Rico Turchetti Picture

Chris Turchetti · Post by **Chris Turchetti** » 3 Dec 2006 7:48 pm

Hello all. This picture was taken when Dad was in the army. If anyone wants to do the math , he died in 2005 at age 88 , how old was he when he was in the army, in this picture?? You'll notice his invention didn't yet include the toilet chains that he used later on , they're ropes !!!! Some people just don't want to believe that someone that they haven't heard of could have been responsible for alot of things that came After. Rico Turchetti was a true innovator and he was the one that adapted a non-pedal lap steel into an 8 pedal steel guitar for the first time anywhere because the commercial models had only 4 or 6 pedals mounted on the left side, and he also created a unique mechaism that he used to raise and lower the individual strings. He never patented it. He appeared on the Arthur Godfrey Show on nationwide T.V. in the 1950's for CBS and also on Chance of a Lifetime on the Dumont T.V. network . Dad was happy to answer everyones questions and someone else stole the patent from him. For some of the people that weren't aware of these contributions , all you need to do is ask the people that you Do know because many of your heroes and other great players did know Rico Turchetti, and will tell you flat out that they were influenced by him and they agree because they know what he did for the steel Guitar. I won't throw names around , but I met several people at the Hall of Fame this past year that knew and loved the man that is my Father. Nobody knows everyone , so just because You didn't know Rico Turchetti is NO reason to deny his contributions !! Thank you to All of the people that stood ground for my Father , this is the positive thing that these forums Should be for, sharing ideas and learning about our heritage from the people who are still here and lived it. Misinformed people should ask questions, not post uneducated comments.

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 4 Dec 2006 4:28 am

Thanks for the pic. This appears to be in the mid to late 40s in a on base "service club". In the background notice the Ike jackets and pointed garrison caps. We had other names for them. I don't remember what make the guitar on the left was but they were abundant in service clubs and the players loved them. In fact when a player was being transfered he would clear post in the afternoon and come back to the service club for one more jam with the gang and "forget" to check the guitar back in and away it went with him.

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 4 Dec 2006 4:38 am

Wate a minute; the kid on the extreme right has on a dark tie which was not an issue item until the 50s. Also notice all the "out of uniform" people. The only service club I was ever in that allowed unbuttoned jackets etc was at Fort Lewis, Wash when the 2nd Div was there. cc

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 4 Dec 2006 8:57 am

After looking at the tailpiece, the guitar could possibly be an Epiphone ..

Mike Black · Post by **Mike Black** » 4 Dec 2006 9:20 am

delete

Eddie Cunningham · Post by **Eddie Cunningham** » 12 Dec 2006 11:21 am

In 1949 and 1950 I worked with the Eddie Zack western band around the Providence area that Rico had played with earlier. Rico was a legend even then before the Art Godfrey shows !! Eddie Zack used to tell me how great your Dad was !! His pedal set up was unique back then !! He was definitely a Hall of Fame Steel player !!!

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c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 12 Dec 2006 1:37 pm

Received the CD today and what a great one. We have been playing it ever since 9am. CC

Mark Edwards · Post by **Mark Edwards** » 12 Dec 2006 2:11 pm

Could this picture have been taken in a mess hall instead of an e-club, I don't see any liquor, or beer bottles, just coffe cups?

Chris Turchetti · Post by **Chris Turchetti** » 12 Dec 2006 7:16 pm

I wish that I knew more facts behind this picture too - I'm just knocked out at the way that Dad tied the rope to the pedals !! How did he do that ?? I mean ,Rope is SO much larger than the strings.

Chris Turchetti · Post by **Chris Turchetti** » 11 Sep 2007 4:57 pm

I've always wondered what kind of place this was , like a club maybe, and where is it. Does anyone know ?? Thanx,
Chris Turchetti

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 11 Sep 2007 5:35 pm

Looks like the old Red Wings home in Detroit. The Old Olympia was torn down some years ago. Go to the link for a picture.

http://www.jankaulins.com/p104.html

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 11 Sep 2007 6:02 pm

I'll say it's a different Olympia, as the marquee's and name signage don't match up.

