50's Rockabilly

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 12 Apr 2016 12:28 pm

Lately I've been trying to "transfer" some rockabilly guitar stuff over to lap steel. I use a standard C6 lap tuning,,,,wonder if there would be a better tuning for slap-back rockabilly?

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 12 Apr 2016 12:38 pm

Do you mean you've been trying to work out how to play the same riffs on lap steel that you play on guitar or that you want a tuning that will sound good on rockabilly songs but playing something different?

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 12 Apr 2016 12:39 pm

I'd recommend E tuning as probably the best bet but you can definitely play rockabilly on C6th. I arranged Be Bop A Lula for my C6th Gold book - basically trying to crib Brian Setzer's soloing style on lap steel.

Dana Duplan · Post by **Dana Duplan** » 12 Apr 2016 1:19 pm

I like E13th with a high G# for that kind of stuff

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 12 Apr 2016 1:50 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz_HrkM ... rkviCpT62L

Dana Duplan · Post by **Dana Duplan** » 12 Apr 2016 2:22 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATVl0FX6j38

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yizM_rc ... rkviCpT62L

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 12 Apr 2016 5:20 pm

Curtis Gordon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xKvZC7Ftvw

Scott Thomas · Post by **Scott Thomas** » 12 Apr 2016 6:01 pm

I know it may not be answering Sonny's question, but I'm sure enjoying the Rockabilly steel! Dana, that Bobby Sisco track has the wildest bar crashes to start a solo I've ever heard. (it's at 0.50)I wonder who that is? Santo and Johnny did some stuff that could fit the genre.

With some of these tracks, you can easily see how later small western swing/boogie bands turned into rockabilly.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 12 Apr 2016 6:16 pm

Sonny, on an 8 string steel, E9 would be the best tuning in my opinion, just like the E9 that Speedy and Buddy used on their Bigsbys
E
B
G#
F#
D
B
G#
E

Former Member · Post by **Former Member** » 12 Apr 2016 6:26 pm

I'm pretty sure that Roy"hot licks"McCoy is playing steel on most of those old MAR-VEL records. (my Moms name)

Mitch Drumm · Post by **Mitch Drumm** » 12 Apr 2016 8:28 pm

Yeah, Cigar McCoy was on some of those recordings for Mar-Vel. Basil Smith was on some. Most are lost to history as far as I know.

Here's a picture of Sisco's band, probably several years after Honky Tonkin' Rhythm was recorded. I blew up the picture and it looks like the name on that steel has the initials S.......C. I thought Sonny Curtis, but the first name appears to have no more than 4 letters, possibly Sam.

Go listen to what John Hughey thought was appropriate in 1956 on Slim Rhodes's "Take and Give" and on Eddie Bond's "Rockin' Daddy". The Rhodes tune is only mid-tempo, but it is one of the great semi-unknown rock performances of the decade--in an Elvis style. John and the vocalist (Sandy Brooks) both knock it out of the park.

Here's a list of 50s rockabilly and rock and roll with steel that I compiled a few years back. I'd imagine at least half of these are on the dreaded Youtube.

Scott Thomas · Post by **Scott Thomas** » 12 Apr 2016 8:57 pm

Incredible contribution, Mitch! I'm going to have a lot of fun tracking these down.

Dana Duplan · Post by **Dana Duplan** » 13 Apr 2016 8:32 am

Wow, thanks Mitch!

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 13 Apr 2016 10:35 am

I'm thinking more of the slap-back Carl Perkins sound like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHqEHrLJV6E

The guy playing the white guitar in the Cisco pic looks like my old friend Larry Welborn,,,I grew up in 1950s Lubbock with Buddy Holly, Mac Davis, Snuff Garrett, Waylon, Bob Montgomery,, and a whole slew of guys from that time and place. Larry was on bass for Buddy when it was Buddy and Bob the Bluegrass Boys,,,that was,,,"BE" (Before Elvis,,,LOL)

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 14 Apr 2016 2:09 am

Thank you, Mitch!

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 14 Apr 2016 10:08 am

This is fairly convenient on 8 string C6 (lo-hi A, C, E, G, A, C, E, G)

Add some reverb and slap back delay and I've come up with a pretty good facsimile.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 14 Apr 2016 10:33 am

Remember that the first rockabillies, people like Bill Haley with his Saddlemen, were Western Swing bands, and their lineups usually included a steel guitarist playing C6.

Joe Burke · Post by **Joe Burke** » 29 Oct 2024 6:05 am

[quote="Mitch Drumm"]Here's a list of 50s rockabilly and rock and roll with steel that I compiled a few years back. I'd imagine at least half of these are on the dreaded Youtube.

I did a search for Rockabilly and this thread. Having fun going through the list Mitch Drumm posted.
Anyone know who played the steel on Ray Coleman's tracks?