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Topic: Did Chet Atkins Not Care For The Steel Guitar? |
Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 1:10 am |
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Our band was running through a couple of rehearsals tonight and an ex-Minnesota steel guitarist, Kyle Rhodes, and very good friend of mine walked in on us and chatted it up with the guys. He touched on something that sort of set us all back by surprise. He said that Chet Atkins did not want a steel guitar behind him when he was performing.
He said that when his dad, Bobby C Rhodes, backed Webb Pierce on the Grand Old Opry a couple of times in the late fifties & early sixties Chet Atkins was on stage as well. When Chet did his solo’s he insisted that the steel guitar not be used.
Did Chet Atkins not like the sound of a steel guitar? |
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Per Berner
From:
Skövde, Sweden
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 4:16 am
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In the early days Chet used steel on many of his recordings. Like "the Bell's of St Mary's", I believe that's Jerry Byrd playing harmony through most of the song...
But he didn't use much steel on other artists records when he was a "Nashville sound" producer, so there could be something to it. Maybe he just didn't want the steel sound to interfere with the guitar. |
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Ric Nelson
From:
Silver Spring, Maryland
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 4:32 am
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I know that he excluded steels and fiddles from his "Nashville Sound" concept in the late 1950s. It was a move on his part, as a producer, to make the music sound more "pop" than country.
As a result, the sessions Patsy Cline did at Bradley's from 1957 on, lost those instruments and some had back-up singers. Her first sessions prior to that did have Don Helms on steel and Tommy Jackson on fiddle, also done at Bradley's studio in Nashville.
Pats wasn't too happy about the change at first but as it turned out, it worked for her, "all the way to the bank" as she put it. Owen Bradly was also part of that move.
Ric |
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Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 4:36 am
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Les,
Chet's use of the Bigsby Lever during his long mastery of the six string guitar just naturally negates such notions and prompts me to respond to what could be a preposterous notion.
During an interview with Chet, I "covered" the bases that yielded nothing of the sort, of what you have alluded to. I was deliberate when I questioned Chet about a steel player from Pennsylvania, who played with his feet.
Someone should explain why so many successful recording artists such as "The Man In Black" excluded the pedal steel from virtually all of his performances. I haven't a clue as to the frequencies of hearing a steel in his recordings.
B.H. |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 6:38 am
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Chet had an album called "A Session with Chet Atkins" in the late fifties which had Bud Issacs all over it! I especially liked the ride Bud did in "Caravan". The LP featured the top session men in Nashville at the time so I think Chet must have liked steel at one point.....
Also I remember an Austin City Limits Show which featured Chet. At one point Chet introduced a song with the line "Here's a song that the steel guitar players won't play anymore, but I will" and then he proceeded to do "Steel Guitar Rag".........JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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Bo Legg
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 7:26 am
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Chet wasn't the only one distancing himself from that old hoky Steel and fiddle country sound.
It was the times. During that period I and most of my friends were raised up on country but it seemed that the guitar had evolved and the steel was still something hoky that you heard in old cartoons. And fiddles were completely overdone, tasteless and out of tune.
But the main thing is that Rock and Roll came in and then Guitar became king.
Steel started sneaking back in as the PSG evolved.
It was during this time that I bought me a Rock and Roll guitar and got heavy into the Chet Atkins thing and of course the rest is history.
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Joey Ace
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 8:22 am
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Weldon Myrick is all over Chet's SUPER PICKERS album, including the cover.
Bud Issacs on the 50's "A Session With..." recordings has already been mentioned. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 8:42 am Have we forgotten already?
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Chet Atkins, JERRY BYRD, Dale Potter, Homer & Jethro and others did a fabulous series called the "COUNTRY ALL-STARS"...... All were great instrumentals in which JERRY BYRD's role was quite prominant.
Also, JERRY BYRD and CHET ATKINS did a television show in Nashville for several years (I believe it was) that was billed as "The TWO GUITARS". Boy if anyone could find tapes on these shows, he'd have a gold mine, for sure!
Chet Atkins was married to the TWIN SISTER and wife of Jethro Burns (I think it was!) and JERRY BYRD's
steel guitar was featured on many of Homer & Jethro's tunes.
Just wanted to remind u-all........ |
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Bo Legg
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 9:03 am
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I'm sorry Ray but I was in high school in the 50's
and I collected about every record Chet ever made and most of us paid little attention to who was playing with or behind Chet.
I and most of my school buddies still have that sense of none pedal steel as being something out of the cartoons and we just can't learn to like it in country music no matter how great some folks think it sounds. I have yet to find some one from my era that is crazy about Hawaiian music played on Steel Guitar. As I said before it was the times.
I think we all welcomed the change that Chet made.
I always thought that Chet was married to one of the Carters. |
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Bill Hankey
From:
Pittsfield, MA, USA
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 9:19 am
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Bo Legg,
In keeping with the author of this thread's wishes, I also have a few wishes of my own. Not to be held to criticism oftener than need be. I have no quarrel with your statements. Like the Bison of the old west, I'll mix and mingle and just wander with the many writers on the forum. I've never told anyone to "Shut Up" in my entire lifetime. It seems as though there is an inference to such behavior somewhere in this thread. Many people use that term. I never have resorted to one of the basest demands seeking full attention on what they have to say.
