Andy Iona-did he play a Tricone

George Rout · Post by **George Rout** » 22 Sep 2005 3:51 pm

I'm wondering what Andy Iona played in the 30's. Was it a National Tricone?

Any information somebody has would be appreciated. I've looked on the internet, and the only picture is a head shot and it's repeated on many entries.

George R.

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 23 Sep 2005 2:31 am

I'd bet he had one ...

But for the vast majority of his career and recordings ... he played a Rickenbacher Frypan.

Bruce Clarke released some songs with him on another guitar ... the last recording session he did ... on Vol 9 of Cumquat's Iona Series.

It's quite an "ear-opener" ...

Here is one of those tunes ... courtesy of Cumquat Records ...

Andy Iona w/o Frypan

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 23 September 2005 at 06:55 AM.]

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 23 Sep 2005 7:44 am

The pictures I've seen of Andy Iona (in Andy Volk's Lap Steel Guitar book) show him playing an Oahu lap steel. This were later in his career when he was involved with Oahu as a performer and teacher.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

John Bushouse · Post by **John Bushouse** » 23 Sep 2005 8:57 am

So, Rick, what kind of guitar is he playing on that track? I have a feeling Andy could have played just about anything with strings (or reeds, for that matter) and I'd love his playing.

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 23 Sep 2005 9:29 am

I don't know ...

From Volume 9's liner notes:

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>These eight original compositions, issued in Australia in 1953 on a Festival 10-inch LP as "Andy Iona's Hawaiian Troubadours" are (to the best of my knowledge) Andy's final work and they reveal a different sounding artist and style of arranging.

The difference in sound and style that may simply be due to an ever-growing musical maturity of a creative mind.

Or are they the result of abandoning his old Rickenbacher Frypan?

Bruce Clarke, June 2005

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Iona can be seen playin' his frypan in the film Honolulu ...

There is a photo of him tunin' up his pan in 1951 ... in Rickenbacker: The History of the Rickenbacker Guitar by Richard Smith ... as well as the story of his frypan "folding" in half during a show ...

The book claims it was his use of extremely heavy gauge strings ...

But when Bobby Ingano was here ... he told me he heard it was the result of filling the neck with plaster (as did quiet a few other players) ... and the resulting weakening of the neck due to fungus infiltration of the uncured plaster ...

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield
[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 23 September 2005 at 10:40 AM.]

Dan Sawyer · Post by **Dan Sawyer** » 23 Sep 2005 9:46 am

Rick, thanks for posting that. Whatever guitar he's playing has some of the most awesome sustain I've ever heard. Notes just seems to hold their power and tone forever. It's possible that he's doing some very subtle volume pedal moves, but i doubt it.

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 23 Sep 2005 10:42 am

It's possible that he's doing some very subtle volume pedal moves, but i doubt it.

It is his vibrato ...

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 23 Sep 2005 10:53 am

It's possible that he's doing some very subtle volume pedal moves, but i doubt it.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>
It is his vibrato ...
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

And let's not forget that Andy Iona had no right thumb, seriously.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 23 Sep 2005 11:22 am

I've heard two stories about that too ...

One that he lost it in a bar fight ... the other that it was cut off in a machine shop accident ...

They say he wore a finger pick "in reverse" on his ring finger ... for strums

If I could sit down for a couple hours with any player in the history of steel guitar ... I would choose Andy Iona !!!!!

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

Colin Brooks · Post by **Colin Brooks** » 23 Sep 2005 11:40 am

There is a picture of Andy Iona playing a tricone on the cover of Cumquat CD ' South Sea Lullabies'. It's a still from a 1939 MGM musical called 'Honolulu'. I havn't seen the film or heard the soundtrack but I guess that you would be seeing a tricone and hearing a frypan! (I think that happened with Bob Nichols with Crosby in 'Waikiki Wedding' too. The stills show him with a Style III).

There is a beautiful recording from 1929 called 'That lovin' Hula' when he was still called Andy Aiona. I don't know if he played steel, sax or both on this, but there is a great solo by someone on what sounds to my ears like a Weiss. type guitar.

Does anyone know for sure how he played without a right thumb? My best guess is picks on index and ring fingers and a reversed pick on the middle finger for strums and blocking. My right thumb is often unusable and I have made some rather inept efforts at playing this way.

Colin Brooks

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 23 Sep 2005 11:54 am

Ditto what Rick is saying, it is his vibrato or rapid oscillating his bar. Few players do that today. One player comes to mind and that is Dirk Vogel of Aloha International Steel Guitar Club. And thanks Rick for exposing us more to Andy Iona great talent.

Play the Track 14 number again and notice that Andy does a lot of glissing, and slow glissing at that (gradually moving the bar to the fret). Sometimes you may wonder when he is going to get to the fret. It leaves you hanging. This is one major feature that distinguishes Hawaiian style playing and produces that SOUND that we get hooked on.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>The difference in sound and style that may simply be due to an ever-growing musical maturity of a creative mind. ……
Or are they the result of abandoning his old Rickenbacher Frypan? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I do not believe it is a Rickenbacker frypan, it is much more mellow than the Rick.

This was Andy at his most mellow playing. IMHO I loved it.

Aloha,
Don
[This message was edited by Don Kona Woods on 23 September 2005 at 12:56 PM.]

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 23 Sep 2005 1:47 pm

Colin ... Vol 3 / Hula Girl ... has a shot from the movie with a virtual "Who's Who" in Hawaiian music at that time ...

Mr. Clarke included a blow up of that same photo in the CD package ... with the names of each musician

I watched the film a few months ago ... thanks to a "heads up" by forum member Mitch Drumm ...

http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/007045.html

It was so cool ... but that darn tap dancer kept hoggin' the screen ...

Everytime they got close enough to see Iona's hands on his frypan ... she'd shimmy her way right in front of the camera ...

The nerve of some people ...

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 23 Sep 2005 7:02 pm

I think one of my favorite selections played by ANDY IONA is "My Summertime Girl"...I'm surprised that some of the greats of today, (ie: Bobby Ingano, et al), haven't picked up on that song. It's a real swinger !

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 23 Sep 2005 7:08 pm

Now you will have one more chance to DVD' the movie, "Honolulu" on Turner Classic Movies, Monday 11/21/2005 02:15 PM

Aloha,
Don

George Rout · Post by **George Rout** » 24 Sep 2005 5:53 pm

Wow!!! Thanks to all you guys for the interesting bit. It was just my ears that told me he must be playing a Tricone back in the early 30's that prompted my question.

After I posted the question, I looked in Andy's book, but didn't think of the Ricky book which I have also.

George