Hold on to your seats folks, This one is going to be one super show.
How about 4 major Players, 2 of them being SGHOF Members.
Headlinig this show will be the Lovely and Talented Laney Hicks and by the way, she just might bring her steel player, Some Guy named Hicks, After hearing her sing on Steelradio.com, I sort of forgot his first name. Lot of talent in that Hicks family.
All Joking aside, Russ Hicks is one of the most Talented Musicians to ever walk the streets of Nashville and a lot of other places. In addition to being a Super talented musician who plays multiple instruments, He is one of the hardest working and foremost Steel Guitarists of our time.
Next will be Sonny Curtis.
Sonny was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, the second of three children. He showed little evidence of early interest in the steel guitar. In fact, he said, "until just before I graduated from high school, I hated the sound of it." But while delivering papers one day, he met a customer who played steel at local dances and the two started talking about the instrument. The friend's name was Bobby Irwin. Bobby began playing records for Sonny by a steel guitarist named Jerry Byrd . Before long, the youngster was accompanying Bobby to dances in order to watch him play. "Frankly, it took listening to the instrument live to capture my interest," Sonny said. "I was fascinated by the use of the bar, the fact that the instrument wasn't fretted, and the player's ability to make the proper notes by positioning the bar."
"I also admired another local steel player whose name was Marshall Looney.When his family asked Sonny what he wanted for graduation, he said a steel guitar. His sister Marjorie happily obliged. Sonny took lessons for a couple of months, but became disgusted because of having to learn by note. He just wanted to get that "Nashville Sound" so he started studying on his own. Becoming discouraged he decided to play the mandolin. Becoming even further discouraged, he turned back to the steel. "When Bud Issacs came along with pedals, I really dug that sound," Sonny recalls.Then I heard Buddy Emmons and he became my all time idol. It wasn't until two years later that he got his first amp. "I used to wait until everyone went to bed and I would practice in my bedroom. The house was quiet enough for me to hear the guitar sounds.I didn't have anyone to help me so I set up the guitar and put the tuning on it that later turned out to be inverted to the way everyone else plays. Roger Blevins who then played for Dusty Owens on the Wheeling Jamboree, was the first person to tell me I was playing backwards. Sonny's first professional job was working with Bobby Bare in a Wellston, Ohio, club. Soon Bobby put out a hit single called "The All American Boy" and left the area to tour. Sonny continued to work local clubs working with Johnny Paycheck (who was then Donny Young). Sonny made a few tapes at a friend's house, one of which landed in the hands of a popular performer named George Jones. George asked Sonny to join the Jones Boys, which consisted of Charley Justice, Don, Gary and Arnie Adams. Their first gig was a 1964 Jimmy Dean television show in New York City (ABC). Sonny traveled with George from 1964 until 1969 when he married Tammy Wynette. He then traveled with George & Tammy until 1975. When George and Tammy divorced, he stayed with Tammy until 1980. During these years with George and Tammy, Sonny's travels took him to all 50 states and 15 foreign countries.
Returning from the May Show will be SGHOF Memeber Walter Haynes.
Walter has offered to be a regular on The Southern Steel Guitar Convention. We are Truly blessed to have this kind of participation and dedication from such a Great player as Walter and One of the nicest, most humble guys around.
WALTER HAYNES WENT TO NASHVILLE AT AGE 18 FROM KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE TO PLAY HIS FIDDLE AND STEEL GUITAR ON THE GRAND OLE OPRY. AS A STAFF MUSICIAN ON THE OPRY FOR 13 YEARS, HAYNES WAS HIRED BY LITTLE JIMMY DICKENS AND PERFORMED AND TRAVELED WITH DICKENS FOR 6 YEARS PLAYING STEEL GUITAR. HAYNES ALSO WAS A SESSION MUSICIAN WHILE PLAYING ON THE GRAND OLE OPRY. HE PLAYED STEEL GUITAR, ELECTRIC AND FLAT-TOP GUITAR ON THE SESSIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE OPRY AND SESSION WORK, HAYNES PLAYED ON AN EARLY MORNING RADIO PROGRAM WITH WSM TELEVISION. WHILE ON THE OPRY AND IN THE SESSIONS, HAYNES PLAYED WITH ALL THE TOP STARS IN THE INDUSTRY INCLUDING PATSY CLINE, HANK WILLIAMS, SR. AND JR., WAYLON JENNINGS, WILLIE NELSON, JOHNNY CASH, THE OAK RIDGE BOYS, LARRY GATLIN AND THE GATLIN BROTHERS, BARBARA MANDRELL, EMMYLOU HARRIS, RICKY SKAGGS, MEL TILLIS, AND BILL ANDERSON, TO NAME A FEW. WALTER PLAYED STEEL ON PATSY’S RECORDINGS ON DECCA RECORDS AND PLAYED ON HER OPRY AND TELEVISION APPEARANCES. WALTER IS FONDLY REFERRED TO AS PATSY CLINE’S STEEL GUITAR PLAYER. WALTER WENT TO WORK FOR MOSS ROSE PUBLISHING AS DIRECTOR WHERE HE GOT 100 SONGS RECORDED THE FIRST YEAR. IT WAS THERE THAT HE STARTED DOING INDEPENDENT RECORDINGS AS PRODUCER. LATER, HE HEADED KAPP RECORDS, A DIVISION OF MCA. THEN HE TRANSFERRED TO DECCA AS AN ASSISTANT TO OWEN BRADLEY. OWEN SOON TURNED A LOT OF THE ROSTER OVER TO WALTER. SOME OF THE NAMES WERE MARTY ROBBINS, CAL SMITH, JEANNE PRUETT, JACK GREEN, AND JEANNIE SEELEY. HAYNES PRODUCED THE "FATHER OF BLUEGRASS", BILL MONROE, FOR MCA RECORDS FOR 13 YEARS. AT A TIME WHEN OWEN BRADLEY WAS HOSPITALIZED, HE TURNED TO WALTER TO PRODUCE CONWAY TWITTY AND LORETTA LYNN. WALTER SPENT 12 YEARS WITH MCA RECORDS.
