Name Band Steelers from the 60’s era still living

Gary Hoetker · Post by **Gary Hoetker** » 18 Dec 2023 7:50 pm

Probably not too many remaining from that great era.

Ron Funk · Post by **Ron Funk** » 18 Dec 2023 8:17 pm

Norm Hamlett

Lynn Owsley

Ron Elliott

Jim R. Harrison · Post by **Jim R. Harrison** » 18 Dec 2023 9:38 pm

Lloyd Green

Gary Hoetker · Post by **Gary Hoetker** » 18 Dec 2023 9:59 pm

Sonny Garrish

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 19 Dec 2023 4:01 am

Tom Killen, long time steeler for George Jones, is still playing in Nashville.

Not sure if he fits the criteria in the title.

~Lee

Chris Brooks · Post by **Chris Brooks** » 19 Dec 2023 6:02 am

Bobby Black?

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 19 Dec 2023 7:44 am

I'm drawing a blank re '60s...

'70s?I could name you a bunch of them...

SH

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 19 Dec 2023 9:28 am

Chris Brooks wrote:Bobby Black?

Although he’d been playing professionally for a long time before, I’m pretty sure Bobby’s first big name band was Commander Cody’s Lost Planet Airmen, which he joined in 1970. He is still upright and playing gigs whenever he wants, depending on who’s giving him the call.

All the other players from 60’s era named bands that I can think of (Poco, Burritos, Pure Prairie League, etc.) are gone.

Classic 60’s country artists weren’t really known by the bands that they fronted, even if the group was, say, George Jones’ regular recording and tour band.

Susan Alcorn (deceased) · Post by **Susan Alcorn (deceased)** » 19 Dec 2023 10:03 am

Bobby Koeffer

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 19 Dec 2023 10:03 am

Fred Treece wrote:
Chris Brooks wrote:Bobby Black?
Although he’d been playing professionally for a long time before, I’m pretty sure Bobby’s first big name band was Commander Cody’s Lost Planet Airmen, which he joined in 1970. He is still upright and playing gigs whenever he wants, depending on who’s giving him the call.

All the other players from 60’s era named bands that I can think of (Poco, Burritos, Pure Prairie League, etc.) are gone.

Classic 60’s country artists weren’t really known by the bands that they fronted, even if the group was, say, George Jones’ regular recording and tour band.

When did Bobby play for Barbara Mandrell? Before or after Cody?

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 19 Dec 2023 10:08 am

Pretty sure that was afterward, Richard.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 19 Dec 2023 10:11 am

Jay Dee Maness snuck in under the timeline wire in 1969 when he toured with Buck Owens. And I think he did a small number of road gigs with The Byrds in 1968 when Gram Parsons was still in the band around the time of "Sweetheart of the Rodeo."

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 19 Dec 2023 11:29 am

Doyle Grisham, who unfortunately just lost his longtime boss, Jimmy Buffett. He started in Nashville in 1966, playing for Roy Drusky.

rick andrews · Post by **rick andrews** » 19 Dec 2023 5:37 pm

Doug Jernigan!

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 19 Dec 2023 6:16 pm

Fred Treece wrote:Pretty sure that was afterward, Richard.

The reason I asked was because, in Winnie Winston's book, there are pictures of Bobby and Barbara both with Bobby's Sho-Bud. Before Bobby left Cody, he had switched to an Emmons. That is the guitar that I believe got stolen. That may be when he started playing
a Franklin. I kind of lost track of him during that time, so he may have gone back to the Sho-Bud.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 19 Dec 2023 6:31 pm

Gary Carter, Wally Murphy, and Sneaky Pete Kleinow are a few more I can think of, but there are probably a couple of others.

I started pedal steel in the mid ‘60s, and my bands backed some “name” artists when they would appear locally, but I was never really in a famous artist’s band.

$:\$

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 19 Dec 2023 6:41 pm

Donny Hinson wrote:Gary Carter, Wally Murphy, and Sneaky Pete Kleinow are a few more I can think of, but there are probably a couple of others.

The question asked just about those who are still living so, great as he was, Sneaky Pete unfortunately no longer qualifies.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 19 Dec 2023 7:12 pm

Unfortunately, as of today, Ron Elliott (RIP) no longer qualfies.

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 19 Dec 2023 7:17 pm

Yes!

Doyle,JayDee,and Doug definitely qualify!We lost Ron Elliott today-he was definitely big time in the 60s...also Sonny,Lloyd and the others mentioned...

Don't know who Bobby Black worked with in the 60s...

SH

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 19 Dec 2023 8:44 pm

In the 60’s, Bobby and his brother Larry were popular in the San Francisco Bay Area as the Black Brothers Band. They went by other names, but that was what they settled on. Their live album “Pickin’ In A Skull Orchard” is a monument to classic country pedal steel.

