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Topic: Freddie Roulette in his prime |
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Ian
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 2 May 2018 6:23 am |
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Thanks Andy!
Freddie Roulette is scheduled to play at The Saloon in San Francisco's North Beach Thursday May 10. It's an early show starting around 5:00. Hopefully he'll be feeling well enough to play - last time I went to see him there he had to cancel.
Cheers,
Ian |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 2 May 2018 8:49 am
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Sounds like he was an influence on David Lindley.
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 2 May 2018 8:54 am
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He was more than an influence: David has publicly stated that he first heard steel guitar when he heard Freddie Roulette and decided to learn to play it.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 2 May 2018 8:56 am
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"ll the way back to Kaleidoscope, when I saw [blues lap steel player] Freddie Roulette with Charlie Musselwhite; I said, “That’s it! I want to do that.â€
"But when you’re playing those kinds of bluesy licks on lap steel, are you thinking of –
Junior Walker.
That’s what I was wondering. It’s not blues guitar players.
No, usually horn players. And then, always in the back of my mind, Freddie Roulette."
https://www.vintageguitar.com/3007/david-lindley/
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 2 May 2018 10:10 am
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Thank you Bill. I was making the presumption because of his playing on Terry Reid's "River" album.
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Paul Honeycutt
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 2 May 2018 5:29 pm
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Kaleidoscope, the band David Lindley was in shared a night at the Family Dog on the Great Highway with Freddie Roulette and possibly Canned Heat. I was there for one of the nights. It was the first time I'd heard lap steel played that way, but for me it was years before I started playing one.
I can't say for sure that it was THE night David discovered lap steel, but it sure could have been. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 3 May 2018 8:59 am
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I have seen Freddie play in the Bay Area a few times over the years.
One time a number of years ago was at a restaurant in Point Richmond, very close to the bay, and he had a pair of fine electric guitar players with him: Harvey Mandel and Henry Kaiser.
For a chuckle I like to tell people that in terms of rock lap steel, I was ahead of my time - and ahead of David Lindley. As a junior high kid in the mid '60s we had a garage band, and being a better lap steel player than standard electric guitar player because I had taken three years of lessons on steel, we played songs like (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction and Gloria, and I handled leads and fills through my distorted cranked up early '60s Supro amp.
Unlike Mr. Dave, it never occurred to me that I could actually do anything with a lap steel guitar in rock music. And as far as the blues stuff it would be years before I discovered Freddie Roulette - so Lindley had it all over me on that one. 
My life might have changed had one of my older brothers been able to sneak me into The Family Dog On The Great Highway the night Paul Honeycutt was there! 
On second thought, I don't know if there was an age restriction in those days at The Family Dog or the former venue of Chet Helms, The Avalon Ballroom. I was 15 the first time I saw a show at The Fillmore West with Spirit headlining and Lee Michaels with Frosty. I believe to this day the volume of Lee's organ was the first episode in my young life of being afflicted with hearing damage. And even at age 15, compared to Spirit which was an amazing and underrated band, it struck me that Michaels sounded like an amateur.
_________________
Mark |
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Bill Leff
From:
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Posted 3 May 2018 11:05 am
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Must have been an off night for Lee Michaels. Saw him at Whiskey A Go Go with Frosty at that time and he was great.
Spirit was definitely one of my favorite bands of the time. There stuff still sounds good today after all those years. |
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Mike Holder
From:
Alabama! Home of the great “Don Helms” & his singer “Hank Williams”!
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Posted 12 May 2018 5:09 am
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I have that Memphis LP, been listening to it since I was 20 & love it! The first time I heard Freddie play was on another album called “The Snake†by Harvey Mandell on a track called “ Levitation... check it out knowing it’s over 40 years old and wonder why he’s not a household name!
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I thought Nashville was the roughest, but I know I’ve said the same about them all.
I received my education, drivin through the Nation listenin to Paul!.. ( Franklin that is! ) |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 13 May 2018 12:47 am Another Blues Man
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There was another San Francisco East Bay blues man playing lap steel in the bay area during the 60's and 70's named Sonny Rhodes... I think thats how he spelt his last name.
Anyway he was quite good on steel as well as regular guitar and often played with Cool Papa who has since passed away maybe 20 years ago or more.
I'm not sure if Sonny is still with us or not. I think he may have done some recording too? Maybe someone else would know the answer to these things I'm not sure of.
My younger brother used to play with him from time to time.
Just did a quick search and sure enough he is still with us at age 77 and has a page on Wikipedia; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Rhodes
Also loads of images as well as some youtube videos.
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 13 May 2018 7:39 am
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deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 21 May 2018 5:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 13 May 2018 9:22 am The Avalon & Family Dog, Long long ago
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| Paul Honeycutt wrote: |
Kaleidoscope, the band David Lindley was in shared a night at the Family Dog on the Great Highway with Freddie Roulette and possibly Canned Heat. I was there for one of the nights. It was the first time I'd heard lap steel played that way, but for me it was years before I started playing one.
I can't say for sure that it was THE night David discovered lap steel, but it sure could have been. |
Hi Paul & Mark,
Funny you mentioned the Family Dog on the Great Highway... Brings back some really long ago memories. I worked with a band back then called "Devils Kitchen" out of Carbondale, Illinois. Was practically the house band there after the Avalon Ballroom closed down.
It was about that time when Jerry Garcia also started playing the pedal steel too if memory serves me well, which it does not always.... Maybe something to do with things ingested at the Family Dog on so many nights. Ohhh the light show and that moog during the breaks between bands. 
Remember well the big party there the last night before the place was closed and soon after torn down to make way for apartments. They fired up some of the old carnival rides that night and I remember riding that carousel a few too many times.
Was also some guy there most nights who drove an very old truck with chain drive, maybe about a 1910 model something?.... Went about 10 MPH and he'd load up all of us that lived in Noe Vally and points beyond for a ride home at night.
Well should not get to far off the subject in the thread, but there were a few good blues acts that came through there.
Oh yes, I used to bring my little brother in there when he was 12 and learning to play guitar. He has since become a very good professional musician and even played lead for Charlie Musselwhite for a couple of years in the 90's. Did a world tour with him. Charlie also got married at my friends ranch outside of Cloverdale on highway 128 some time ago. I first heard him at the Family Dog.
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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