IN 1973, WALTER PRODUCED TWO OF THE TOP 5 SONGS IN THE NATION WHICH WERE "SATIN SHEETS" WITH ARTIST JEANNE PRUETT AND "THE LORD KNOWS I’M DRINKING" WITH ARTIST CAL SMITH. IN 1974, HAYNES HAD THE SONG OF THE YEAR WITH CAL SMITH’S "COUNTRY BUMPKIN" WHICH WON HIM THE PRIZED PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD MAKING HIM A VICE-PRESIDENT THE LAST 3 YEARS HE WAS AT MCA RECORDS. HAYNES DECIDED TO BECOME AN INDEPENDENT PRODUCER AND WAS HIRED AS A CONSULTANT FOR IBC RECORDS, A NEW INDEPENDENT RECORD COMPANY WHICH HAYNES BROUGHT TO THE NUMBER TWO INDEPENDENT LABEL IN THE NATION THE FIRST YEAR WITH JEANNE PRUETT’S THREE CONSECUTIVE TOP TEN HITS. HAYNES IS AN ACCOMPLISHED SONGWRITER WITH MANY HITS TO HIS CREDIT AS WELL AS HIS PRODUCTION ACCOMPLISHMENTS. IN 1999, WALTER'S PUBLISHING COMPANY HAD A DARRYL SINGLETARY SINGLE ON GIANT RECORDS ENTITLED, "THE NOTE". WALTER HAS BUILT THREE, 24 -TRACK RECORDING STUDIOS, AND NOW HAS WALTER HAYNES PRODUCTIONS AND RECORDING IN PIGEON FORGE TENNESSEE. RECENTLY, WALTER HAS BEEN INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION INT’L,THE TEXAS INDEPENDENT COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME FOR THE YEAR 2000, AND WAS INDUCTED INTO THE STEEL GUITAR HALL OF FAME IN 2003. WALTER IS STILL PLAYING HIS STEEL GUITAR AND FIDDLE, RECORDING, PRODUCING, PUBLISHING, MANAGING AND WRITING SONGS...RETIRED????...NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!
And in addition to the above named players will be our good friend and SGHOF member, Herby Wallace.
Just about always a regular at Saluda and one of the premier players in the world. When Herby gets behind his guitar, you might hear something lightning fast or soft and sweet. This man can do it all. One of my heroes for sure.
A BEGINNING PLAYER AT AGE 9, HE WAS PERFORMING ON LOCAL TELEVISION
SHOWS AND PLAYING CLUBS SIX NIGHTS A WEEK BY 16. HE WOULD THEN TOUR
FOR THE NEXT 14 YEARS WITH MORE THAN 2000 SESSIONS, AND APPEAR ON MANY
MAJOR TV SHOWS. A MASTERFUL PERFORMER WITH EQUAL FACILITY IN BOTH
POPULAR TUNINGS. HIS 12 INSTRUMENTAL ALBUMS, DOZENS OF INSTRUMENTAL
COURSES, CONCERTS AND SEMINARS CONTINUE TO ADD TO HIS GROWING LEGACY.
BORN: JUNE 5, 1947 CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE
INDUCTED: 2001
As always, our world class staff band, Woody Ledford and Johnny Thomas on Guitars, Wayne(The energizer Bunny) Smith on Bass. Jim Hartley, Wayne Stowers and Jerry Reece tag teaming it on Drums. These guys can get the job done and every one of them a superpicker. They have been getting a lot of recognition at several events over in Georgia and its about time. They are worth the price of admission alone.
Rob Parker, The steel players best friend will be helping out with the singing chores, and hopefully Jerry Braswell again. These guys are super talents and Class Acts in their own right.
The Georgia Steel Guitar Association AKA The Georgia Mule Gang will be carpooling again and they are some of our very strongest supporters.
Then you add all our regulars from SC and other states and It makes for a great time. Joe Turner was super in May along with Guitarist Jerry Burns, great Picking. David Christmas played his first Show in May a did a super Job, No excuses anymore Brother David, you are now on the schedule.
While I'm at it, can't forget my Fellow Tarheels That come down for our show from Fayetteville, Thomasville, Charlotte, Smithfield and all the other big Cities to the nawth.
<Font Color="red">The scheduled events are:
Saturday August 14th....Admission $5
Jamming to tracks 3 to 6 PM..
Jamming with Band 7 Pm til we Get Done.
Sunday August 15th...Admission $15
9 AM till everybody who wants to do a show gets to play.
No one is ever refused a spot at Saluda.
Don't miss this one.</B>
Southern Steel Guitar Convention #71
The Best Unkept Secret since 1987
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by John Floyd on 27 June 2004 at 04:12 PM.]</p></FONT>
Thanks John for what you did with the CD's. I just got em from Rick this week when I was over there. Let me know how you're doing.
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by John Floyd on 25 June 2004 at 08:35 AM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by John Floyd on 04 July 2004 at 02:31 PM.]</p></FONT>
