between his knuckles and thumb with his fist closed. We used to tell him he looked like he was chopping wood when he played. Where is he now? Is he still around? He was a great player of practical jokes, and I was often his accomplice. The best one he ever got the band on was when we were flying to a gig in the twin-engine Lockheed we always chartered. There were exactly enough seats for the band, with Pee Wee sitting up in the pilot's compartment with Art Greenemeyer (sp) our pilot. Chuck Wiggins, our bass man, woke up in the middle of the night and looked around to see Bob's seat empty. He went up front to see if Bob was in the cabit with Art and Pee Wee, and when he saw that Bob wasn't there he went ballistic. We searched the plane over and over -- no bob. Then we noticed that the door handle was in the unlocked position -- something that was just never allowed. Bob had been acting very depressed for several days (setting us up for the gag.) Everyone was certain he had jumped. Some were even in tears. We finally pulled all of Stix McDonald's drums out of the head, where we had to carry them because of the lack of space. Bob was curled up around the commode, fast asleep. We never found out how he got all of those drum cases on top of him and got the door to the head closed. He must have had an accomplice; it wasn't me and no one else in the band would ever admit it. That was only one of dozens of great practical jokes he pulled off in the couple of years I worked with him.
As to my tuning on Slowpoke, it was a pretty simple version of the so-called Cmin7 -- which actually was just an open E with the B string raised to a D note (6th). I kept a low E on the 8th string to get the gutsy sound. The guitar was a Fender 3-neck.
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Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 10 Oct 2002 3:49 pm
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Dr. Hugh:
You guys will have to forgive my slowness in replying. I work about an hour from home and don't get home until 6:00 p.m.
Hugh, it looks like we trod the same trails in Mississippi. I remember a few of the names you mentioned. Carl was a DJ when I was there in the 40's. He used to front our band when Red Stanton was out of pocket.
If you see or communicate with Red, give him my address: 7800 SE 11th Ave., Starke, FL 32091. I would love th hear from him.
You spoke of Don Davis. When I was a kid in Mobile during WW2 I played at a club called the Green Lantern. I learned that some guy named Don Davis had preceeded me there. Then when I joined Red Stantom later, I found that I had also followed Don into that job. By the time the war ended I was desperate for a new steel, as none had been manufactured for several years. After the war Chicago Musical Instruments came out with their redesigned National double neck, and some unknown outfit called Fender had put a strange looking double neck on the market. Seeking the advice on which to buy from someone who had been around Nashville for awhile, I wrote Don Davis in care of Pee Wee King at the Opry. I got a letter back from Pee Wee telling me that Don had left for the west coast (I think to join Tex Williams) and he had opened the letter by mistake, but had seen that I was a steel man ans asked me to play a fair gig in Mississippi the next week. So, that's how I wound up with Pee Wee, and that was the third job I followed Don Davis on. Small world. (by yhe way, I went the wrong way; I bought the National. I guess it was OK, but only after I completely rebuilt it.)
Yeah, let's jaw on email. Being new to the forum I don't know, but on most forums you can find email addresses for members. Just in case you can't my address is royayres@earthlink.net
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Gene Jones
From:
Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
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Posted 10 Oct 2002 3:53 pm
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| ...I deleted a "true Koefer story" here because I decided that it was not in good taste for the Forum...even if Bob Wills did tell it to me www.genejones.com [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 11 October 2002 at 03:20 PM.] |
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Bill R. Baker
From:
Clinton, MS USA
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Posted 10 Oct 2002 6:30 pm
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| Hello Roy. Seeing your name reminded me of something that I had not thought of in a long time. In 1951 my father bought me a Gibson J-45 in Columbus. I am trying to remember the name of the store owner. When I told him I also played steel (a little six string) he told me about you and what a great steel player you were and that the two of you were friends. Do you remember him? If so, what is his name? I think he had been a band director in Columbus. I always loved the way the Golden West Cowboys dressed. Much different today. Good to see you on the Forum. Bill |
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Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 11 Oct 2002 9:49 am
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Bill:
I posted a reply last night from my home, but it is not showing up in this thread. I must have clicked on something wrong. I'm at work now, so I'll try to reconstruct it.
I don't remember his name, but the guy you are talking about in Columbus was probably my band director at Lee High when I took cornet lessons and played tuba in the marching band. I was with a group called the Mid South Ramblers (Bill Collins, Jimmy Brasher and Rex Torian.) I remember playing Pistol Packin' Mamma on the tuba on our radio show on WCBI.
Yeah, the Golden West Cowboys band uniforms were all custom made by either Turk the Rodeo Taylor or Nudie. They were rather expensive. We sold the Pee Wee King songbok at our concerts, and Pee Wee put five cents in our uniform fund from each book sold. That offset a good deal of the cost for us. He would front the balance and take it out of our pay a little at a time.
Good to hear from someone from my stomping grounds in my early years. Man, you must have some memory; that was about 57 years ago. (You know, don't you, that you have given away your age?)
Thanks for the meomries.
Roy |
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Bob Carlson
From:
Surprise AZ.
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Posted 11 Oct 2002 10:04 am
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Roy, old is just a number. I'm 70, live in one of those active adult comunitys, and have to watch myself about refering to the other people as old.
But welcome to the Forum. As some of the folks have said it gets a little heated now and then, but it really does have a bunch of real nice members.
