Lefty Frizzell's Steeler in this pic

Fred Shannon · From: Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.

I have an old pic of the original "Westerners" band that was at the Ace of Clubs in Big Spring when Lefty first joined from New Mexico. If I can find it I'll ring it up and post it and you guys can check this Piano player out against the one in Jason's post. I think it looks a lot like "Jelly" but maybe no.

Found it. Left to right: A 16 yr old Steel player who'd been at it for 2 years already, Lefty--standing on 2 wooden coke cases, "Jelly"--this was the keyboard man who I'm looking for his real name (compare this guy with the one in Jason pics), Billy Madry--band leader, Lead Guitarist who had an eye problem(you couldn't tell who he was looking at) and without a doubt the most cantankerous man I've ever met on a bandstand, Charlie Stewart--Bass player supreme, and Slim Agnew--rhythm guitar sitting on the back of a sofa (he was probably 6'7" tall.

This is from an old print Madry gave me several years ago and probably the only one of this band known as the Westerners. It has the signature of Grady Kilgore, bartender supreme and without a doubt Lefty Frizzell's best friend ever. RIP both of you.

PS note those ties. It was just assumed here in this town, white shirt and ties or band uniforms. Musicians were well thought of here, they even put us in chicken wire cages to keep the adoring phans off us. Winking

phred
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There are only two defining forces that have offered to die for you; Jesus Christ and the American GI!!

Think about it!!

Tommy Shown · From: Denham Springs, La.

Lou Millet used to own a radio station in Denham Springs, La. The call letters were WLBI , it was an AM station on 1220. They only broadcast during the daytime hours. I almost went to work there back in 1976. I was in highschool and was in a radio broadcasting class in Baton Rouge. One of the personalities was helping me get my license. I was at a morning guy at the school station.
Tommy Shown

Jack Harper · From: Mississippi, USA

good mornin' this is ol' t. tommy shown signin' on...

hey tommy look where you could's been by now if you had'a just taken' that mornin' drive job.

country...........

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

aha.. you have it Fred, now the mystery is the identity of this Jelly fellow.

thankyou

Mitch Drumm · From: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Here are the only 3 pix I can find of Sonny Trammell. The guy with Hank doesn't appear to be Sonny, but it's tough to compare these mediocre quality pix.

Mitch Drumm · From: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake

Ah-ha!

Here he is, identified as Clyde Criswell aka Chris Criswell from around Tampa. Supposedly a guitar player who left the Drifting Cowboys circa 1946.

http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/thedriftingcowboys/bios.html

I don't really know the date of the Hank pic, but he is clearly running with Audrey at the time.

Is that definitely a lap steel he is carrying at his side?

Andy Hinton · From: Louisiana, USA * R.I.P.

Don't know how we got off Lefty's steeler, but in the last set of pics, the steeler in the pics. with Elvis Presley IS Sonny Tramel on The La Hayride, back when Sonny still had hair. Thats also him holding the D-8 National under his arm. This one was taken when he played for our future Gov. Jimmy Davis. Don't recognize the steeler in the Hank & Audry shot. Probably knew him but several years have passed since those days. Hope I helped a little. Happy pickin'. Andy H.

Roy Davis · From: Denton, Texas, USA

Thanks everybody! Great Stuff!!!!!

Fred Shannon · From: Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.

Well, I've been racked over the coals about the keyboard man. I've been informed by no less than 8 folks here in the area that "Jelly's" real name was SAM FITS and don't let me forget it. He, in fact, did play with some bands out of Dallas and Houston after he left the Westerners. Sam passed away several years ago. Now that doesn't mean I'm saying the man is Jason's post is or was Sam Fits, but he sure looks like the same dude to me. May he RIP and forgive me for my goof up. (Whispering: But I really never knew his real name; he was just good natured Jelly to me). Neutral

phred
_________________
There are only two defining forces that have offered to die for you; Jesus Christ and the American GI!!

Think about it!!

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

Mitch, there's pictures of Sonny playing steel with Johnny Horton in the BF Horton box book. I've never seen pics of him playing steel with Elvis, that's cool!!

Deke Dickerson · From: California, USA

Hello all--

I just got wind of this thread and let me tell you, it put a giant smile on my face to see you detectives at work!

I have changed the photo captions on my photo archive site to recognize the musicians that were previously unidentified.

