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Tom Bradshaw

 

From:
Walnut Creek, California, USA
Post  Posted 3 Jul 2017 11:06 am    
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I'm attempting to locate, clean, then digitize all of the instrumental recordings by Roy Honeycutt.

Roy played for Bob Wills for a short time, and only ended up recording "Steel Guitar Rag" that I know of. However, he may have recorded several versions of it, since Joe Goldmark's Steel discography lists this tunes on 4 different releases (3 Tiffany Transcriptions and one LP). I also have "Wednesday Night Swing", so don't need a copy of it.

Unless Roy recorded other instrumentals, I'm only looking for the tunes, "Honeycutt Stomp," "Long Lost Girl" and Wild Strings (this tune Roy recorded with Big Jim DeNoon and may have only provided an instrumental break in it. However, this is such a classic, I'd like to get it anyway).

If I could borrow these cuts, I will return the albums they are on, plus provide a CD of all of Roy's recorded material that I'm able to find. All who may have ideas about where I can find the tunes I want, are welcome to respond here or send me an email at tommybradshaw@gmail.com

Thanks, ...Tom
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Mitch Drumm

 

From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
Post  Posted 3 Jul 2017 2:26 pm    
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Tom:


Big Jim Boogie is another DeNoone instrumental.

Long Lost Girl is not an instro; it's a Big Jim DeNoone recording with vocal by Bill Carter.

As far as I know, the steel guitarist on those 2 songs plus Wild Strings, Honeycut Stomp, and Wednesday Night Swing is Travis Smith.

All were recorded at KVSM in San Mateo in late 1953.

I have all of them in mp3 format.

Travis was well-known in Modesto for many years, deceased in 2011. Born in Texas in 1929. As I understand it, he later developed arthritis that seriously affected his playing, but I'm told he had a fine singing voice and was very well known locally in Modesto.

Wild Strings is a top 5 steel instrumental for my taste due to the tone of the steel on the recording and for that reason I've tried to run down any details since I first heard it probably 40 years ago.

Travis Smith is all I have ever come up with.

You would think that "Honeycutt Stomp" would be a Roy Honeycutt number.

However:

It is spelled with one T on the label and the composer is one "L. Honeycut", whoever that is.

L. Honeycut may in fact be Roy Honeycutt. I don't know. But I have no evidence it's Roy Honeycutt on steel on that recording.

What has led you to believe Roy Honeycutt is on any of the DeNoone recordings? Maybe you have better info than I've scraped together.

Roy did record at least 3 songs with with T. Texas Tyler, but I can't trace an instrumental.

Here is a pic of the label for Honeycut Stomp and a pic of Travis Smith.

See your other post for Al Petty info.






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Tom Bradshaw

 

From:
Walnut Creek, California, USA
Post  Posted 4 Jul 2017 11:05 am    
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Mitch: As a 16-year old budding steel player living in Monterey, California, in 1951, on Friday and Saturday nights I would drive my Model A Ford to Mortimer's Club (a bar with a dance floor about 5 miles away; in Marina, CA). I'd sneak into the back entrance, hide in a dark corner and listen to Big Jim DeNoon's trio (I never saw his name spelled with an "e" on the end, but maybe that was the correct spelling. My interest was in Roy Honeycutt playing his lap steel and I was in awe of his single-string skill. At that time, Jim called him Leroy, not Roy. Roy spelled his name with two T's. I know that because I later had contact with his son (who recently passed on). I do believe the "L. Honeycut" song credit on the record you pictured, is simply a misspelling of his name.

I was eventually hired by Jim, but didn't last long because Jim moved away and I had no intention of ever playing "professionally" beyond high school (and I did at the "Big Barn" in Salinas) until I graduated.

