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Topic: Slim Whitman's steel player |
Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 1 Jul 2004 10:31 am |
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A recent post inquired about the identity of Slim Whitman's steel player.
A quick listen to "Jerry's Music" at the jerrybyrdfanclub.com site might help you to see if this was the steel man you heard.
It's quite a pretty song..........and listen, if you will, to the phrasing of the steel player on his solo part. |
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Chuck Fisher
From:
Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 1 Jul 2004 11:26 am
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| But would his playing acheive the desired effect on Martians? |
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Chuck Fisher
From:
Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 2 Jul 2004 10:31 am
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Wow I guess I killed the thread with this joke.
In the movie Mars Attacks (Jack Nicholson etc) The hostile Martians are taking over and us earthlings need a defensive weapon, its discovered the Martians are greatly effected (their heads explode spectacularly) when they hear Slim Whitman records.
I'll have to re-screen the movie to see if JB made it on the soundtrack.
CF |
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Ed Altrichter
From:
Schroeder, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 2 Jul 2004 10:56 am
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I had posted a question earlier, asking about who played those beautiful high steel guitar tones on Slim Whitman's records. I was informed that it was Hoot Rains, and the sound is referred to as "singing harmonics", or something like that. I didn't hear that sound on this, although this is very nice.
I think it was the yodeling wot killed the Mars-kies.
Anyway, Hollywood has a way of keeping things in proper perspective regarding what's in good taste, and what is not. ( uh... yuh...)
Ed
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John Bushouse
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Posted 2 Jul 2004 5:01 pm
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| Chuck, for what it's worth, my wife and I thought your comment was hilarious! |
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Bill Brummett
From:
Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 5 Jul 2004 7:13 pm
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Yes, It definiely was Hoot Rains. He played a Gibson D8 Grand. The lead guitar man was Curley Hearndon.
When Slim Whitman first started playing on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, I got to know him as Slim Whitman was my grandmothere's mailman!!
I was also a young (about 13 or 14 as I recall) and was learning steel guitar from Shot Jackson. I "hung out" backstage at the Hayride as much I could and often got to visit in Slim's rehearsal room. That's where I got to see some of Hoot's playing up close.
As I recall, Hoot was pretty much stuck to single string (mostly) melody stuff in C6th and or A6th. But he did have an amazing knack for playing beautifully clear palm harmonics and getting fantastic sustain out of that old Gibson. That's what you hear a lot of on things like Indian Love Call. Indian Love Call (as very few probably remember) by Slim Whitman was the first country artist song to reach and stay at No.1 on the POP chrts for many weeks.
Thus, Hoot Rains and Johnny Farina (of Santo and Johnny's Sleepwalk)are 2 of the few of our cult that have been featured on No.1 Pop tunes.
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 6 Jul 2004 10:51 am
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I love that thing Hoot did where he'd play a single note and slide up a whole octave where he'd sustain it. He had a very unique style for sure..........JH
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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.
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Ed Altrichter
From:
Schroeder, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2004 8:10 pm
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| Ya, how'd he do that ? |
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Bill Brummett
From:
Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2004 8:16 pm
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Yeah, Tht cold make chills run up your spine.
Then he'd turn around and do a harmonic in the high octave and slide down an octave. that was certainly unique.
One of the things that I liked about listening to him was that his style was very clean and simple. I think that's why he got a lot of attention from "non-steel" type folks.
At any rate, his steel fit perfectly with Slim's clear tenor voice. |
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Bill Brummett
From:
Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2004 8:25 pm
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He once showed me how he did the sustain. He had the volume cranked all the way up on the Gibson and kept his foot volume pedal almost closed. Then as he did the slide, he would follow all the way up with steadily increasing more volume from the pedal. Pretty simple but took a lot of very fine touch on the pedal as it increased. It came out with the same volume all the way up but it sure did last!!
I never could get it down on my Fender, with my old DeArmond pedal to sound like his.
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Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 7 Jul 2004 7:03 am
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quote:
"At any rate, his steel fit perfectly with Slim's clear tenor voice.
"
I believe Bill is 100% correct. It is not unusual for a given player's style to latch up with a unique singer's voice:
Little Roy Wiggins--Eddy Arnold
Don Helms--Hank Williams
Ralph Mooney--Buck Owens
Bashful Brother Oswald--Roy Acuff
Josh Graves--Flat & Scruggs
Hoot Raines--Slim Whitman
Jimmy Day--Ray Price
Buddy Emmons--Ray Price
Kayton Roberts--Hank Snow
Weldon Myrick--Connie Smith
Johnny Siebert--Carl Smith
Bud Isaacs--Webb Pierce
Buddy Charleton--Ernest Tubb
Hal Rugg--Lorretta Lynn
Noel Boggs--Jimmy Wakely
Norm Hamlett--Merle Haggard
Cousin' Jody--Homer & Jethro
Tom Brumley--Buck Owens
Ralph Mooney--Wynn Stewart
???????--Gene Autry (I forgot his name  )
I am sure there are others, but that is all I can think of now. I purposely excluded "one time" classics such as Dan Dugmore--Linda Ronsdadt. Also, those that played for a host of singers such as Jerry Byrd . Also, did not include the incredible session players like Pete Drake, Lloyd Green and Paul Franklin, etc.
If you know of any I have missed who were players who "made" the sound of a singer, please add to the list.
carl |
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Jody Carver
From:
KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED
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Posted 7 Jul 2004 6:02 pm
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Carl you wrote.................
???????--Gene Autry (I forgot his name
Frankie Marvin.
His brother Johnny also played steel with Gene. |
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Kenny Dail
From:
Kinston, N.C. R.I.P.
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Posted 7 Jul 2004 7:23 pm
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For the record, I think Cousin was with the Alonzo and Oscar novelty act, not Homer and Jethro. I believe that Jerry Byrd was the Steeler on any steel work with Homer and Jethro.
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kd...and the beat goes on...
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C Dixon
From:
Duluth, GA USA
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Posted 8 Jul 2004 6:18 am
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Kenny,
Thank you for that correction. As I think back now I do believe you are right. I make no excuses for my blunder. Lonzo and Oscar & Homer and Jethro were both great duos of their day.
I can still see Cousin Jody and those pants and that double length guitar strap around his neck. Boy! ole Jody must have had long arms. The singers are a bit vague in my cranium. Do ya suppose that is because "I almost always tune the singers out? 
Again thanks and I apologize.
And thanks to you Jody for giving the name of Gene Autry's steel player. And even though he rarely played an intro, break or ending, he was in fact a signature lick to Gene's voice that fit perfectly, IMO.
I would like to add that there were indeed many great steel players that played for many different singers such as Sonny Garrish. Oops I just thought of another "pair"
Juaquin Murphy--Spade Cooley
and I do not know how long Curly played for Lefty, but I will include it as an "honorable mention", since Curly too played with soooo many singers.
Curly Chalker--Lefty Frizel
Thanks again fellows,
carl[This message was edited by C Dixon on 08 July 2004 at 07:19 AM.] |
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Alex Cucheran
From:
Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Posted 9 Jul 2004 3:58 pm
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| How about John Hughey and Harrold Jenkens? |
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