Meeting Lloyd Green - An Article

[Chris LeDrew]

Yes, Scott, you are indeed right at Sweetheart being pre-b-bender. And of course Clarence White was a genius on both electric and acoustic. I was just trying to keep it general for those who were unaware of him. To us he's well-known, but to many he's a footnote in rock music history, unfortunately.

Regarding the club they went to after the sessions, Lloyd said it was somewhere far off the beaten track, maybe in the hills? Either way, he said it was way out there.

[Skip Edwards]

Back then they were all pretty much off the beaten track.
Could've been the Pal, The Nashville West, The Aces Club, The Foothill, the Ban-Dar, or way off the beaten track, The Hitchin' Post in Lancaster, among others.
Wherever it was, you know they heard the real deal...
Great article, Chris.

[Chris LeDrew]

Thanks, Skip! Would have loved to check out some of these places back in their prime.

Lloyd also mentioned that another band was in the studio that day...I believe it was Moby Grape. They were asking Lloyd about his steel and the scene in Nashville. It seemed they found Lloyd a bit exotic with his tie and dress clothes on.

[Joachim Kettner]

Chris, was he talking about a studio in LA or in Nashville? If it was the former than it might have been that they recorded their "69" album there.
Their next record came out in late sixty nine. It was "Truly Fine Citizen" and was recorded in Nashville by Bob Johnston. On that record, since their bass player Bob Mosley had quit, it was Bob Moore on bass.
The "69" record was released in spring of this year but maybe sessions started when Lloyd was there in '68. If it was them, no wonder that they were asking him about the pedal steel, because they played some great Country-Rock.

[Fred Shannon]

Chris, great article. I congratulate you on your writing style. Like reading in an old fashioned rocking chair or standing on the mountain overlooking Corner Brook on an early spring morning.

phred

[Chris LeDrew]

What a nice thing to say, Fred. Thanks so much. I like that you have a Newfoundland connection. It's really cool.

Joachim, he was talking about LA. But I have to double check to make sure it was Moby Grape.

[Joachim Kettner]

Ringo with Lloyd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF2sLzLGqpk

[Shane Reilly]

Great article Chris, thanks for posting it. These stories are priceless, as is Mr Green.
Cheers,
Shane.

[Charles Curtis]

Thank you Chris. I wrote Lloyd a note years ago, I think that I ordered a CD from him, and his father worked at an Air Base where I was stationed in Mobile, Ala. from 1954-56 and Lloyd wrote me a note back, then I was transferred to Harmon AFB, Nfld. And yes Fred, I've been to Corner Brook too. Back then, the people in St Johns,IMO, were better educated than on our side of the country, IMO and it was like being back in the states. Chris, may I ask your age and how long have you been picking the psg? I had some great times there and will never forget them. "Lord Jesus my son" is an old expression they used to use there.

[Bill Bertinot]

That was a great interview and well said, er..written.. Chris. You've given all of us a wonderful insight into a truly wonderful being! I liked the story about the Byrds and how he would defend them. I am a huge Lloyd fan from the way past to present time.

[Chris LeDrew]

Thanks to my good friend Bob Blair for letting me know that this thread has resurfaced. Thanks all for commenting, and for the kind words.

Charles, it's really cool that you were stationed here at Harmon. I'm 42, and I played the US Argentia base at 16 years old back in the 80s, but that's as far back as I go with any history regarding the US bases. I do know that they are fondly remembered here, and many wish we would have become part of the US instead of Canada. But Britain was having none of that.

Did you happen to know Fred Truitt at Harmon? He came up here to work on that base, married locally, and never left Stephenville. He also happened to start my affinity for the pedal steel in 1999 when I was performing at summer theatre in Stephenville near the old Harmon base, actually. His wife gave me his steel and Session 400 when he passed away in 2004.

[Joseph Carlson]

Vintage Guitar had a nice article on Lloyd Green a while back.
http://www.vintageguitar.com/3683/lloyd-green/

I remember Robbie Fulks wrote a really good article too, but I can't seem to find the link.

[Mark Eaton]

I referenced the Robbie Fulks article earlier in this thread and have supplied quotes from it here on the forum as well.

It's from the Journal of Country Music, Volume 24.3 from I believe 2006 which was published by the Country Music Hall of Fame. One of the best articles I've ever read on Lloyd Green and for that matter, pedal steel guitar. The one in Vintage Guitar is pretty good but not in the same league as this Fulks article.

I have the magazine around here somewhere. I've never seen this article available online. The publication ceased printing in 2007. You can order old issues online, but when I perused the website linked below I couldn't find issue 24.3 unless I just missed it. If it is indeed no longer available then I guess I have a collector's item.

When it came out and I found a copy locally I remember encouraging everyone here to find one for themselves, or order it from the Hall of Fame. It is worth having. Robbie Fulks did an outstanding job on the piece.

http://store.countrymusichalloffame.com ... red&page=1

[Daniel Policarpo]

That's a great article, Chris. When I first started seriously looking into the pedal steel guitar as a viable instrument to pursue(yeah, I know, what a dummy), your Lloyd Green article was one of the first thing I came across, and it opened a big old door as I started researching and listening to one of the classiest players around. Thanks, Chris.
-Dan

[Chris LeDrew]

That's a great article, Chris. When I first started seriously looking into the pedal steel guitar as a viable instrument to pursue(yeah, I know, what a dummy), your Lloyd Green article was one of the first thing I came across, and it opened a big old door as I started researching and listening to one of the classiest players around. Thanks, Chris.
-Dan

Daniel that's really cool. I'm so glad it helped your inspiration along. Lloyd was one of the first players I heard as well, on the Sweetheart stuff. It sounded so gnarly, that 'Bud and Deluxe.

Here is the article published on OnStage Magazine:

http://www.onstagemagazine.com/meeting- ... oyd-green/

[Billy Carr]

Lloyd played with 3 & 4 on a S-10D and look at the results. One of my two inspirations to play more with less. The other one, John Hughey of course. Good article.

[Emmett Roch]

Great article, Chris.

[Ben Jones]

Very well done! Thank you for sharing with us. I didnt think it was too long at all , in fact it left me wanting to read more.

* one of the more memorable educational and inspirational moments for me on this forum was the time when Mr Green responded, thru your posting, to a post I had made and basically set me straight...hehe. Thank you, and Mr. Green, for that also.

[Jon Light (deceased)]

Funny, Chris--I'd read and dug this back when you first posted it. I just dropped in to see what I said to you at the time and I'm surprised to see that I didn't post anything (I might have emailed you).

I was just about to suggest that this would be a great piece for your Onstage writing gig.

Way ahead of me, bro.
.
.

[Chris LeDrew]

Thanks, guys! Glad it resurfaced here. At the time I didn't have a blog, but since then I've gone from starting my own blog to contributing to an online magazine. Yes. Jon, I had the same thought so I copied it there!

[David Rogerson]

The Tennessean newspaper featured a great article on Lloyd in their Life supplement on Sunday, July 20, 2003 along with some nice photos of him at home.