Here is a pretty good bio:
https://www.vintageguitar.com/12628/bobby-black/amp/

There are other forumites here who know Bobby personally a lot better than I do who could probably fill in all the blanks, but that is a whole nuther topic.

Steve Mueller · Post by **Steve Mueller** » 19 Dec 2023 9:24 pm

John Call of PPL is still playing from time to time to the best of my knowledge. Saw him play and spoke with him at Ludlow Garage with the current version of PPL a few years back.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 19 Dec 2023 10:10 pm

Fred... Thanks for that link. I've seen it before but forgot it. I've known Bobby since the mid-seventies. In 1984 (maybe late 83), my first wife (Caryn) and I played the Sunday Jam at Cowtown with Donna Cox. At 8:00 when we were done, we would often head over to Donna's Dukes in Sunnyvale where the Black Brothers were playing with Linda Henson (Larry's wife), Mike Grimes, and drummer Harry S. I would set up my Kline next to Bobby's Franklin and play some with them. I had forgotten that Bobby rejoined Cody after Hager, and that's when he had the Emmons.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 19 Dec 2023 10:48 pm

Steve Hinson wrote:

Don't know who Bobby Black worked with in the 60s...

In the late 50's and probably into the 60's, Bobby played with Chuck Wayne in the Bay Area. Hillbilly music.com (see link below) has info on chuck including having the Black Brothers in his band. In about 1975, I joined Chuck's son's (Charlie Wayne) band, Fresh Country, and through Chuck, I met Bobby. In the article that Fred linked to, it mentions the Country Cutups. I'm not positive that they were referring to Chuck's band, but the times I played with Chuck's band in the mid to late 70's, he called the band the Country Cutups (We wore pink shirts, White pants, and white patent leather shoes -yuck!).

https://www.hillbilly-music.com/artists ... p?id=14544

From the Hillbillymusic.com article:

The first big band Chuck formed included folks such as the Black Brothers, Bobby and Larry, Vern Baughman, Huck Fields, Don Cox, John Cambra, Gary Hutton, Freddie Marciel. Some of the folks who were regular performers on the show included such names as Bill Carter, future Grand Ole Opry star Del Reeves, Cal Smith, Willie Williams and Al Barkle.

Later in the article:

Chuck and Frankie's son, Charles Wayne, inherited the musical talents. Johnnie and Chuck played with him for several years. Charles and Jim Baughman had a small group when they were just youngsters, along with daughter Sheila and a piano player; they used to entertain the people at the Garden of Allah and did a bang-up job.

Jimmy has gone on to be a world-class guitarist. Charles formed his own band called the Charlie Wayne Band and has made an excellent front man and musician. In October 1983 Charles and his band won the Seagrams 7 International Battle of the Bands in Nashville, Tennessee. The band was called Desert Star.They worked opening shows for Randy Travis and many other current big name talents. The band, formed in 1982, was from Livermore, CA and represented The Cowtown Club. Members of Desert Star were Caryn Sinkler (vocals); Donna Preston (vocals); Dave Preston (bass and vocals); richard Sinkler (steel guitar); Charles Wayne Jr. (guitar and vocals); and, Rick Broccini (drums and vocals). Over 1,000 bands auditioned throughout the U.S.A. and the 7 finalists were the result of "The Worlds Greatest Search for New Bands." Their youngest daughter, Leesa Michelle has a fabulous voice and can sing just about anything. Chuck and Johnnie have four grandchildren of whom they are very proud.

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 21 Dec 2023 9:21 am

You sure shook some cobwebs loose in the memory bank with those names, Richard! I was a little late to the South Bay country scene (mid-late 80’s), but it’s still amazing to me that we never crossed paths.

Back to the topic at hand. John David Call is indeed still with us, but again, the question of “60’s Name Band” steel players disqualifies him because PPL was formed in 1970.

If you were to first ask which “60’s name bands” had steel players as full-time recording and touring members, even that would be a pretty exclusive group.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 21 Dec 2023 11:17 am

Richard Sinkler wrote:Bobby rejoined Cody after Hager, and that's when he had the Emmons.

Bobby was playing a black Emmons with Cody (George Frayne, piano and drums; John Tichy, guitar; Bill Kirchen, guitar; Andy Stein, saxophone and fiddle; Billy C. Farlow, vocals, harmonica; Lance Dickerson, drums; Bruce Barlow, bass; Bobby Black, steel guitar) on the Prairie Home Companion on January 13, 2001 in St. Paul, MN. A cold, cold night with a hot, hot band inside the newly remodeled Fitzgerald Theater. A show I'll never forget, after my high school-aged son, after a couple tunes, looked over at me and commented "so that's how that thing you play is supposed to sound."

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Name Band Steelers from the 60’s era still living

Name Band Steelers from the 60’s era still living

...well...