Big Hits on Big Steel

Christopher Woitach · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Iâ€™m with you on that, Johnny - both of them have the sound of people playing out on the edge the limb of a tree, sometimes even falling off... I like the edginess, even when it isnâ€™t perfect, because they both hit some things that are unheard by anyone else.

To me, Reece has lots of elements of both Chalker and Tharpe, but cleaned up, less risky.

I love it all
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Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com

Paul McEvoy · From: Baltimore, USA

Johnny Cox · Posted 6 Jun 2019 8:32 am

Christopher, I agree 100%.
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Johnny "Dumplin" Cox
"YANKIN' STRINGS & STOMPIN' PEDALS" since 1967.

scott murray · From: Asheville, NC

here's Johnny Bush's recording of Home In San Antone with both Curly and Big E. it really shows how different their styles were on C6. Curly's ideas, his approach, and his attack are so exciting and unique. total one of a kind. of course, Buddy is no slouch either Winking

can you imagine being in the room with those two!?!

https://youtu.be/5LYJWffB1VI
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1965 Emmons S-10, 3x5 • Emmons LLIII D-10, 10x12 • JCH D-10, 10x12 • Beard MA-8 • Oahu Tonemaster

Joe Krumel · From: Hermitage, Tn.

Scott, first time hearing your post. curly's playing at the outro is awesome and then some! Buddy & curly were pushing each other!

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

Interesting that Johnny Bush commented on this very song in his book. He also expressed his opinion about Chalker versus Emmons! I won't spoil it. Read the book it's awesome and forthright just like the Louvin Brothers book.

To me Chalker has a distinctive style and tone. We're lucky to have all this variety of offerings, all good from different players. Emmons, Chalker, Green, Mooney, Sneaky Pete, Pete Drake... all different and all good.

Franklin · Posted 7 Jun 2019 7:41 am

Christopher,

Reece was my favorite chord player... And I probably listened to a lot more of Reece than I did Curly, and with Julian I mostly watched...Julian's playing was not melodic enough for my taste. I was drawn to the improvisation levels of Buddy, Hal, Reece, Curly, or Morrell..Julian chose to not go there....I have to say, Julian was the most fun to watch and the chord voicings he would play with his tuning were awesome..Watching him play was an amazing experience.

With "Big Hits...." Curly was completely on his own in uncharted territory...Nobody had played that Jimmy Smith approach before Curly. Completely on his own, Curly knocked this door down, "A new approach for steel playing in Country Music" arrived to Nashville..(Incidentally that was Pete's vision, he wanted to give Curly a path for success in town and it worked)...Curly and Day were Pete Drake's favorites....The way Curly played both tunings led to recording with Ray Price, Stan Hitchcock, Carl Smith, Charlie McCoy, Sammy Smith, Hugh X Lewis, Roy Clark, and many others...

This LP marks the start of his musicianship on C6th in Country Music...It was never meant to be a Jazz recording.....The concept was to sound bluesy and Jazzy over Country songs.....I'm glad he chose to blow the doors off when he entered the room.

.. So as you listen, remember its Curly's personality on this record. Forceful and taking control. New steelers are lucky to access recordings that can pinpoint a starting place for a concept.....This record is one of those recordings.

To be fair we are hearing a 50 years old recording..It is best appreciated by placing it into the context of the times it was recorded. Now add this huge factor - it was recorded on a cable guitar that could "Only" raise a string or lower it and couldn't handle multiple changes or long pulls on a single pedal...The guitar could not do much because many of the chords he could have played were not possible on his Fender....But rest assured, he knew what they should be because Curly would play them on guitar. I'll bet most don't know he was an accomplished Jazz guitarist....It was also recorded before the concept of Knee levers came into play so no 3 and 4 pedal combinations were possible...Consider all of this info and a different picture is revealed towards how great and innovative this recording really was for the times. Also Curly was the first to play and record the steel through a leslie....There is still a lot to be learned from this monumental record.

Paul

Christopher Woitach · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Thank you, Paul - really good to put this in context!

I feel the same about Reece - he was my teacher, mentor, and friend, so Iâ€™m definitely prejudiced, but Iâ€™ve been playing jazz guitar a looonnnggg time, so my love of his chordal (and single string!) work has at least some objectivity. My copedent is the last one he decided on before he passed away (although Iâ€™m sure he wouldâ€™ve continued to tinker with it as long as he lived), and itâ€™s interesting that since I got my Bb6 guitar, in 2011, I havenâ€™t changed a single thing on it, or felt a need to!

I am, after about 2 years of thinking about it, going to add one more knee lever (raising Bb to B, standard C6 change), and maybe one split. Still - 8 years of focused multiple hour practice every day by an experienced jazz player and never a need to change anything to get the voicings I want - fairly remarkable, really
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Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

I know that most players of the Nashville E9th tuning and mentality didn't especially care for what Curly did. Indeed, I saw more than a few players walk out on his sets when he played the I.S.G.C.. The general comment was "What is that crap; that ain't no way to play a pedal steel". As for myself, I think he was a genius, and I appreciate him more each time I listen to that "BHOBS" album. He just had an incredible imagination and style. Yeah, he had a attitude that turned off many people in music. He could sometimes be rude and downright arrogant, and I'll always remember his reply when one player came up and told him..."Curly, you're the best pedal steel player in the world". Curly's answer..."How the F**K would you know???", was simple and abrupt. Yeah, some of his full-chord stuff was pitchy, but no more so that anyone's back then before the days of compensators and other improvements that we have nowadays. He was an original, and I hear his influence in many famous players, even today.

I wish I could play half that well. Oh Well

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

Chalker's More Ways To Play album is much more down to earth and a much more refined sound. His playing on that album is unreal and most of the edgy playing is gone.

I wouldn't rate him on all the earlier stuff with Thompson, Travis, Big Hits etc. He progressed greatly after that era and became a two tuning master and learned a lot about fitting in with a band and recording. Truly a pioneer stylist who did not stagnate.

Bobbe Seymour with Bobby Bare was the first steel player I ever saw use a Leslie and it was awesome. More awesome back then because the steel stood out more in the live mix and was not buried behind a wall of drums, bass and overactive lead guitars.

I saw a ton of people walk out of the convention when Gene O'neal played Funky Monkey. I was blown away by that song and most of those sitting around me said a steel's "not supposed to sound like that"! That was the coolest sound I heard that year.

Bill Cunningham · From: Atlanta, Ga. USA

I think itâ€™s on the notes of the Counterpoint, but somewhere I read Curly wasnâ€™t happy with BHOBS. He thought Pete forced his style to fit these tunes and it didnâ€™t work to his satisfaction. An interesting parallel to Buddyâ€™s Steel Guitar Jazz.

I too am a big fan of â€œMore Ways To Playâ€. My LP is damaged and I need to find a CD.

My favorite Chalker session is an LP â€œTravisâ€ by Merle Travis. He perfectly compliments a remake of Merleâ€™s hits on his Fender, an 800 I believe.
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Bill Cunningham
Atlanta, GA

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

To add to my earlier remarks - I said I 'didn't like' BHOBS but that's purely personal and at a musical level. The pitchiness bothers me but, as Paul eloquently states, it was of its time and there were mechanical challenges on pedal steels that have mostly been negated on newer guitars.

Having said that, his playing always excited me and a Curly solo would have me on the edge of my seat! There's never been any question in my mind that he was a musical giant.
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Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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David Zornes · From: Ohio, USA

The Wilburn brothers steel solos are as good as they get. Curly got a good tone and his bar slant and lead ins were spot on.

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