Last edited by Bill Hankey on 19 Nov 2010 12:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Bo Legg
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 9:44 am
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Bill you must have read the wrong post.
I just went back and read it and it appears to be very complimentary toward Chet. I said I collected all his records and I like him so well I didn't notice who played behind him. He did change things in country music and I said I liked what he did. I think he was in line with my generation. |
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Ron Whitfield
From:
Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 10:15 am
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| Bo Legg wrote: |
| I think we all welcomed the change that Chet made. |
While Chet no doubt brought many positives to the changing times, HIS new Nashville sound which quickly became THE Nashville sound and ignored the steel is certainly not something I celebrate. It was like when The Beatles hit, everything else that was good went out the window.
But Chet not only liked steel, he played steel, just not good enuf to let many know it.
Another point, he and Jerry Byrd were best friends for decades, and that would have been a difficult union with one despising the other's forte.
Jerry asked Chet why the steel was being lost with the times and Chet blew it off on others not wanting it any more. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:11 am Memories to fade but.......................
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I seem to recall reading a letter by Chet Atkins that in essance said, he was bothered by being so influential in creating the Nashville Sound. YES, it did bring in a lot of work for those 'chosen few'
studio musicians however, he seemed (years later) to have been bothered by the "LIKENESSS" in sound of all the records of that era.
One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist or brain surgeon to recognize that virtually every record released during that period of time, SOUNDED THE SAME. ANITA KERR and her singers doing the background voices while the same old studio guys did all of the playing. It was clearly forumla recording. |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:11 am
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Bill Hanky; I don’t think turning this thread into a political correctness scenario is going to help the discussion find an answer. I don’t think Bo was being disparaging or disrespectful towards Chet Atkins in so much as he was stating a fact. My friend Kyle Rhodes was stating a fact. “Chat Atkins asked that there be no steel guitar while he played”.
If someone comments that Chet Atkins did not care for the steel guitar sound when he played it does not mean that it is a negative comment about the man. If he had a personal preference of the instrumentation backing him or behind him then so be it. Discussing the truth vrs political correctness is like telling someone to sit down and shut up because we don’t need the truth discussed here. |
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Bobbe Seymour
From:
Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:29 am
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I did several sessions with Chet being hired by him through his RCA secratary, "Mary" in the eighties. I never got the impression that Chet didn't love steel guitar. As a matter of fact, we had our own littel jam sessions during the sessions, he was a wonderful guy in everyway.
I talked to him several times about his days with Bud Isaacs, and the radio show on WSM at 6:30 PM with Jerry Byrd. He really did appreciate Jerry, when Jerry wasn't in a bad mood!
To assume that Chet didn't like steel seems to be all wrong to me. He even used me on his friends records, like Anita Kerr.
(Boy I'm getting old!)
Bobbe Seymour
Last edited by Bobbe Seymour on 19 Nov 2010 11:32 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:32 am
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So, Bobbe, what's your take on why he moved away from steel guitars in his recordings and productions? Just that he was creating a "new sound" and that just wasn't gonna be part of it? Kinda like Willie Nelson, who pretty much stopped using steel? Or...?
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Bobbe Seymour
From:
Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:34 am
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| Nobody could play good enough for him? |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Bobbe Seymour
From:
Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:38 am
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I'm not sure you can say that he did move away from steel, he didn't move away from me,,,,,,,,  I did many masters and demo sessions with and because of Chester.
He also used Jimmy Crawford, Pete Drake, Weldon Myrick, Lloyd and of course the ever popular May Buesch.
Bobbe |
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Stuart Legg
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:43 am
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They didn't hire Chet to play guitar so who he did or did not wish to play with had little to do with it.
Last edited by Stuart Legg on 19 Nov 2010 11:53 am; edited 3 times in total |
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Joe Casey
From:
Weeki Wachee .Springs FL (population.9)
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:43 am
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I am hoping I have more then a few years left but when I do go I'll ask Chet to his face if he liked or hated Steel..Providing of course I wind up in the same place he's at..Then I'll find a way to post it on the Forum  Best that I can do..Take it or leave it.  |
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Bobbe Seymour
From:
Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:45 am
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Get irritated? Naw, this is where he got his ideas!
I taught him 20 percent of everything he knew! It didn't take but a second either.
Where would he be today if not for me?  |
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Joe Casey
From:
Weeki Wachee .Springs FL (population.9)
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:51 am
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Where would he be today..Probably telling Rusty to TONE it down..
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 11:54 am
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If I recall correctly Weldon Myrick was a member
of Chet's Million $$$ Band? They put out an album
which I used to have a long while ago.
Weldon was "patched in" here and there but what
he did was exceptional as usual.
Maybe I'm confused which wouldn't be unusual.
RT
_________________
Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel
Last edited by Roy Thomson on 19 Nov 2010 12:18 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 19 Nov 2010 12:11 pm
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| Joe Casey wrote: |
| I am hoping I have more then a few years left but when I do go I'll ask Chet to his face if he liked or hated Steel.. |
Joe, I don't think the point here is whether or not he "liked or hated" the steel guitar. From the posts above, he obviously did not hate the steel guitar; however, he may or may not have attempted to move himself away from the stigma that the steel guitar carried/carries while he played certain tunes or during particular performances.
All that Kyle Rhodes said to us was that Chet Atkins asked that the steel guitar not be played during his solos during this particular performance. I wondered if this was always the case with this man. |
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