Ann J. Morten

Roger Shackelton · From: MINNESOTA (deceased)

In the 1970s Ann J. Morton recorded some Western Swing tunes. I believe one of these was the Bob Wills tune, "My Little Cherokee Maid." I believe Weldon played on her recordings. Have her songs been reissued on CD?
Roger

[This message was edited by Roger Shackelton on 01 August 2001 at 11:51 AM.]

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Roger, I remember Ann Morton very well as I played on one of her albums, and yes,it was western swing. We cut the session at "Hill Top" recording studios. Her husband was a great musician himself and worked for Danny Davis in the Nashville Brass recording and road band. I remember because I got to play 100% C6th neck on the session, can't believe you remember this session!
Bobbe

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

I wondered if that was the same Ann Morten I knew. She and Larry, her husband were from my home town and we played some together before they moved to Nashville. Ann had a brother Jim White who also moved to Nashville and changed his name to Jim Mundy,
and did commercial jingles. I have not heard from any of them in years but it is my understanding that Larry has a recording studio in Branson. He for sure is a great guitar player.
Jerry

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Sorry, but I just remembered, I also did some Nashville Brass sessions with Anns husband at RCA ,studio "B", Midnite in Moscow, was one of the songs,wow, I have to think,I hate that,25 years ago when I was doing 4 sessions a day and Franklin was carring Pete Drakes steel around and setting it up in the studios. We are both better off today, I 'spose, I mean Paul and I, not Pete and I.
Ann went to Branson and got into realestate and made a million dollars in three years, so I hear.Took a little edge off her love to be in the music business!
Bobbe

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Jerry, we were both posting at the same time.
Yes, that IS the same Ann Morton, and Larry! Nicest folks you'd ever want to know, but WAY to much talent! They were very great friends of mine and I'd love to see them again soon. Help me find them and I'll send you a new .011 third string for your guitar!
Bobbe

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Jim Mundy, Yes! Quite famous in Nashville and a hard working performer, successful and loved by all! Memories,those were the good ones!------Those three helped to make this "Music City",I wish they would come back and save it!
Bobbe

[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 02 August 2001 at 10:20 PM.]

Roger Shackelton · From: MINNESOTA (deceased)

Thanks Bobbe for saving my dying thread. I didn't think I was going to receive any replys, since it has been 10 days since I posted it.

Thanks to you too Jerry for your information. I was stationed at Fort Chaffee, near Fort Smith, Arkansas for 5 months in 1963, before going overseas. Did you know a Mr. Bennett in Fort Smith, that had a music studio upstairs above a retail business in downtown Fort Smith. He taught lessons on lap steel guitar. I saw two young brothers taking lessons at this music studio.
The one playing a D-8 Fender was about 5 and his older brother on Electric spanish guitar was about 7. They were on their way to becoming good players.

Roger

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

Hey Roger, this is getting spine tingling! When I was 15 and my brother was 11 (he was a Roy Rogers wannabe, wore cowboy cloths). My uncle moved back to Arkansas when he retired from GM in California. He brought an old Supro lap steel and small amp with him. My dad bought the steel and amp from my uncle for my little brother. I became fascinated with it immediately and in about a week I could play "I Overlooked an Orchid"
on the first two strings tuned to "E" in the key of "E". Brother was not the least bit interested. It was not many more weeks til I was playing Steel Guitar Rag. My Dad checked around and somehow found Joe Bennett Guitar School in the musty basement of the Jenkins Music Store in Fort Smith, Ar. I took 13 lessons and Joe was constantly after me 'cause I would play his lessons by ear instead of trying to read his number system which was a simple form of the tab I see used today that I still can't do much with. After 13 weeks Joe had me helping his new students. Anyway, the Bennett Guitar School became a place to go jam and Larry Morten showed up there. He may have been 18 years old as he was in College I believe majoring in music and he seemed to know a lot about theory. We became very good friends and spent hours in that old musty basement jamming. I think Larry lived in Booneville, Arkansas where the Baldwin factory was. I am not sure if he worked there or not. He already was the best guitar player I had ever played with and was into much deeper stuff than three chord country. He seemed to know a million chords. Mr Bennett moved from that old basement to a studio on the second floor of a store building with an outside staircase much like a fire escape and many of us would go there and jam. Mr Bennett even had a weekly local radio show and we played on it. If you remember, Joe Bennett had two sons with him named Jack and Jimmy. Both helped in the teaching studio.
When I married in 1960, Jim White lived two blocks down the street from me and LeRoy Prine lived one block up the other street from me. LeRoy was an early pedal steel pioneer who started the Pedalmaster Guitar. At that time he had a multichord type guitar that he had built. Jim White and Ann and Larry were playing music around town and I played with them and some. I think Ann and Larry had already married. Then I heard that they had all moved to Nashville. Then in a few months there was a singing jingle which I can't remember what was being advertised but it was Jim White who had an unmistakeabe voice. It seems to me that Jim had done a record and Ben Jack had played steel on it. During the time I was getting into steel I would park behind the club and listen to Ben thru the walls of the little club. I bet Ben could fill us in on some of this stuff.
I later learned that Jim had changed his name to Jim Mundy and I was watching TV and saw my buddy Larry Morten playing with Danny Davis Nashville Brass! He had "filled out". We were both skinny as a rail when we were jamming in that old basement. Somewhere in that same period of time I heard a record that Ann had done but I can't remember what it was. I think you asked if I knew Mr Bennett and I sure took a long way around answering. A few years ago I heard that Larry had a recording studio in Branson.

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

Bobbe, I might just be able to earn that .011 string. Before Dennis and Tim Crouch moved to Nashville, I played in a band with them. Dennis plays standup bass with Johnny Cox Time Warp(?) band and Tim plays fiddle with Mike Snider (from Gleeson Tenn!). We were doing a session at the Raney Studio in Strawberry, Ar where Dennis and Tim lived and I am sure it was either Dennis or Tim told me that they had done some recording at Larry Morten's studio in Branson. If you know either Tim or Dennis I bet they can tell you where Larry is. Let me know if this helps and I will send you my mailing address where to send the string!
Jerry

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Jerry, your a winner! Yes, I know Dennis Crouch very well and work with him occationally. I'll ask him,
I didn't know he was from Arkansas.
A bunch of great players from your part of the country,you need to work on your polititions though!ha ha !
Bobbe

Dayna Wills · From: Sacramento, CA (deceased)

never mind....

------------------

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

Now Dana....................!

Ben Jack · From: Fayettevillle, Ar. * R.I.P.

To Jerry and Bobbe and all concerned: I visit with Larry and Ann fairly regular and last talked to them a few months ago, at that time they were still in Branson but in the process of moving back to Nashville, their Branson address was 177 Eagle Point Drive, Branson, Mo. 65616 and they might still get forwarded mail at that address, their Nashville # :615-2922784. Larry is a lifelong friend and he worked for me for 6 years in the mid 60s and we also played together in some really good bands during that period, also all the White family was close friends even before Larry married Ann. Jerry if you would have asked I would have smuggled you in at the club but I suspect you probably had a reason for parking in back of the club I:E: [GIRLS] ??????? We're going way back in time but those seems now to have been really fun years!!!! Thanks for reminding me of them.

Ben Jack

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