guitar player in movie Roadhouse

Ron Victoria · Post by **Ron Victoria** » 30 Jul 2005 6:02 pm

I was watching that old movie Roadhouse with Patrick Swayze. I saw a man playing what I thought at first was a lap steel. Upon seeing him closer, it was a conventional electric guitar on his lap and he was fingering the frets. My friend told me this man is really blind and an established msuician. He was called Cody in the movie. What I was wondering, does he finger the guitar differently because it's laid flat. Is he the only person who plays guitar this way?

Ron

Duane Solley · Post by **Duane Solley** » 30 Jul 2005 6:28 pm

Thumbs Carlisle,who is deceased, played a regular guitar laid flat on his lap and Gene Field has a double neck guitar wiht one neck fretted so that he can play it with his finges instead of a steel. He was at the Texas Steel Guitar Jamboree this year and I was amazed at his abilities.

Keith Cordell · Post by **Keith Cordell** » 30 Jul 2005 7:06 pm

He played in standard tuning, he is really blind and his name is Jeff Healey. He is a musician in Toronto who had a brief popularity on the SRV circuit of blues types. I thought he was a really good player, his approach to the fingerboard gave him an unusual touch and his bending was radically different on some tunes than you might have expected.

------------------
GFI s10, Georgeboards 8 string, National D8,Silvertone U-1 goldtop, Peavey Delta Blues, Goodrich H10K VP, Boss Vwah, Line6 DL4 delay, Jacques Bat Fuzz, Dunlop Lap Dawg bar

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 30 Jul 2005 8:07 pm

Though not blind, Dickie Philips played regular guitar on his lap much the same as Thumbs Carlisle. I'm not sure where Dickie is today...any of you old tymers recall him or know if he is still amongst us ?[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 30 July 2005 at 09:07 PM.]

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 30 Jul 2005 11:07 pm

Is he the only person who plays guitar this way?

Another guitar player who is blind and plsys the guitar laying flat is Hawaiian artist B.B. Shawn who plays on occasion with Bobby Ingano a Hawaiian steel guitar recording artist who has been a guest at Hawaiian steel guitar conventions here on the Mainland. B.B. Shawn plays slack guitar style.

Aloha,
Don

Larry W. Jones · Post by **Larry W. Jones** » 31 Jul 2005 12:35 am

Presenting the late "Thumbs Carlisle".

Tom Stolaski · Post by **Tom Stolaski** » 31 Jul 2005 3:44 am

I was lucky enough to see Thumbs Carlisle at the ISGC playing with Buddy Emmons. I was amazed at how he was coping note for note everything that Buddy was playing. Even the Boo-Wa licks! It was a sight to see.

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 31 Jul 2005 4:03 am

Jeff Healey is the guy in the movie.
He plays in standard guitar tuning. The fingering has to be different due the angle of the hand. The thumb is used a lot.

Jeff is a Jazz fan, has a huge collection of 78s. Louie Armstrong is his favorite. He also plays trumpet.

Jeff's still very active in music, and owns a club in Toronto. http://www.jeffhealeys.com/
Ray Benson performed there last month.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 31 Jul 2005 10:09 am

B B Shawn also plays the bass on his lap, if my memory is correct.