"I'll Come Runnin'" Dilemma

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 19 Sep 2007 1:13 am

Did Weldon Myrick run too far, when he arranged Connie Smith's "I'll Come Runnin' for entertainment purposes? What sets that particular song apart from others? What makes it so difficult to play, as when Weldon first recorded the song? I would go out on a limb to say, there are very few players around claiming that the steel break is a "piece of cake".

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 19 Sep 2007 2:00 am

When I listen to this one it is Weldon's fantastic blocking technique that blows me away-not long ago I heard Eddie Stubbs (WSM Radio) play a live Opry version (from the early or mid 60's) of Weldon playing on Bill Anderson's "Bright Lights and Country Music" absolutely jaw dropping technique like on the tune with Connie-I could not help but think that Weldon was in his prime then

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 19 Sep 2007 4:10 am

"I'll Come Runnin'," with its career-making solos for Weldon, is a right hand differentiation machine...it separates the men from the boys.

Would someone please hand me that G.I. Joe doll over there?

Bill Ford · Post by **Bill Ford** » 19 Sep 2007 4:55 am

Is there room at the top of the PSG/steel player ladder for everybody? I don't know. but I do know that Weldon is among the ones that are there.I used to listen to the material he did with Connie, and on the Opry and just shake my head and wish.

BF

Mike Shefrin · Post by **Mike Shefrin** » 19 Sep 2007 6:20 am

Weldon is great!

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 19 Sep 2007 7:11 am

In my opinion Weldon's playing has always been class act!

His recording efforts with vocalists over the years are just super.

Next, I think his "Pedal Man L.P." of years past was just fantastic; it remains my favorite of all Weldon's steel artistry! Go back and listen to the variety and each song, it's just great!

Wish we could get him up here to one of our Marshfield MO Annual Steel Shows. Does anyone have a phone number for him? If you don't want to release it to the world, you can e-mail it to me.

Terry Wood

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 19 Sep 2007 7:34 am

Run too far? I don't think so.

The only dilemma on "I'll Come Runnin'" is that it kicks my butt every time I work on it. Someday, maybe. What a great palm-blocking exercise, though.

Joe Savage · Post by **Joe Savage** » 19 Sep 2007 10:21 am

Connie sez that's the song she uses to audition her steel players!!!!!!! That will weed the garden real fast! Definately a good exercise....(in futility)

Fantastic stuff. I shook Weldon's hand one time. It was like a baseball glove. I mean, that cat has really big hands. How can a guy with such big hands play so dang fast?????? What great style.

Olaf van Roggen · Post by **Olaf van Roggen** » 19 Sep 2007 11:58 am

I have a fantastic recording of "I'll come running"by Leighan Cortes from Alvin ,Texas and it's Dicky Overby making it sound as if it's a piece of cake for him.www.leighancortes.com

Mike Jones · Post by **Mike Jones** » 19 Sep 2007 12:38 pm

I remember in 1977, I was playing steel for Connie and we were doing the Opry. Connie was running late as she does and came in the back door of the Opry as the announcer was calling her name. She shouted "I'll Come Running" and the drummer counted it off much faster than normal. I played the intro and then played the turnaround when it was time. At the end of the song I looked to my left and Weldon was sitting on the other steel stool smiling and had been watching. He told me I made that intro and turnarround look so easy to play. Had I known that he was there watching I most likely won't have played it much less got through at the much quicker tempo. Talk about peer presure. Weldon's alway been one of my idols and favorites players.

Cookie

Marco Schouten · Post by **Marco Schouten** » 19 Sep 2007 1:22 pm

And how do you guys like Lloyd's version with Warner Mack?

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 19 Sep 2007 2:14 pm

If anybody doesn't have this and needs to know what's being talked about, I can email you the solo in a 200KB mp3.
The thing that astonishes me the most about Weldon's picking here is the articulation and tone. He is not just picking fast. Each note is perfectly even, has the same duration, and has 'bloom'---a beginning, a middle and an end. This is not just a hyper caffeinated picker struggling to keep up. This is a man in command.
This is one of my benchmarks of blocking. I work at "running" often and then play the original just to keep humble (as if I need help getting put in my place).

