Welcome Marian Hall!

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 11 Aug 2005 5:44 pm

Marian has just joined the forum and is looking forward to some interesting discussions.

For those who don't know her, Marian was a fixture on the late 50's Los Angeles live TV broadcast scene where her outstanding playing on a Bigsby pedal steel on Town Hall Party, Tex Ritter's Roundup, Spade Cooley's program, etc. garnered her legions of fans. she easily held her own with giants like Merle Travis and Joe Maphis. Marian's one of the unsung heroes of West Coast country music.

Great to have you online, Marian!

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 11 Aug 2005 8:06 pm

The best news of the day!

My fondest welcome, Marian.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 11 Aug 2005 8:16 pm

Welcome Marian, I lived in the L.A. area a short time in the late fifties, Allways loved Town Hall Party. It's a shame we don't have shows like that anymore.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 12 Aug 2005 12:28 am

Great news!!!! I'm a big fan, welcome Marian!!!

Robbie Bossert · Post by **Robbie Bossert** » 12 Aug 2005 7:08 am

YEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAAA! Great news. Marian, where ever you are.....Welcome aboard. I'm lookin' forward to all the wonderful stories you must have to share.

Robbie Bossert

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 12 Aug 2005 8:13 am

Welcome Marian!

I don't think I've ever seen a happier steeler than this picture of you...

Roger Miller · Post by **Roger Miller** » 12 Aug 2005 10:03 am

The Vintage Guitar Magazine did a wonderful article on you. Welcome, actually I thought you had to have hairy legs to be on this forum, maybe that was just the guys from Wisconsin.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 12 Aug 2005 2:44 pm

Welcome Marian! I hope you're doing well. I'll never forget that day a year or so ago when Don McGinnis and I dropped by your beautiful home overlooking the Pacific and spent the afternoon chatting about music,steel guitar,listening to records and looking at old pictures. Hope to see ya again real soon. -Mike Johnstone-

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 12 Aug 2005 2:47 pm

How cool! A big Texas howdy.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 12 Aug 2005 7:53 pm

My old Bigsby, now owned by Jr.Brown. I think you were the first owner.
A better picture of it on my personal website. I was 19+ at the time.
Great guitar, thanks Marion, I've been a fan of yours since the Joe and Rosely Maphis days.

Bobbe Seymour,

Joe Goldmark · Post by **Joe Goldmark** » 12 Aug 2005 9:26 pm

Hi Marian,
Watching you play on the Town Hall Party tapes is a real treat. You can see the respect that Joe Maphis gives you, as well as hear the cool things that you're playing. Also your harmonics are perfect. Did you ever record any instrumental singles? How long did you play professionally?
Thanks,
Joe

Bobby Caldwell · Post by **Bobby Caldwell** » 13 Aug 2005 4:19 am

Marian, I to have always enjoyed your playing. It is great to have you on the forum. I would love to see you come to the International Steel Guitar Convention in St.Louis sometime. I think you would have a great time. Welcome, Bobby

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 13 Aug 2005 12:48 pm

Marian appreciates everyone's kind comments and is in process of finishing her registration so she can reply.

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 17 Aug 2005 5:03 am

We're still waiting for your arrival, Marian.

Jay

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 17 Aug 2005 7:00 am

Welcome to this Great Forum Marian

it's an honor to have you here amongst us

Marian Hall · Post by **Marian Hall** » 18 Aug 2005 8:31 am

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the welcome. It took Cindy Cashdollar, Andy Volk and a team of mules to get started. Looking forward to finding out all kinds of good stuff.

On Aug 9 Randy mentioned a DVD that I was on called Texas Ranch Party. Would love to know more. Also Bobbe Seymore said he had once had my first Bigsby. Would love to know more about that too.

For now Im, just going to see if I can make this message work. You'd think if I could handle a pedal guitar I could handle a chat room but I'v already typed out one message and it just vanish from my screen. So here goes........Many thanks for kind words.

