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Topic: Early Pedal Steel Guitar. |
Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 27 Oct 2008 5:09 am |
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| basilh wrote: |
Ken, I didn't know you knew Kealoha, he was also a very good friend of mine, and the Moe Family.
Do you know Dorina Sugondo?
She's a subscriber and contributor to our magazine. |
Basil - the pages on Peachey above are superb.
I don't know Dorina unfortunately. I met Kealoha Life - pronounced Leafay (real name Alfred Hollis-Randall) when he played in my father's band in the early 60's in my home town of Portsmouth. He played a 6-string lap steel tuned to E7 and would instantly and seamlessly change the tuning on it in the middle of a number to E13. He was an incredible player then - he could play extremes like 12th Street Rag at lightning speed and at the other end of the spectrum could also play My Little Grass Shack with beautiful sensitivity. As a 14 year old in 1963, I thought he was amazing and inspired me to learn steel guitar. My father used to tell me about Felix Mendelssohn & his Hawaiian Serenaders, and Kealoha's many film broadcasts and recordings.
He helped me to learn to pick block and use pull off's (yes Hawaiian style players were doing it back in the 30's!!) and encouraged me when I got my first pedal steel guitar (an Ormston). Funnily enough, much later in the 70's, Kealoha was given a Canadian Linkon pedal steel guitar by one of his fans, but never mastered it in any way. He was one of the old school lap steelers. Kealoha rated Roland Peachey (he pronounced it as Peeshay) as the best steel player he had seen or heard after steel guitar giant Joaquin Murphy, who he thought to be awesome. Another player that he had a lot of time for was Englishman Harry Brooker - father of Procal Harem's Gary Brooker.
Kealoha could speak 7 or 8 languages fluently, play plectrum guitar (what a quaint expression!) in the Django mould, and had hundreds of stories about Hawaiian music and its players. He had a mind like an encyclopedia, and was one of the most intelligent people I have ever met.
I lost touch with Kealoha in the late 80's long after I had moved to Southampton, and was dismayed to hear that he passed away a couple of years ago. He must have been a good age as he seemed old to me in the 1960's, and I owe him so much for inspiring me to take up the steel guitar.
He spoke very highly of you Basil, and I think the Forum is richer for the incredible knowledge that you give out on its pages.
Barry - sorry for hijacking your thread. Some of these older guys were the catalyst for the Gordon Huntley's and Nigel Dennis's of the world who were among the first to develop the pedal steel in the UK on a commercial basis.
_________________
Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Barry Gaskell
From:
Cheshire, UK
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Posted 27 Oct 2008 6:44 am
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Basil
Wonderful information. There's so much that has been lost but thanks to people like you,much has been saved.
Ken
No probs mate. This is facinating reading and should be shared.
Cheers
Barry |
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Danny James
From:
Summerfield Florida USA
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Posted 27 Oct 2008 9:10 am
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I too have learned some good things from this thread. I enjoy friendly disagreements at times if they bring out as a result good positive thinking as has been done by most contributors here.
I have neglected to say over the years that I have read Bazil's posts how much I appreciate them and how informative they are.
Bazil, thanks for all the time you have taken to enlighten all of us in so many ways. I love to hear you play and you are one of my favorites. Thanks so much for sharing your music with us. You are an inspiration and I believe a great help to keep Hawaiian music and also the steel guitar alive.  |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 30 Nov 2008 7:01 pm
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Well !! what can I say, such accolades...Thanks so much to you all, I really appreciate it, especially coming from such guru's and aficionados..I've been playing for 55 years now and the inspiration for me was Bill Cox who was also a friend of Harry Pahene..(Who's He ?)
I made a promise to Bill just before he died to continue his music and also to look after his daughter.. (My wife Pat) I think I've just about managed it..
65 this Wednesday, oh God !
This is Bill Sophisticated Hula
Bill Cox Hawaiian Guitar, Archie Cox Ukulele, Frank Gaye on Bass and Stan Keeley on "Plectrum Guitar" later to join the Second City Jazzmen..
Pictured below in 1937
Talking about Bennett guitars, guess what Mike (My Son) and Pat just bought me for my birthday :
Currently set up as extended E9th, and I have all the parts to make it a 6x5 Universal..
Happy birthday to me.. Happy birthday to me etc...
BTW the Roland Peachey article was compiled by Pat Henriques (Cox), from writings and notes by Edward Kirkman of the Sunday Times Newspaper.
The article is from an issue of ...."Aloha Dream" (our magazine), you REALLY SHOULD subscribe, you'll never know just what you may miss..
_________________
Steelies do it without fretting
CLICK THIS to view my tone bars and buy——>
Last edited by basilh on 10 May 2013 9:58 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 30 Nov 2008 9:06 pm
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| basilh wrote: |
| ...Happy birthday to me.. Happy birthday to me etc..... |
He stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum,
and said "What a good boy am I !"
Happy Birthday, Basil, you really clicked this year.  |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 27 Feb 2011 5:48 pm
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| Just repairing broken links..something we should all do from time to time.. |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 28 Feb 2011 7:29 am
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| Barry Gaskell wrote: |
Yo ! Thar she blows.
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Not yet she doesn't. I don't see the picture.  |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 10 May 2013 10:13 am
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| basilh wrote: |
| Just repairing broken links..something we should all do from time to time.. |
I though I should fix the links AGAIN as there are some very relevant ones regarding Roland Piche`, and the Sophisticated Hula link had also gone AWOL.. 
_________________
Steelies do it without fretting
CLICK THIS to view my tone bars and buy——> |
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Don Drummer
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 10 May 2013 1:15 pm
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| Hey Brits! Cool stuff. |
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