Some west coast steelers.............long forgotten

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 17 Jun 2008 5:49 pm

Wayne Burdick, altho' an early BIGSBY steel guitar owner/player.....was at one time a west coast steel guitarist with a great following.

Another about whom little has been reported, was Les "Carrot Top" Anderson. I think he was a favorite in the Compton, Calif., area, and at one time with Bob Wills.

This bit of history seems to have escaped some of us.

Do YOU know more?

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 17 Jun 2008 7:45 pm

Billy Tonneson. Jody.

bob Ousby · Post by **bob Ousby** » 17 Jun 2008 7:45 pm

Ray...I met a gentleman last year who has lived in Reno, NV for a long time. Prior to that in California. His name is Max Harvey and he has played psg forever. Another good one we have right here on the Forum is Duane Brown...Bob

Joe Goldmark · Post by **Joe Goldmark** » 17 Jun 2008 10:14 pm

Bobby Thompson, Dan Boyd, Glenn Andrews, Jimmie Foxx (Sacramento), Vance Terry, PeeWee Whitewing, & Jimmy Webb played around S.F. at various times. Leo LeBlanc down South.

Some of the guys who aren't that old, but who you don't see playing out much anymore are Greg Lasser, Joe Shelby, Barry Blackwood, & Pete Grant. The daddy of them all who still plays regularly is Bobby Black.

Joe

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 17 Jun 2008 10:36 pm

Joe Goldmark, being in the Bay Area, did you ever get to see Vance Terry playing with Jimmie Rivers? That "Brisbane Bop" album sure makes me wish I had!

Bobby Black is one of my short list of favorite steelers. I love his playing on the Commander Cody: Live in the Heart of Texas album--it's probably one of my primary steel guitar influences. (Being influenced by something doesn't mean you can do anything like it!) One of my all-time best live music experiences was a Commander Cody (partial) "reunion" show at a small club in Rockville, Maryland called "Cowboy's" in about 1985-6 (?), with the Commander, Bill Kirchen, Bobby Black, "Buffalo" Bruce Barlow on bass, Tony Johnson on drums. Wow!

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 18 Jun 2008 1:35 am

Some guys from the L.A. area: Al Parrett, Art Sanchez, Carl Walden, Carl West, Stan West and Bill Weingarten.

I spoke to Al Parrett about 6 months ago, and Stan West runs a guitar shop now. I don't know what Bill is doing these days.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 18 Jun 2008 2:56 am

DAVE ALLEN ! While I can't be sure he was from CA, I still feel that he was. I wrote about him in 1965 and then the Forum guys and myself tried to find a trace of him in the early 2000s and found absolutely nothing. What I wrote was that he was a Chalker protege and a very good one at that. Still seems like a big loss to me...

Regards, Paul

James Collett · Post by **James Collett** » 18 Jun 2008 3:05 pm

Mike-
Stan's my steel guitar teacher! He used to run a guitar shop, but he's retired now and the shop no longer exists. He always had a few steels in stock though.

Stan had a stroke in 1977 and lost most of the feeling in his left side, so he sold his D-10 and got an S-10, which he then switched from a left-footed to right-footed guitar. He's not as good as he was before the stroke, though (still a wealth of information).

He plays on weekends at some of the local music stores around Glendora, every other Saturday morning or so (8-10:30) he's either got his slide and/or dobro (sometimes Pedal Steel!) at Strings Music, downtown Glendora. If you want i'll find out the next time he's playing there.

Here's the link to his Gig Schedule

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 18 Jun 2008 3:44 pm

James Collett wrote:
Stan had a stroke in 1977 and lost most of the feeling in his left side, so he sold his D-10 and got an S-10, which he then switched from a left-footed to right-footed guitar.

James I remember Stan playing that guitar. He hired me to do the weirdest gig I ever did. he had a very tight, well rehearsed 4 piece band, and did not need a 5th piece, but the club owner insisted that he hire an extra man, so I was hired to stand there with the volume turned off on my guitar and pretend to play.

Please tell him I said hello, and both you and he are invited to nest years L.A. Steel jam. The dates have already been set. February 21 and 22. There will be more details posted as the time draws closer.

James Collett · Post by **James Collett** » 18 Jun 2008 4:12 pm

Thanks, Mike! Funny story!!!

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 18 Jun 2008 4:59 pm

Mike: Got one of those stories myself ! I was hired to play steel while their steel man pretended to be playing. I was behind the curtain offstage and it took a bit of doing but it came off pretty well. Still makes me shake my head as to why...

Regards, Paul

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 18 Jun 2008 5:09 pm

Any one remember Fredie Gates who played steel with the Horton Bros at the Sky Light club in Compton back in the 60s? The Horton bros were friends of mine and i played with them in he 50s in Lubbock and Odessa,Tx.before they went to Ca.
Last saw Norman (Cooter) when i was playing at the old Mayflower club in Cheynne,Wyo.Would like to know where they are today.