But I'm glad this thread was resurected, with new input.

Chris, is your Dad's music CD still available? I managed to forget to get my $ off for it.

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 11 Sep 2007 6:09 pm

Cool photos guys, I really dig this kinda stuff!

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 11 Sep 2007 8:36 pm

Wonderful!!

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 11 Sep 2007 10:11 pm

The venue in a photo is clearly a theatre. Could be the old Olympia cinema on Broadway, now demolished. They're showing Pacific Overland, a western movie starring Jack Mahoney and Peggy Castle. The movie was released in early -54 so there's your time frame for the picture.

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 12 Sep 2007 12:43 am

Misinformed people should ask questions, not post uneducated comments.

Indeed :-
So I won't comment, I'm apparently misinformed by this apparently spurious "factual and DATED information."

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 12 Sep 2007 1:30 am

No wishing to take away from Rico Turchetti's innovations as quoted on his plaque

RICO TURCHETTI

AN INNOVATIVE STEEL GUITARIST OF THE 1940s AND 50’s. HE PERFECTED
EXQUISITE CHORD VOICING ON HIS SELF-BUILT PEDAL STEEL STEEL.

I think the relevant words " Innovative and Perfected Don't refer to INVENTING, but more to improving

Ernest's brother Freddie's plaque reads

FREDDIE TAVARES

EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND IN HAWAIIAN MUSIC: MOVIE SOUND TRACKS; RECORDINGS; RADIO; TV. A CONSUMMATE MUSICIAN. ADVANCED THE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY OF PEDAL STEEL GUITAR DURING HIS TENURE WITH THE FENDER CO. - 1953-1980.

BORN: FEBRUARY 18, 1913 PAIA, MAUI, HAWAII

Because Ernest had already INVENTED it, In the form of pedals at the front, or had he ? Didn't the Gibson Have a model with pedals at the Front ?

......................
Proof of pedals at the front from 1939 .........

Here are two photos of the First Generation Gibson Electraharps that came out before World War 11 around 1939:

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 12 Sep 2007 2:40 am

This also has "Come to Light"

"I've been playing steel since 1945. Rico didn't make that guitar himself. There was an old Italian Hawaiian guitar teacher in Providence , R.I. USA in the 1940s named Patrino or Patrillo or something like that and he made them up using the Epiphone Electar guitars ( as I remember I think 6 strings) and attached levers with chains to the floor pedals to raise and lower separate strings, no knee levers! I knew several players in the Providence area who had these guitars and I sat down to play that type guitar several times in the late 40s. The basic tuning was A 6th and you pushed pedals to get an E tuning and 7ths, 9ths, aug. ,dim. and what ever else was on. I played an 8 string Rickenbacher then and wasn't really into the pedals and chords . I was into Byrds style. But I loved Alvino Reys chords & music and have sev eral of Reys old L.P.s. Also Rico did not use finger and thumb picks but used just a guitar pick to play fast notes and chords!! He was an amazing player in his day and still would be in the top group of pickers today! ! Hope this info adds to your knowledge of Rico, a great player !! Sincerely , Eddie Cunningham ; Middleboro, Mass. USA"

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 12 Sep 2007 2:41 am

If the pic was taken in a service club on post in that time period there would not have been any sign of alchohol. Beer was not allowed until some date during Viet Nam era. At the same time beer vending machines were allowed and installed in barracks. Local commanders had the option of alowing the machines or not. cc

Mike Black · Post by **Mike Black** » 12 Sep 2007 11:58 am

delete

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 12 Sep 2007 7:58 pm

Basil-Thanks for all the history and pictures presented here on the Forum.
I remember listening to the Arthur Godfrey show and heard Rico. He won the show.
I was playing 6 nights a week in a club and heard on the jukebox his recording of Small Hotel, and Wabash Blues.
I was even thinking , it would be nice to get on the Arthur Godfrey show, but I was just too busy playing every night and running my Music Store and teaching days. Then a couple of years later, our SGHOF Forum Member Jody Carver got on the Godfrey show and was a Big Hit! That was good for Steel Guitar to be recognized nationally.
I had one of those Original Gibson console Electra-Harps, got it used in 1946 and played it for about 20 years until I got my first MSA from Reece.

