NEWS: Ever see a Sho-Bud w. 36 strings, no pedals, no knees?
Moderator: Dave Mudgett
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John Bechtel
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Oh, the suspense! I was expecting a revelation here!
<marquee> Go~Daddy~Go, (No), Go, It's your Break Time</marquee> L8R, jb
My T-10 Remington Steelmaster
My T-10 Remington Steelmaster
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G. Robertson
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News about the Sho-Bud autoharp.
I'm just off the phone after speaking with Harry Jackson who generously gave me lots of great info about the mystery autoharp. Turns out it was indeed a one-of-a-kind made by Sho-Bud for an autoharp player named Cecil Null in Nashville in '63 or '64, so far as Harry could recall. He remembered it and told me he'd always wondered where it ended up. Harry made the pickup and did the electronics himself. He believes Cecil got the wood from Sho-Bud and David Jackson did make the body along with help from Cecil who was involved with the peg and string attachments.
Anybody know anything about Cecil? It's be great to get info from him as well.
Anybody know anything about Cecil? It's be great to get info from him as well.
Last edited by G. Robertson on 28 Jun 2009 10:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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G. Robertson
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Just Googled Cecil and found he passed on in 2001:
"Songwriter/performer Cecil Null, 74, died of cancer Sunday (August 26) in Bristol, Virginia. Null's most famous composition is "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know," a #1 hit in 1953 for Skeeter Davis. He was credited as the guiding force in uniting Chet Atkins and Merle Travis for their Grammy-winning 1974 album, The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show. Null wrote "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" in 1947. "It was turned down by nearly everybody in the business," he once said. Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette covered the song on their 1993 album, Honky Tonk Angels."
Turns out he invented the "standing-up" style of playing autoharp as well.
More info here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=6vFnVz ... t&resnum=8
"Songwriter/performer Cecil Null, 74, died of cancer Sunday (August 26) in Bristol, Virginia. Null's most famous composition is "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know," a #1 hit in 1953 for Skeeter Davis. He was credited as the guiding force in uniting Chet Atkins and Merle Travis for their Grammy-winning 1974 album, The Atkins-Travis Traveling Show. Null wrote "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" in 1947. "It was turned down by nearly everybody in the business," he once said. Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette covered the song on their 1993 album, Honky Tonk Angels."
Turns out he invented the "standing-up" style of playing autoharp as well.
More info here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=6vFnVz ... t&resnum=8
Last edited by G. Robertson on 28 Jun 2009 10:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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John Billings
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G. Robertson
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I just got an email from Jeffrey Surratt at Sho-Pro who asked AJ Nelson, who was the senior repairman at Sho-Bud for many years, about the autoharp:
"Dear Gar, I spoke to AJ, and he did remember them doing an auto-harp. According to him there was a husband and wife that were entertainers. His name was Cecil Mull. He played the auto-harp and she sang. They were at Sho-Bud very often, and Shot probably did the instrument for them. AJ said Shot thrived on doing odd projects like that, and liked the couple very much. He felt like it was authentic, and the plaque would not have been unusual for them to put on, even though the script was different. I have seen many of the pickups Shot made, and I too would say that was one he did . Hope this is helpful. Sincerely, Jeff"
"Dear Gar, I spoke to AJ, and he did remember them doing an auto-harp. According to him there was a husband and wife that were entertainers. His name was Cecil Mull. He played the auto-harp and she sang. They were at Sho-Bud very often, and Shot probably did the instrument for them. AJ said Shot thrived on doing odd projects like that, and liked the couple very much. He felt like it was authentic, and the plaque would not have been unusual for them to put on, even though the script was different. I have seen many of the pickups Shot made, and I too would say that was one he did . Hope this is helpful. Sincerely, Jeff"