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 19 Sep 2007 2:25 pm

That song, with it's intro and ride, isn't a "test", it's a flippin' exercise in futility!!! The speed on the record and those blocking techniques are almost impossible, and I'd classify it as the "top and most difficult ride of all time" on a hit country record. I've heard a lot of players try it, even some big-name ones, but on a scale of one-to-ten, I'd say the closest I've heard is about a five or a six. $:\$

Now, there may be another player out there who can cop it exactly, but I'll remain unconvinced until I hear them. The ride is so fantastic and so perfectly executed that you really need a good amount of skill and knowledge of the instrument just to comprehend how good it is.

I guess you've gathered by now how much I appreciate it!

Thanks Weldon...well done!

Joe Shelby · Post by **Joe Shelby** » 19 Sep 2007 2:39 pm

And to think that it had its beginnings as a warm up
exercise that Weldon would run through while preparing for Connie's sessions...

Joe.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 19 Sep 2007 3:01 pm

For those who aren't familiar with the song, you can listen to the intro and steel break here:

CLICK HERE

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 19 Sep 2007 6:09 pm

How about Weldons solo on Johnny Bush' 'Whiskey River" ? Don't ever underestimate Weldon. Jody.

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 19 Sep 2007 9:54 pm

Jody Sanders wrote:How about Weldons solo on Johnny Bush' 'Whiskey River" ? Don't ever underestimate Weldon. Jody.

The Whiskey River solo is (as I said before) the one that I wore the needle of my record player through the 45rpm I have of it-After all these years I can ALMOST get it-The hard part is toward the end of the break where Weldon does the second string thing-As we know Weldon tunes his second string on E9th to C# and raises it instead of D# and lowering it-which in this solo puts his signature on it-But on "I'll Come Running" that solo I can't even BEGIN to get down

Per Berner · Post by **Per Berner** » 19 Sep 2007 10:32 pm

Weldon Myrick has always been in my top-three (alongside BE & LG). I especially like his work with Moe Bandy and Gary Stewart (whose "I can't be your backdoor" and "Hank Western" are as good as it gets steelwise - and I guess it's Weldon's rapid fire on "Caffeine, nicotine, benzedrine" as well)

But. IMHO, as far as "I'll come running" goes, John Hughey's instrumental version (ca 1976) is miles better than the original (which is already superb). Warp speed fast, yet immaculately clean.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 20 Sep 2007 2:19 am

It will never be known in numbers, the actual attempts by individual steel players, who'd tried unsuccessfully to grasp the speed and technique of Weldon Myrick. He has been much like a tiger, stalking notes of the scale, with extreme intensity. In doing so, and from out of the blue, he surprised Connie Smith by extolling her lyrics with masterful precision. I think the brute force originality will be a momento for those who are breaking ground in the technical aspects of playing the steel guitar. Thanks, Lee, and others for the intros! Your generosity is appreciated.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 20 Sep 2007 5:42 am

Say what???

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 20 Sep 2007 7:22 am

Donny,

If there is a need for paraphrastic terminology, I could say that Weldon's motives are the furthest things from lighthearted defiances of conventional methods of playing pedal steel guitar. He broke through that crust of difficulty, and pulled out all of the stops in "I'll Come Runnin'". The probability of zeroing in on his technique would be made easier, if everything but Weldon in the recording were to be silenced. The thundering accompaniment tends to distract from concentrating on the main objective.

Jim Hartley · Post by **Jim Hartley** » 20 Sep 2007 6:48 pm

I've had the great pleasure of playing alot of shows with Laney Hicks, and her steel player does a pretty good job on this one.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 20 Sep 2007 7:03 pm

Bill
I have to admit, I was forced to go to the dictionary on "paraphrastic," and by golly, there it was!

Good one.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 21 Sep 2007 3:11 am

Jim H.,

Thanks for the tip! I'm aware of the publication that Scotty assembled quite some time ago, that included the steel guitar tablature for tracking Weldon's arrangement. Likewise, I'm aware of notations (scores) by the great masters that can only be followed with limitations. I'm suggesting that Laney Hicks' steel player could have referred to directly, or indirectly, Scotty's publication. Because of the difficulty involved in trying to move forward, I'm assuming that the arrangement has commanded respect throughout the steel guitar community. B.Emmons, J.Hughey, and L.Green are among those players who turn up with sticklers, just as Weldon did in the past. "4 Wheel Drive", "Look At Us", and "Bars Of Steel" are good examples of originality.

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 21 Sep 2007 3:21 am

Weldon is a great steel player no doubt. The song "Whiskey River" has some of the hottest licks on steel guitar that was ever recorded.

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"I'll Come Runnin'" Dilemma

"I'll Come Runnin'" Dilemma

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