Also, the date of October 26, 1952 sounds 100% correct--not sure if anyone noticed the show poster behind Sam "Jelly" Fits on the wall, but it advertised the show as "SUNDAY." I went online and looked up what date that October 26, 1952 would have been, and sure enough--it was a Sunday. So I think that nailed the date.

And yes, Scotty Broyles is a great mandolin player and has a wealth of information and knowledge about country music in both California (where he was stationed in the Navy in San Diego, late 40's/early 1950's) and Texas, where he grew up and returned to for most of the 50's and 60's. Thanks to Andrew Brown for finding Scotty way back when. When I first got a chance to view his color slides it was like getting in a time machine--it's unbelievable how crisp and realistic those color pictures are!

You can see some you tube videos of myself and Scotty jamming on Harvey instruments if you click on these links. Scotty is playing his original 1952 Harvey mandolin and I'm playing Paul Buskirk's 1956 Harvey doubleneck guitar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l5z-xhpay4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR3NXqyCie4&feature=related

Glad you all enjoyed those Lefty pics. Thank you so much for the great detective work. And how cool is it that we've got former members of Lefty's band here on the forum?

Deke

Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

From the Lefty Frizzell biography.
Abe Manuel,fiddle and on far right seated Pee Wee Whitewing.

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

That looks like the Bandstand at Tracy Gardens in San Jose, Ca. The Bass player looks like Mel Terwilleger who was part of the Shorty Joe house band.

Chris Lucker · From: Los Angeles, California USA

Regarding the Lefty F photo with a young PeeWee Whitewing, here is what PeeWee has to say on his website:

"While I was playing with Shorty Joe I backed up Lefty Frizzell at Tracy Gardens who had brought only the fiddle player of his band and used our group to assist. The fiddle player was Abe Manuel from Lake Charles, La.. He liked my playing and said that when I finished High School to give him a call. This I did, I finished School in May of 1951 at the age of 17 and called Abe who got me the job with Blackie Crawford and the Western Cherokees backing up Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Johnny Recter, Danny Brown and others. This was a very solid well rehearsed group and was kicks to play with. I took the place of Harold (Curly) Chalker who was the one of the best players of that time and had took a job with Hank Thompson. By the way it was Bobby Black that took my place with Shorty Joe and also Blackie Crawfords band backing up Frizzell et al."

I guess that proves I can use the Google Machine.

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

When Bobby Black left the Shorty Joe Band, I had been drafted and was stationed at Fort ord, Ca. near Monterey, Shorty gave me a call and I joined the Band on the week-ends while in the Army. I worked with Larry Black (Bobby's brother on Lead) until Tracy Gardens shut down to make way for Macy's Dept. Store. Lefty was booked in several times by himself and we backed him up.

Andrew Brown · From: Houston, Texas, USA

This pic appears in Dan Cooper's Lefty book. Sadly, Fred is marked as "unidentified"!

Andrew Brown · From: Houston, Texas, USA

The man is identified as "Jelly" in the Dan Cooper book as well.

Sam Fits is a new name on me.

Fred Shannon · From: Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.

Andy, believe it or not I never even knew the Cooper book existed and further some anonomyous (sp) soul sent me a well worn copy that is really ragged out and before the weekend it'll be even further read over. Thanks to whoever, or is that whomever. Aw, who the hell cares anymore.

I've done some more checking on 'Jelly' with some 'elderly' folks here and he left when Lefty departed the scene for the big cities. I was already in the Air Force for the next 24 years. Some of the folks said they thought he settled in the Houston/Pasadena, Texas area. He was one more good keyboard man and loved Canadian Mist. As did I Whoa!

_________________
There are only two defining forces that have offered to die for you; Jesus Christ and the American GI!!

Think about it!!

Roger Edgington · From: San Antonio, Texas USA

Thanks everyone. I love these old pictures and stories.

Tommy Shown · From: Denham Springs, La.

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Hey, I sent a link to this topic to a western swing and country music historian I know. He had something to add to the mystery of the piano player with Lefty's Band from 1952.

(.. and yeah, I still think this "Jelly" character was probably a very short lived member of the group)

Anyway..

Apparently the "Sam Fitts" of Big Spring was a bass player and from the one photo that my surce has, it looks nothing like this "Jelly" fellow in the photos posted here.
He also added that Sam Fitts played with Weldon Rogers, Don Tolle and a lot of others.

J.

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