Remembering Tom Morrell

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 25 Mar 2010 11:47 am

Tom Morell was virtually unknown to the general public when he died a few years back. He was a cantankerous character and hard drinker who didn't suffer fools. He was probably the most difficult interview I've ever done. He was also among the most brilliant steel players I've heard as well as an amazing arranger whose work encompassed a huge spectrum of American music.

On uptempo material he was astounding. Like on this performance of I can't give you anything but love with Clint Strong on guitar.

https://home.comcast.net/~aevolk/music/anything.mp3

As good as he was, there was something about the way Morrell blocked on uptempo tunes that gave his playing a slight staccato feel at times. I actually prefer his performances on slow ballads. This recording of the things I might have been is one of my all-time favorite steel guitar ballad performances. It's right up there with the best jazz guitarists and kind of reminds me a bit of Kenny Burrell in conception.

https://home.comcast.net/~aevolk/music/mighthave.mp3

Tom Morrell. A beautiful musician. Gone but not forgotten. If you've never heard Tom before, what do you think?

James Kerr · Post by **James Kerr** » 25 Mar 2010 12:14 pm

Andy,
It might be me, but I can't bring up either of the pages from your links.

James.

Dean Parks · Post by **Dean Parks** » 25 Mar 2010 12:24 pm

Thanks Andy.

ps, links work for me.

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 25 Mar 2010 12:39 pm

Thanks for sharing that, Andy. Tom was spectacular. Sometimes it sounds like he's playing a 20-string guitar. : )

Stephan Miller · Post by **Stephan Miller** » 25 Mar 2010 12:59 pm

My favorite steel guitar player of all time. Fast, slow or medium, he's the best in my book.

I've read your interview with Tom many times, and had to shake my head more than once at his response when you asked him if he had any advice for new players about creative soloing-- "None that they'd listen to.."
$:\$ Man, I would have listened.

The advice he did leave us with is the music he made, I guess-- and fortunately it's a large body of work.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 25 Mar 2010 1:14 pm

Tom let his guitar do most of the talking for him but man, we all would have loved to have had some insight into how his mind worked when he looked down at the fretboard.

Roger Palmer · Post by **Roger Palmer** » 25 Mar 2010 1:18 pm

Wow great tunes...thanks Andy

Any idea what equipment and tunings he used?

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 25 Mar 2010 1:57 pm

Big Tom fan here. As many times as I've listened to "I can't give you anything...", I still can believe it.

One of the highlights of my musical life was seeing Tom and the TWTH at the late night jam in ST. Louie a few years ago.

If you don't have any of this music, you owe it to yourself to pick up some of it. Those selections are from Pterodactyl Ptales. Fabulous tunes all over it.

Smoke a Little of This for some great standard western swing music and Uptown for some great big band standards.

Really, you can't miss with any of this "dinosaur music".

Joel Meginsky · Post by **Joel Meginsky** » 25 Mar 2010 1:58 pm

I agree with all the accolades. I only saw him once,
asked him an annoying question about tunings, and subsequently bought three of his recordings which I find astounding to this day. As to the workings of his brain, he was a musician first and I think its there for all to hear. My favorite steel player.
You can't follow him and he obviously wasn't interested in talking about his approach too much. When I asked him about playing non pedal to "prepare"
for the PSG, he said "it couldn't hurt'.

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 25 Mar 2010 1:59 pm

If you buy Andy's book, all the details are laid out there (hint, hint).

His tuning on his ten string was:
1. G#
2. F#
3. E
4. C#
5. B
6. G#
7. F#
8. E
9. D
10. E

I was lucky enough to see Tom Morrell with Don Edwards at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley (the day before they performed for Gene Autrey's birthday). Half the crowd was hardcore cowboys in cowboy gear, the other half was every steel guitarist in the Bay Area. He was one of the few guitarists I've ever seen who didn't play the guitar, but just made music (the steel guitar just happened to be in the path).

Twayn Williams · Post by **Twayn Williams** » 25 Mar 2010 2:04 pm

Andy Volk wrote:On uptempo material he was astounding. Like on this performance of I can't give you anything but love with Clint Strong on guitar.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 25 Mar 2010 2:11 pm

I believe Tom was a musical genius. He was definitely channeling from someplace else.