Joe Goldmark · Post by **Joe Goldmark** » 18 Jun 2008 6:46 pm

Hi Brint,

I never saw Vance in his heyday, but did see him a few times in the 70's. He was playing a very pop jazzy chordal style then, and had a steel that Tom Bradshaw had customized for him with two rows of pedals, one on top of the other. He was such a monster musician that he could sit down and play this thing with no practice. My favorite Vance recording is the Billy Jack Wills album on Western (?) that has material from 1951. Vance is on top of his game, and as good as anyone.

You mentioned the classic Com. Cody lineup. They played a lot around here and were very influencial. I joined Billy C. Farlow's band in 1977 after he left Cody, and we toured for a few years.

Joe

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 18 Jun 2008 6:47 pm

Another SoCal guy was my late high school friend J.B. Crabtree, a tremendous steeler in the Sneaky/Cage/Young genre. He was the dobro player when the Sweethearts of the Rodeo were playing Tuesday night gigs at the Straw Hat Pizza Palace in Manhattan Beach...I sat in on mando few times. This was before the Janis Oliver married Vince Gill, they made it big...and canned the local band. J.B. was a killer player and one of the kindest souls on the planet.

Bill OConnor · Post by **Bill OConnor** » 18 Jun 2008 8:42 pm

JIMMY WEBB IS ONE OF THE BEST ON THE WEST COAST. STILL PLAYS HIS OLD PP EMMONS LIVING IN DES MONES WA.

Stu Schulman · Post by **Stu Schulman** » 18 Jun 2008 8:46 pm

When I was living there it was Steve Silver,Dan Tyack,Pete Grant,John Bidasio,John McClung,J.D. Maness.J.B. Crabtree,Dana Keller,Wayne Addleman,Sneaky,Red Rhodes,Skip Edwards,Carl Walden,Gary Brandon,Gary Morse,Kevin Quick,Ethan Riley,Doug Livingston,John Norene,Gurf Morlix.Those are the ones that I can remember now.

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 18 Jun 2008 9:27 pm

Hey Stu... I'm still around.
Don't forget Brad Felton, Dave Pearlman, and Ed Black.
Al Perkins was living out here as well, and I used to see him on club gigs every now and then.
And Steve Fishell, too...

Howard Tate · Post by **Howard Tate** » 19 Jun 2008 8:30 am

Paul Dobbs, Wayne Carlock, Jimmy Youngblood, Terry Christofferson, Ray Jenson, Larry Petree, Frank Hardcastle, Lots of others I can't think of right now.

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 19 Jun 2008 9:00 am

Did any of you L.A. guys know DAVE KNIGHT?
He played a D-10 Sho-Bud, Baldwin PSG in the late
60s & early 70s, before moving to Minneapolis.

Roger

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 19 Jun 2008 9:05 am

DELETED

Stu Schulman · Post by **Stu Schulman** » 19 Jun 2008 9:47 am

Skip,I know...Your still holding down the Fort.One of these days I'm gonna try to airlift you out of there.

:lol:We'll make a movie..."Operation Steel Drop" :lol:One more Bill Bergeren

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 19 Jun 2008 10:43 am

IMO, Jay Dee Maness is second to none out there; but does anyone remember Bookie Modin? When I met him he was playing the west coast and Vegas circuit with Tommy Strange; and he pedaled his Fender 1000 with his right foot. I met one other guy playing the circuit, I don't remember his name but he had just about beat the finish off of his C-6th neck doing Speedy West licks and he pedaled with both feet. The last time I saw him they were playing at March AFB, Riverside, Ca and in two days had a gig in Alabama.

Howard Tate · Post by **Howard Tate** » 19 Jun 2008 3:21 pm

I just reread the title of this thread, 'long forgotten', most of the players I named are by no means forgotten. Sorry 'bout that.

Stu Schulman · Post by **Stu Schulman** » 19 Jun 2008 5:57 pm

Howard,Thanks for pointing that out.Aint I dumb!

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 20 Jun 2008 7:20 am

Ray, you mentioned Wayne Burdick. He was one of the first players I met when I got out of the Army in the early sixties. He was playing Sundays at the Southgate Eagles Hall for the "Squeakin' Deacon" show which featured live music, remember that place?

Others I remember are Blackie Taylor (still active), Rex Endicott (deceased), Bo Pete (don't remember his real name), Don Robinson (great C6th man), Skeeter Stultz, Bill Kennedy, Waylon Brumley, Vernon "Speedy" Price, Jimmy Hill, J.G. O'Rafferty, and one of the best who's often forgotten because he's now known mostly for building the GFI steel, Gene Fields. Gene was one of the top players on both steel and lead guitar and could play anything he wanted..........JH in Va.

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Some west coast steelers.............long forgotten

Some west coast steelers.............long forgotten

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