I thank you for the information on Jim DeNoon's recordings. You could be right about someone else being the steel player on several of Jim's record releases. I would like to further discuss with you my interest in Honeycutt and would appreciate your contact with me at tommybradshaw@gmail.com. ...Tom
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Kathy Poland

 

From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 25 Jul 2019 3:59 pm     Recordings of Roy Honeycutt
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Roy Honeycutt recorded three sessions of the Tiffany Transcriptions with a total of 140 songs, 24 of them were instrumentals including Steel Guitar Rag. For details and the list of recordings my father recorded with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, go to tiffanytranscriptions.com. For all Roy Honeycutt recordings go to allmusic.com or hillbilly-music.com-royhoneycutt. Roy wrote "Honeycutt Stomp". His name was Daniel Leroy Honeycutt. Many knew him as "Leroy", later on in his life he went by "Roy" I can't imagine him having someone else playing for him on this song. Although my father knew and was friends with Travis Smith for many years so anything is possible.
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Tom Bradshaw

 

From:
Walnut Creek, California, USA
Post  Posted 26 Jul 2019 8:16 am     The Honeycutt Recordings
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First of all, I've learned that the "Honeycut" name was changed by some family members to "Honeycutt", while others retained the single "t" in the spelling. I've located a daughter of Roy who can fill in details on this if it is really all that important. Next, it is hard for me to believe that anyone other than Roy (surely short for Leroy) wrote "Honeycut" Stomp other than Roy.

Beyond the above, here is what I've been able to assemble as Roy's recordings. If anyone can add to this or provide corrections, I'd really appreciate it. Also, if anyone can furnish very good copies of any of Roy's recordings, I'll have them digitally converted to CD's and return your copies to you, along with the CD copy.

Year Tune/Album Origination or Artist
2014 Riding Your Way: The Lost Transcriptions for Tiffany Music 1946-1947 - Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys Guitar (Steel)
2009 The Tiffany Transcriptions [Box Set] - Bob Wills - Liner Notes, Guitar (Steel)
2005 Stompin' Singers & Western Swingers: More from the Golden Age of Western Swing Guitar (Steel)
2004 Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys [Box] - Guitar (Steel)
2003 Country Swingtime Guitar (Steel)
2002 Take Me Back to Tulsa [Proper Box] - Bob Wills - Guitar (Steel)
1991 Anthology 1935-1973 - Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys - Guitar (Steel)
1991 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 9: 1946-1947 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys Guitar (Steel), Pedal Steel
1990 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 10: McKinney Sisters 1946 McKinney Sisters / Bob Wills, Pedal Steel
1988 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 8: More of the Best Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys Liner Notes, Guitar (Steel), Pedal Steel Guitar
1987 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 6: Sally Goodin' - Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys - Guitar (Steel)
1987 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 7: Keep Knockin' - Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys - Guitar (Steel)
1986 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 2 (Kaleidoscope K-19 CD & Rhino 71470 CD & LP Kaleidoscope F-19)
1986 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 3 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys Guitar (Steel), Pedal Steel Guitar
1986 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 4 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys Guitar (Steel)
1986 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 5 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys Guitar (Steel), Pedal Steel Guitar
1982 Tiffany Transcriptions, Vol. 1 Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys Guitar (Steel)
? Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys San Antonio Rose Lariat One Records (LP) (“Steel Guitar Rag”)
? With Big Jim DeNoon - “Wild Strings” & “Long Lost Girl” 4 Star Records (45) 1646
? With “VA” & Big Jim DeNoon - “Wild Strings” - Blue Ribbon 2S-27 & 3S-35
? 10” Transcription with Big Jim DeNoon - “Wild Strings” 4 Star ET-117
? 10” Transcription with Big Jim DeNoon - “Honeycutt Stomp” T-120
? 10” Transcription with Big Jim DeNoon - “Wednesday Night Swing” - 4 Star ET-123


Last edited by Tom Bradshaw on 26 Jul 2019 6:10 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Mitch Drumm

 

From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
Post  Posted 26 Jul 2019 1:46 pm    
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I think he also played on a few recordings by Luke Wills, such as Four Or Five Times, Shut Up and Drink Your Beer, and Long Train Blues.