Alvino Rey had one around 1941, I saw him play it in 1942 and was amazed at the more chord patterns he could play on it compared to the D8 Vega I had. So I had to have one, but Uncle Sam decided to draft me for WWII in 1942, and that stopped my Musical Career for 3 years, but I was lucky anyway.So in 1945 I got booked playing again , still had my D8 Vega.

Ted McCarty Pres; of Gibson told me where there was a used Gibson Electra-harp in a music store in New York, I called the guy and bought it quick as I knew what it could do to my career. I took my mustering out pay and scraped up the money. They shipped it to me in a big wooden crate. It retailed for $450. in 1942, but I couldn't afford it then. In 1945-46 I paid $550. for it used. The best investment I ever made, I made thousands with that guitar. I could have bought a new Chevy for almost that then. No more junping necks , just one neck with 6 pedals. Around 1952 or so, Gibson called me to come down to Kalamazoo and try out their new D8 pedal job.
That is the the other one you have pictured . So I went down and evaluated it. The pedals worked both necks, but no switchover, when you played one neck the pedals were working the other neck too at the same time..Bad,Bad Thinking. And it was engineered for 8 strings instead of Ten and Fender came along with 10 and the rest is history. I didn't like the cables on the Fender and some tuning limitations, so I just kept playing my Electra-Harp. In about 1968 Sho-Bud had the Crossover, and I almost bought one, as any tuning was possible with the barrel tuners, that was more versatile tunings than the Fender with the cables. ....Ahhh history of all those years and the clock is running....al.

:):)

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 12 Sep 2007 8:11 pm

Does anyone notice how the text is running off the screen. b0b, what is that and how can it be fixed?...al

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 13 Sep 2007 5:38 am

Great history here.
And clearly the parochial nature of communications
left many innovators working in relative isolation.

What's better, than a who did what when versus another,

is that now we are logging MOST of the guys
and can see how like minds were working to
the same ends in different ways.

Fun pictures for sure.

Chris Turchetti · Post by **Chris Turchetti** » 13 Sep 2007 2:47 pm

Hello . Thanx for the info & link Russ. Unfortunately though, it's not the right Olympia. The photographer himself, Jan Kaulins actually Emailed me back because I emailed him the same picture of that Olympia ,and asked him if was possible that it was that particular one, Here's what he said.
"Hi Chris, No--the marquee is different. Though the Detroit Olympia was the main venue for music, the circus, wrestling, hockey, the rodeo, ice skating etc. for about 40 years, the marquee and entrance look different than in the photo you sent--it was not just a Red Wings hockey stadium, though it was used for that as well. Musician such as Elvis, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and many others played there. "
Oh well, it's always worth a try.
I'd like to say thank you to all of the Pedal Steel Lovers that knew and appreciated my Fathers input to your fine instrument.

Larry Jamieson · Post by **Larry Jamieson** » 13 Sep 2007 6:08 pm

Hello Chris,

Don't know if your dad invented his pedals, or just played them, but what a great picture! My dad played in bands like this when he was in the service, and afterward for many years. He played sax, trumpet, accordian, violin and piano, but not steel.
One of the first steel players I ever saw was in a band he played with. I was about 8 or 9 years old, went to a square dance, and there was a gentleman playing a lap steel in my dad's band. this was circa 1957...
Your dad must have been a great player to make the Godfrey show, and appear on the theater sign as a major artist. He is certainly an important figure in steel guitar history. Thanks for the picture.
Larry J.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Rico Turchetti Picture

Rico Turchetti Picture

Dads Name On The Front Of The Olympia

Olympia Stadium?

Not the first nor not the inventor whos invention was stolen

Gibson

Rico Turchetti