Bob. |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
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Posted 11 Oct 2002 10:16 am
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This forum is awesome!
Roy, I just listened to Swing West again for about the 1000th time. What a fantastic band y'all had! I burned it to CD so it can be in my car rotation as well.
To be in presence of you guys is, again, awesome. Thanks for the great music, all of it.
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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
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Paul Graupp
From:
Macon Ga USA
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Posted 11 Oct 2002 12:14 pm
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Roy: You asked if Bobby Koeffer is still around and I thought I read something about him a while back but after doing many searchs of the various Forums, I wasn't able to find a thing.
What I recall was that he was doing some work with Asleep At The Wheel but I cannot verify that. Perhaps some one else may recall what I am trying to bring back and post it for you.
There were also some interesting threads and pictures about National guitars on the Forum. I wrote about how I got my first D-8 National but it is lost somewhere in these archives. If I find anything like that let me know if you like to go there and I'll e-mail the directions to you.
Regards, Paul |
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Fred Shannon
From:
Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 11 Oct 2002 2:38 pm
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Bobby Koefer was playing with Leon Rausch and the old Texas Playboys last year at the Wichita Falls, Texas, Legends party. He still chops wood and points at the crowd, LOL. My understanding is Leon 'bought' the Playboy name or something like that. I'm sure the Herbster knows but I'm not that familiar. They still sound good
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The spirit be with you!!
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Jody Carver
From:
KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED
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Posted 13 Oct 2002 10:22 am
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Roy
WE DONT STOP PLAYING BECAUSE WE GET OLD
WE GET OLD BECAUSE WE STOP PLAYING
so there. |
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Perry Hansen
From:
Bismarck, N.D.
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Posted 14 Oct 2002 4:17 am
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Paul, I talked to Bobby Koefer a few months ago on the phone when a mutual friend passed. (Paul Harper, one of the finest Fiddle players around). He lives in Bend Oregon, if my old memory serves me.
Perry |
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Paul Graupp
From:
Macon Ga USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2002 4:51 am
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Thanks Perry ! That's good to know. I wonder if he remembers Melissa Cashdollar....
Bobbe Seymoure told us one time that she was a student of BK and that she could hold her own with the best. And now I'm wondering if she holds a bar like he does.......
Roy: There's an answer to your question but could I ask one in return ?? Spell out your old C#m7th tuning for me. What I'm trying to lay out with a D on 6th string and Lo E 8th string doesn't make sense to me. I would also like to know what changes and set up you had (have) on that old 1000 X6th neck. Was it a C# basic or something else ?
And yes, I share my tunings with anyone. I was around back then but never had anything I thought was good enough to hide.....
Regards, Paul [This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 14 October 2002 at 05:52 AM.] [This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 14 October 2002 at 05:53 AM.] |
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Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 14 Oct 2002 11:51 am
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Paul:
I'll try to reconstruct my old C#m7 tuning in my mind as soon as I have time. As I said, it's really just an E6 with the second string (5th tone of the scale) raised from a B to a C# (6th tone of the scale). (I think I misstated it earlier as being a D note.) It's essentially the old Joaquin Murphy tuning I think he used on Oklahoma Stomp. I haven't used it for many years, but I may be able to recall it. I THINK I also tuned one of the lower strings to a 7th (altered 7th -- D note , that is, not Maj 7th)
I'll try to confirm all of this later.
(Incidentally, I remember showing that tuning to Roy Wiggins one Saturday night in the alley behind the Ryman in the late 40's. If he's still around, maybe he will remember it and be able to confirm whatever I come up with.)
Regards,
Roy |
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Paul Graupp
From:
Macon Ga USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2002 3:34 pm
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Roy: I'm sorry to inform you the Lil' Roy has passed away. A year or more back, a lot of us on the Forum got togeather and donated so that a marker could be placed on his grave. I regret that I have forgotten the gentleman's name who did the footwork but there is a thread somewhere on the Forum that has a picture of the marker and will tell who the man was.
It seemed the Mr Arnold was too tight to do it right for someone who had made his musical signature such an obvious one and one that has withstood any test time could present it.
Sadly, Paul  |
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Roy Ayres
From:
Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 14 Oct 2002 3:56 pm
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Paul:
Sorry to hear about "Little Roy Wiggins" no longer being with us. My first idol on steel was Pete "Oswald" Kirby when I was six or seven. After hearing Little Roy when I was about 12, he became my Number One, and remained so for several years -- until I got into some of the more complex stuff and started appreciating Alvino, Joaquin, Noel, etc. One of the first songs I learned on electric lap steel was what I proudly thought was an exact, note-for-note copy of Roy's solo on "Each Minute Seems a Million Years." (My VERY first was "Fireball Mail" on Dobro.) Roy had about the cleanest sound there ever was on steel. His famous "trill" was eighth-note triplets, which no one who ever recorded with Eddie after that was able to duplicate.
I knew him and Eddie pretty well in those days. Eddie had started out as a singer in Pee Wee's band, but had gone out on his own (with Pee Wee's help and blessing) by the time I joined Pee Wee. Rumor had it that Roy wanted more money and Eddie declined; this reportedly lead to their breakup. I think it was just before "It's a Sin." Eddie's records were never the same after Roy Wiggins. Sad.
Thanks for letting me know.
Roy |
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