19 February 1947 Broadcast Recorders, Hollywood, CA - Luke Wills‘ Rhythm Busters (Glynn Duncan [vcl], Cotton Thompson [fiddle], Lester Barnard Jr [el gt], Herbert "Shorty" Wilker [gt], Roy Honeycutt [steel], Luke Wills [bass], Richard Prine [drums], Joe Holley [fiddle], Mancel Tierney [piano])
001 K2289 FOUR OR FIVE TIMES King 627
002 K2290 BRING IT ON DOWN TO MY HOUSE 610
003 K2291 SWEET MOMENTS 627
004 K2292 THOSE GONE AND LEFT ME BLUES 610

23 July 1947 RCA Victor Studio, 1016 North Sycamore St., Hollywood, CA – Luke Wills’ Rhythm Busters (Tommy Doss [vcl*], Eldon Shamblin [gt], Lester ”Jr” Barnard [gt], Roy Honeycutt [steel], Darrell Jones [bass], Johnny Cuviello [drums], Joe Holley [fiddle], Robert M. Berg [fiddle], Ocie Stockard [fiddle], Millard Kelso [piano])
005 D7-VB-1305-1 SHUT UP AND DRINK YOUR BEER 20-2415/BFX-15333
006 D7-VB-1306-1 LONG TRAIN BLUES unissued / BFX-15333
007 D7-VB-1307-1 HIGH VOLTAGE GAL* unissued/ BFX-15333
008 D7-VB 1308-1 (GOTTA GET TO GO) OKLAHOMA CITY 20-2414/ BFX-15333

23 July 1947 RCA Victor Studio, 1016 North Sycamore St., Hollywood, CA – Luke Wills’ Rhythm Busters (Tommy Doss [vcl], Eldon Shamblin [gt], Lester ”Jr” Barnard [gt], Roy Honeycutt [steel], Darrell Jones [bass], Johnny Cuviello [drums], Joe Holley [fiddle], Robert M. Berg [fiddle], Ocie Stockard [fiddle], Millard Kelso [piano])
009 D7-VB 1312-1 BOB WILLS TWO-STEP 20-2415/ BFX-15333
010 D7-VB 1313-1 UNCLE TOM WILLS SCHOTTISCHE unissued/ BFX-15333
011 D7-VB 1314-1 CAIN’S STOMP 20-2577/ BFX-15333
012 D7-VB 1315-1 LOUISIANA BLUES 20-2414/ BFX-15333


And on quite a few T. Texas Tyler recordings such as There Ain't Gonna Be No Doggone After A While and Curly Headed Baby. You can hear Tex call out "Roy", when he takes a ride.

Honeycutt could sound a lot like Noel Boggs, who also recorded with Tyler. There's several other Tyler recordings that are likely Roy rather than Boggs, but you don't hear the name "Roy" called out.



http://www.locateancestors.com/honeycutt-born-in-1920/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55779365/daniel-leroy-honeycutt/flower

Some details, down to the level of Social Security, above.

He played professionally around Modesto as early as 1943 in a band led by “Arkie and His Hillbillies” (Arkie Stark) for Earl Warren’s inauguration.

Billboard; May 14, 1949:

“Roy Honeycutt, formerly steel guitar with Luke and Bob Wills, has his own band, the Western Dance Boys, at the Wagon Wheel Club, Modesto, Calif. Others in the band include Marvin Steenburg, Kenny Cannan, Clyde Maples and Bob Shivers.”

Shivers may well be the same Robert Shivers who was a vocalist with Blackie Crawford’s Western Cherokees.

I also have a color picture of Roy and what I assume are his 4 children, likely taken around 1975, but I'm not going to post it here. The kids look to be between 1 and 12 years of age.









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