The Great Gene O'Neal showing how truly talented he was!

David Higginbotham · Post by **David Higginbotham** » 27 Jul 2007 7:53 pm

YouTube - Funky Monkey - Gene O'Neal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vroXlv9gXTI

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 28 Jul 2007 4:56 am

Gene was juat an awesome player. His passing was way to early for all us steel players. I hate it that I never saw him play live.

Bill Ferguson · Post by **Bill Ferguson** » 28 Jul 2007 6:31 am

David, that is a post that I put on YouTube.

If you will look under "Steel On The Web" in this forum, then scroll down to "List of YouTube & Google Video's" you will see where I have uploaded some 70 video's of this same quality.

Enjoy
Bill Ferguson

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 28 Jul 2007 8:02 am

That is C6th, correct? There are some very E9th sounding passages there.

Randal Smith · Post by **Randal Smith** » 29 Jul 2007 7:30 am

Wow!

I knew him as a dobro, er, I mean, resonator guitar player. I heard him one night at the Station Inn here in Nashville and remember thinking "this guy's as good as Jerry Douglas, if not better". I'd never heard him play steel before. We really did lose him too soon.

David Higginbotham · Post by **David Higginbotham** » 29 Jul 2007 8:02 am

Bill, I didn't realize this was one of your postings on youtube as I dont frequent the site. My wife discovered Gene's performance and sent it to my email. I thought it only fitting to post it on the players section. You have done a great service by posting the many clips of many great players, yourself included!

There are still many who do not know who Gene is and how very talented he was. It was an extreme loss to the steel guitar community that he passed so early and under very unusual and unfortunate circumstances.

Guys, go to Bill Ferguson's posting in the "Steel on the Webb" section of the forum to see some great playing by some of the best. Bill has spent a great deal of time and energy to make these available for the viewing.

Bill again, thanks for all you have done in sharing your joys and experience with the rest of us!
Warmest regards,
Dave

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 29 Jul 2007 8:14 am

Gene O' could play the same musical ideas ('licks' if you will) on either neck. That particular tune was all C6, as I recall. What a great player who met an untimely death. He had a musical sense of humor that very few other players have. If he was playing, he was smiling.

Anybody have a video (or even audio only) of 'Spittoon'? That one always cracked me up when he'd play Scotty's Convention in the mid 70s. He was a true musician -- not just a steel player.

And, yes, he could tear a Dobro or nonpedal guitar to pieces.

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 29 Jul 2007 11:14 am

Wow..he was such an excellent player. Watching that video made me want to put up the one video I have of him (with Charley Pride) for the rest of you to see....so here 'tis..Click Here!...

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 30 Jul 2007 9:38 am

I noticed that Gene kept a towel over his leg on both videos.....which are 22 years apart! Was he eating powdered-sugar donuts or something during his breaks?

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 30 Jul 2007 3:05 pm

The last couple of times I saw him in St. Louis, he had a great band with him. I'll never forget a song they did something about "I must have come home drunk last night because my monkey died this morning". It was a nonsense song, but they put in extra notes here and there that cracked me up. I have it on an old cassette somewhere. I'll agree with all the other posters, he was a great player.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 30 Jul 2007 5:56 pm

Hey guys, I met Gene O'Neil in 1972. Charley Pride did a tour of Europe and I saw the show in Norway..Awesome to say the least. I shook hands with Charley and stood there awestruck watching Gene tune his ShoBud. When he was done I asked him please, could you play me a bit of Steel Guitar Rag? And Gene made the ole Bud burn. A great guy indeed and I'll never forget how nice he was.
Oh, by the way, he had the rag draped over his leg then too

I met him again in the Possum Holler in Nashville, 1990ish.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 30 Jul 2007 6:58 pm

I never met Gene, but I did see him play several times over the years at Scotty's convention.

Which brings up a point. We've lost so many players in recent years. Gene of course, Hal Rugg, Jeff Newman, Jimmy Day, Jimmy Crawford, Jerry Burd, Winnie Winston, Elmer Ridenhour, Alvino Rey, Curly Chalker, Julian Tharp, Zane Beck, the list goes on and one. Bu those of us who have been fortunate enough to attend the convention year after year have seen all these wonderful players perform there.

What a gift Scotty has given us.

Not to take anything away from all the tributes to Gene, but we should all be grateful to Scotty. He is truly every steel guitarist's best friend.

Chippy Wood · Post by **Chippy Wood** » 31 Jul 2007 2:44 am

This was the first video of Gene that I have seen, very impressive,I'm intrigued by some of the comments, How did he die?

Doug Rolfe · Post by **Doug Rolfe** » 31 Jul 2007 5:18 am

I believe he died of a stroke, but am not sure. I know he was way too young for that to happen. I remember Gene playing the "Funky Monkey" at St. Louis. It was the first time I went to Scotty's convention.

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 17 Apr 2010 5:37 pm

Just had to share this....what AMAZING playing....he's got the Lloyd Green vibe to boot.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwb_IrE_ ... re=related

Larry Baker · Post by **Larry Baker** » 17 Apr 2010 6:04 pm

Not only did I have the pleasure of meeting Gene, but was lucky enough to see him work on an album in the studio. He did the Steel work on Jean DeVore's recording Album of Music, Red Wine, and Honky Tonk Angels. What a great player and Person He was. Larry B. (Fred Newell was on Lead too) WOW

Paul E. Brennan · Post by **Paul E. Brennan** » 18 Apr 2010 7:10 am

Gene was the headline player at the first steel guitar festival I attended - British Steel Festival 1990. I had been playing for about six months at the time and I could not believe what I was hearing. Funky Monkey stood out as amazing. I remember he did a solo rendition of the Bread tune "If" which was stunning.

