Who is this Nashville guitarist (1984 photo)

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 29 Sep 2015 4:00 pm

When I studied with Buddy at Jeffran College in 1984, he invited us to come to a recording session he was doing, and I snapped some photos of the band. Here is the guitarist. I never got his name. Anybody know who he is?

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 29 Sep 2015 5:23 pm

That would be Dale Sellers...one of my all-time guitar heroes!

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 29 Sep 2015 5:25 pm

Thanks, Steve! I've had his picture in my desk for over 30 years and didn't know who he was till now! Appreciate it.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 29 Sep 2015 5:56 pm

Here are a few more lousy shots from the session... maybe you'll recognize some of the other guys?

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 29 Sep 2015 8:04 pm

Jim,The woman at the the piano might be Beegie Adair(Cruiser)...you might remember her from a Chalker album where Curly refers to her as a"swinging chick"in the liner notes...I think the cat in the white cap and tinted glasses is probably bassist Joe Allen,who played on a bazillion sessions,toured with Johnny Cash and Neil Young and wrote a bunch of country hits...I don't know Beegie,but there's a good chance it's her...Joe I worked with several times back in the'90s...
the other people look very familiar to me,but I can't put names to them...keep in mind that these pics were taken 7-8 years before I started playing on sessions with people at this level...

"CRS",anyone?

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 30 Sep 2015 3:48 am

Steve, I always thought that the woman was Sammi Smith. I think they were recording an album for Step One Records at the time... in fact, SS did release an album on Step One in 1985, so this could well have been one of the sessions for that album ("Better than Ever").

UPDATE: I just sent the photo to Sammi Smith's daughter, Snow White Jewel, who says it is absolutely not her mom. So maybe it is Beegie Adair??

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 30 Sep 2015 7:05 am

Hey Jim, if you have RFD-TV on your cable or satellite system you can spot Dale Sellers in the staff band on the Hee Haw show reruns on a regular basis... Curley Chalker's there too....JH in Va.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 30 Sep 2015 7:45 am

Thanks Jerry. Is Dale still pickin'?

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 30 Sep 2015 9:08 am

Steve Hinson wrote:That would be Dale Sellers...one of my all-time guitar heroes!

Mine too. Is he still active? I used to always see his name on albums with Jerry Shook, I believe it was. Any info on him?

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 30 Sep 2015 12:17 pm

No,that's not Sammi...I used to work with her some and that ain't her.

Dale is still picking and makes custom fishing lures.

Gonna take these pics to the Opry Saturday nite and see who everybody is...

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 30 Sep 2015 12:50 pm

Thanks, Steve. While you're at it, see if you can find out who the steel player was...

Russ Wever · Post by **Russ Wever** » 30 Sep 2015 11:17 pm

It's Beegie Cruiser (now Adair) alright.
Here's a shot from the Opry Almanac set . . .

~> click
She is, to this day, a Jazz Pianist DeLuxe.
~> click
~Rw

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 1 Oct 2015 4:51 am

Thanks,Russ!

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 1 Oct 2015 6:09 am

Wow, thanks, Russ! Gonna listen to some of her YouTubes now...

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 1 Oct 2015 7:35 am

Russ, didn't Beegie pass away recently? I thought I'd read that somewhere... Is that guitar player in the B&W picture the late Jimmy Colvard? Looks like him......JH in Va.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 1 Oct 2015 8:37 am

She is still alive and well, apparently..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beegie_Adair
http://www.beegieadair.com/beegie/about-2/about/

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 1 Oct 2015 10:15 am

Jerry Hayes wrote:Russ, didn't Beegie pass away recently? I thought I'd read that somewhere... Is that guitar player in the B&W picture the late Jimmy Colvard? Looks like him......JH in Va.

Yep,Colvard...good eye,Jerry!

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 1 Oct 2015 10:16 am

Jerry Hayes wrote:Russ, didn't Beegie pass away recently? I thought I'd read that somewhere... Is that guitar player in the B&W picture the late Jimmy Colvard? Looks like him......JH in Va.

...and it was Beegie's husband,Billy who passed in the last few years...

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 1 Oct 2015 5:30 pm

Somewhere I have a CD of Beegie playing Elvis songs in a bluesy style. When I listened through it the first time, funny thing, I immediately thought it would have been a perfect setting to have included Hal Rugg and Johnny Gimble!!! I could hear both of them fitting perfectly. Apologies for the further hijacking of this one, Jim.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 2 Oct 2015 3:30 am

Jim Cohen wrote:Thanks, Steve. While you're at it, see if you can find out who the steel player was...

Is this a trick question? Does he have acceptable tone?

bob drawbaugh · Post by **bob drawbaugh** » 5 Oct 2015 3:43 pm

Russ Wever wrote:It's Beegie Cruiser (now Adair) alright.
Here's a shot from the Opry Almanac set . . .

~> click
She is, to this day, a Jazz Pianist DeLuxe.
~> click
~Rw

WOW, a very young Thumbs Carlisle. I don't know how he played guitar that way.

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 5 Oct 2015 5:27 pm

Is the unidentified musician on the left in the third photo wearing a blue golf shirt Bunky Keels the piano player? He was on a bunch of sessions with Buddy around then. That's the AFM logo on the shirt. You could buy those down at the Union Hall. Here's a photo of Bunky Keels when he was on Jim Reeves' Blue Boys band. He is 3rd from the left:

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 5 Oct 2015 9:45 pm

robert kramer wrote:Is the unidentified musician on the left in the third photo wearing a blue golf shirt Bunky Keels the piano player? He was on a bunch of sessions with Buddy around then. That's the AFM logo on the shirt. You could buy those down at the Union Hall. Here's a photo of Bunky Keels when he was on Jim Reeves' Blue Boys band. He is 3rd from the left:

Yep,looks like Bunky...wonder why they had two piano players?

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 6 Oct 2015 9:45 am

Could be anything. One piano player was playing keys or organ while the other one plays piano - or even just one visiting the session?

Hoss's & a Hossette.

frank rogers · Post by **frank rogers** » 8 Oct 2015 2:59 pm

I've got a Beegie Adair "channel" on one of my apps...superb.