Marian Hall<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Marian Hall on 18 August 2005 at 04:19 PM.]</p></FONT>

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 18 Aug 2005 4:19 pm

Marian, it was a pleasure. Welcome to the wild and wooly world of the Forum!

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 18 Aug 2005 7:32 pm

Marion,
I just emailed you a complete history of the D-8 Bigsby you were the first owner of.
It is such a pleasure to have you on this forum, you are a true legend that belongs in the "steel guitar Hall of Fame".
Your long time friend,
Bobbe Seymour

Marian Hall · Post by **Marian Hall** » 19 Aug 2005 3:19 pm

Marian Hall..Answer to Joe Goldmark,

I started playing for money at age 12 but didn't work in a band until I was 17. I guess I would have to say my career spanned more than thirty years. Arthritis was what made me stop. Crooked fingers play heck with steel.

I never had a solo instrumental released. I did a lot of solos in other peoples instrumentals and breaks and turn arounds on records and I did some transcriptions , radio and TV with Tex Williams and Spade Cooley. where I was featured solo but none made it to record Thanks for asking. There is a CD released by the Bear Co. which is a rerelease of a 1958 record of all the Town Hall Cast If you pay close attention you'll catch me there.

Rick Anderson · Post by **Rick Anderson** » 19 Aug 2005 5:33 pm

Marian,
Welcome!!! I'm a new member also.
We're remember this day as a new adventure to our lives. Welcome aboard
Rick Anderson

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 19 Aug 2005 6:02 pm

Welcome to the coolest forum on the planet Marian!
You definitely belong here.

RA

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 20 Aug 2005 7:44 am

The Town Hall Party DVD/CD series via the Bear Family label: www.bear-family.de/tabel1/neuheit/serien/town_hall_series_e.html

The link is probably too long.

For those in Australia and New Zealand, most of the Town Hall Party DVDs (at least Johnny Cash, Luman, Robbins, Collins Kids, Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran) are available through Shock/Umbrella, I just bought a couple and work in their warehouse, so I guess I should know.

For the stuff you can't get locally, Aztec imports the rest.
We get pretty good distro on this stuff.
I can only assume that these releases are all import Stateside as I've not heard of any local (to the U.S.A.) releases.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 20 Aug 2005 8:50 am

I should say though, that our girl here

Marian is not featured on those BF Town Hall Party DVDs, on most of them the steel player is Billy Mize. The shows where Marian is featured are Ranch Party shows, which were filmed a couple of years earlier than the BF DVDs and have been available on VHS format for quite awhile ( my favorite is Marian's break on George Jones' "You Gotta Be My Baby; the steel break combined with the smiling camera eye contact just melts my heart

) .

Johnny Cunnyngham · Post by **Johnny Cunnyngham** » 20 Aug 2005 9:22 am

Welcome Marian. The FORUM is a welcome and friendly site. And how about the addition of "Steel radio." You mentioned Merle Travis. I Jam with two fellas who have played with Chet Atkins and Merle Travis. Needless to say, they are now both senior citizens, but I enjoy hearing them share interesting stories about both legends. Perhaps you will share your stories from your vast experience as well. Johnny

Marian Hall · Post by **Marian Hall** » 20 Aug 2005 7:04 pm

To Jussi from Finland. You are absolutely right about the Bear Family DVDs What is beyond my comprehension is how I was on the show for more than three years and BF chose to release ONLY the ones from the last year that the show ran which was when Billy Mize played. I would have thought that just by accident they would release some of the earlier ones. AHH show biz.......

Johnny Cunnyngham You mentioned Merle Travis and Chet Atkins. I thought extremely highly of Merle. He was a really great guy and great talent and the thing most people were not aware of was that he had a genius IQ I never personally knew Chet Atkins but one of my fondest memories was (by some miracle of fate)finding myself in a room with about 4 people(all of us with our mouths hanging open) and Chet , his amplified guitar and a drummer playing brushes on a tall bongo.He must have played for a solid hour, just the two of them. It was an out of body experience.

Thanks for listening