He had the towel draped on his knee as you guys mentioned above. He seemed to be particular about keeping the bar clean. He wiped it carefully with the towel between every number. Maybe he sweated a lot and made the bar greasy, I don't know. (My bar gets a wipe once a year or so if it's lucky...well maybe once a gig/session).

Tommy Detamore · Post by **Tommy Detamore** » 18 Apr 2010 11:08 am

Yes, Gene was a mighty fine player. There have been several Hee Haw reruns on RFD of late where he can be seen playing with Charlie Pride.

I was surprised to learn recently that Gene played steel on "Kiss an Angel Good Morning". I always thought it was Lloyd Green. It is discussed in this thread:http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... ight=angel

I met Gene O'Neal in an elevator in a hotel in Nashville in 1982. I had just joined Moe Bandy's band and we were in town for Fan Fair. Gene and I exchanged introductions and we talked briefly and he was very cool. Later that week Moe told me he had run into Gene. He said Gene told him he had met me, and that he should fire me and hire him! I never knew if he was serious or not, but it didn't matter because it was funny and perhaps some good advice. Thankfully for me Moe didn't heed it.

I saw Gene years later in San Antonio not too long before he died, when he was playing with Clinton Gregory. I was playing in the opening band on the show, and he was most impressive then. I'm sure glad I didn't have to follow him. What a player!

steve takacs · Post by **steve takacs** » 18 Apr 2010 6:26 pm

Ditto what Mike said about owing a lot of thanks to Scotty. I've never been able to attend a St Louis convention due to working overseas, BUT I did attend several three day conventions that Scotty set up with the likes of Jimmy Crawford, Herby Wallace and such in the mid-1980s. I'm forever thankful to Scotty for those. Now if he'd only come to Beijing. stevet

Cal Sharp · Post by **Cal Sharp** » 18 Apr 2010 6:35 pm

Yes, Gene did die of a stroke. The way I remember it, he had some minor surgery done at a Nashville hospital and they accidentally nicked the carotid artery, which caused the stroke. He wasn't the same after that, and died a few months, or maybe a year or so, later. He was a great guy and a great player.

Paul E. Brennan · Post by **Paul E. Brennan** » 19 Apr 2010 12:12 am

Yep. That's the story Jeff Newman told me - botched surgery resulting in stroke. What a tragedy!

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 19 Apr 2010 11:39 am

Dang me for forgetting who it was but I have always recalled that some steel player took his guitar to the hospital room and played some for Gene before he left. I haven't forgotten that they said he was really thrilled to have them do that for him. I'll bet he's still smiling up there as we remember him and the Talent God gave him to share with us !!

Regards, Paul

Don McClellan · Post by **Don McClellan** » 19 Apr 2010 12:04 pm

Randal Smith, I really appreciate what you said about seeing Gene play dobro and thinking, Wow, this guy sounds as good as Jerry Douglas, because I had a similar experience. One year at Scotty's convention Buddy Emmons was not there but I saw Gene play and I recall thinking, Who needs Buddy Emmons when this guy is here? He was THAT good! He was fearless on his C neck. I think anyone who has a live recording of Gene recorded at the convention (back in the days when portable cassette recorders were as welcomed as cameras) should post it if he or she can. Why not? Don

Jim Hartley · Post by **Jim Hartley** » 19 Apr 2010 1:55 pm

Wow, this thread brings back some great memories. Althought Gene and I had known each other for years, we really got to be close friends when we both ended up in South Florida about the same time. For two years or so, we worked at least two gigs a week together, usually more. As everyone has said, great player and one of the funniest guys ever.

There are so many funny stories that could be told, but there was another side to Gene. The last 6 months in Florida, right before he moved back to Nashville, we worked a sit down gig at a little club in Cooper City. Gene had taken his family to Disneyworld during the week and brought me a present. As we started the first set on Friday night, Gene stood up and tossed a pink Micky Mouse golf ball over to me, and said, Hartley, I saw this and thought of you. Well, I just dropped it in my stick bag, and you know, 22 years later it's still there. I had forgotten it for some time, but after he died, I just decided it should stay right there.

David H,thanks for the thread. And Bill, thanks for all the great videos.

Jim

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 19 Apr 2010 2:47 pm

years back ( late 70's I think ) when I was on a business trip in NVille, I went up to the Alley , not sure which club and there was Gene playin' with some local band , I sat maybe 2 or 3 feet in front of him for about 2 or 3 hours, we were actually having a conversation which was interrupted by the songs ! Gene was a funny social guy and that was a fun night for me. He was talking about what he was playing while playing, I was maybe 1 of 10 people in the place so it appeared he was glad I was there.

He was a kick but player for sure...I am certain that when I got home some things stuck in my head from Gene.

That's it, that's all I got...

t

The Steel Guitar Forum

The Great Gene O'Neal showing how truly talented he was!

The Great Gene O'Neal showing how truly talented he was!

gene

Gene O'Neil

Thanks, Scotty