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 25 Mar 2010 3:53 pm

Jim Cohen wrote:I believe Tom was a musical genius. He was definitely channeling from someplace else.

I don't just believe it. I know it. Few play any instrument as well as he played steel. That's exactly how it's supposed to be done.

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 25 Mar 2010 4:14 pm

Andy

Thanks for the links.
I always enjoyed his music. He could play 'country club' quiet in a three piece band, and not rattle the patrons.

He could play big band jazz like I never heard before. And was a true leader in western swing bands.

R2

Terry Farmer · Post by **Terry Farmer** » 25 Mar 2010 5:24 pm

Thanks for this thread Andy. Tom Morrell is without a doubt my all time favorite steeler. I've got all his recordings and worn out a couple of them! I've been hoping someone would come out with a compilation of transcriptions similiar to the one you and John McGann put together on Joaquin Murphey. (hint, hint

) I'm not aware of any transcriptions of Tom's music and I don't know what kind of copyright problems would present themselves for a project like this. I imagine you have mucho experience with those issues. That said, perhaps if enough of us showed interest, ($$$$), we could pool our resources and have John do some transcribing. I would certainly be game!

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 25 Mar 2010 6:05 pm

http://www.ginnymac.com/tommymorrell.html

Orville Johnson · Post by **Orville Johnson** » 25 Mar 2010 6:32 pm

Tom was also an incredible dobro player. there are cuts scattered among his albums that, as far as I'm concerned,are the best examples of swing/jazz ever played on a 6 string GBDGBD tuned guitar. While we're making wishes, I wish someone would gather all those cuts together into the definitive Tom Morrell dobro album.

Steve Gorman · Post by **Steve Gorman** » 25 Mar 2010 7:26 pm

I can't call myself a longtime fan of Tom's but I have heard him a few times over the years and have known that he was a huge talent on the nonpedal steel. I always intended to get some of his stuff, but never did. Andy these tunes are great. Where would be the best place to find a lot of his music?

Loved "I can't give you..." Wow, Tom really rips. I took a few lessons from Clint Strong a few years back, nice to hear him on this cut. Another monster.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 25 Mar 2010 7:47 pm

Steve, check out b0b's music catalog from the links button above. He has several recordings of Tom Morrell with the Time Warp Top Hands. All star band and vocals with Leon Rausch.

How the West Was Swung series or really, any of the selections are just fabulous.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 26 Mar 2010 2:24 am

http://www.westernswing.net/morrell/

Volume 8 is the all-instrumental jam session CD, I believe all the rest have some vocals. All are excellent in their own way. The above two tracks are from the Wolf Tracks sampler CD from the series.

Tom was also a fine standard guitarist and appears on the Vestapol DVD, Vesta13062dvd "Legends of Western Swing Guitar" $24.95. Orville, I agree about Tom's Dobro playing. He was an unsung master.

Steve Alcott · Post by **Steve Alcott** » 26 Mar 2010 6:34 am

I got to hear the Time Warp Top Hands a couple of times, and have been listening to TM for a while now. For my money, there's no one, past or present who swings as hard on the steel guitar as he did. And don't get me started on his tone.

J Fletcher · Post by **J Fletcher** » 26 Mar 2010 6:44 am

Thanks for posting the links.
I'd never heard Tom Morell play before. He was astounding!...Jerry

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 26 Mar 2010 7:21 am

For my money, there's no one, past or present who swings as hard on the steel guitar as he did.

Well.... Tom's a very close second but for me, to this day nobody has yet surpassed Joaquin Murphey at his finest. Morrell felt the time just a little more flat on the beat than Joaquin did. Murph swung mightily on the ANDs of the beat and that, combined with his singing tone regardless of tempo, make him the once and future king in my eyes.

This takes nothing away from Morrell who along with Buddy Emmons and Jerry Byrd is definitely in the top five ever to touch an electric steel guitar.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 26 Mar 2010 7:26 am

Andy Volk wrote: This takes nothing away from Morrell who along with Buddy Emmons and Jerry Byrd is definitely in the top five ever to touch an electric steel guitar.

Ooh... well, if the top 5 include Murph, Byrd, Wolf and E., you've got everyone wondering who's the 5th in the group?! You'd better not say! LOL.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 26 Mar 2010 8:05 am

Maybe I shoulda said top 35! :

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