Speedy West and Hank Garland

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 10 Aug 2015 6:09 pm

Here are a couple of great tracks I found on the Guitar Player Youtube channel. I assume 'Fooling Around' is Speedy. Great twin guitar!

'Four Steps West'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLQtVwL2mPE

'Fooling Around'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfkAObEGBSQ

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 10 Aug 2015 6:52 pm

On the subject of great swing steel, I just chanced upon this recent gem from John Ely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHlykkN ... ubs_digest

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 10 Aug 2015 10:03 pm

I haven't been able to find these tracks listed on any Hank Garland or Speedy West discography. Can anyone confirm the identity of the players?

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 11 Aug 2015 3:48 am

Guy Cundell wrote:On the subject of great swing steel, I just chanced upon this recent gem from John Ely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHlykkN ... ubs_digest

Guy, that is Jerry Gleason on his homemade steel.

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 11 Aug 2015 3:59 am

Well it's great stuff from Jerry, then!

Any thoughts about the Garland/Speedy West tracks? I checked any listings under Jimmy Bryant's name but nothing there I could see..

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 11 Aug 2015 5:03 am

These are great finds. Really not sure if it's Speedy, but it's definitely someone who has nailed his style (and there have been many who could). Hank = Nashville, Speedy = California. I would like Lee Jeffriess' opinion.

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 11 Aug 2015 5:37 am

I'd thought about the geographical aspect but it was possible. That Hank's jazz styling is so advanced and confident may be an indication that the recording was made close to the 1961 tragedy. Also the little quote from 'Move' is telling. Speedy finished with Jimmy Briant in 1958, I think. Might this have been the beginning of a new guitar/steel partnership that was nipped in the bud by disaster? Or may be someone else entirely?

The tracks certainly display a wonderful chemistry.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 11 Aug 2015 6:02 am

Looks like Alumatone pickups on Mr. Ely's guitar? Sounds very nice with cutting timbre.

Todd Clinesmith · Post by **Todd Clinesmith** » 11 Aug 2015 8:05 am

Great links Guy.
Ditto what Mike says,I'm not sure if it's Speedy . Lee J. would probably know.
It almost sounds like an early Curly Chalker, but I doubt that it is him either.

I love the playing on there.

Also, as Mike said the modern video is of Jerry Gleason, not John Ely.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 11 Aug 2015 8:21 am

Doesn't sound quite like Speedy too me. Clearly influenced by him but something in the touch and vibrato seems different. Garland was an East coaster and West was based mostly in Southern California. I've never heard of them coming together which would, I think, have been a legendary pairing. Early Curly Chalker sounded like he was influenced by Joaquin the most, at least to my ears. Terrific steel playing in Guy's links but I don't know whom to nominate.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 11 Aug 2015 8:26 am

A guy like Ernie Hagar could really play like Speedy.

Todd Clinesmith · Post by **Todd Clinesmith** » 11 Aug 2015 8:46 am

Chalker could do that style , but I do not think it was him.
I bet Billy Robinson would know who it is/was.

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 11 Aug 2015 12:20 pm

Well, we have an idea of the date in that it can' t be later than 1961. I have sent a message enquiring as to the origins of the tracks to the Guitar Player YouTube channel. We'll see how that goes. Also I have tried, unsuccessfully as yet, to contact Rich Kienzle who has a lot of knowledge in this area and wrote an indepth article for Guitar Player in 1981 on Garland. If he is interested he may be able to find out more about the source of the GP uploads. I'll keep trying to get on to him.

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 11 Aug 2015 6:44 pm

A little more grist to this mill: Speedy moved to Tulsa in September 1960 to work for Leo Fender after work in LA dried up. This would put him within striking range of Nashville within the timeframe required for a collaboration with Hank Garland.

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/speedywest1.html

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 12 Aug 2015 2:42 am

Well, to me the guy sounds like Speedy and the song is Four Steps "West" so...and people did travel even back then

Hank himself recorded a whole album of material in NY which back then remained unissued:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxCvWDSnlGg

News to me was the track on the sidebar links of Hank imitating Les Paul stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlYgm67ZNOc

Few other rare tracks in there too, like the live Carousel Club ones!

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 12 Aug 2015 4:04 am

On the Hank Garland Facebook page, the Hank Garland family (who operates the page) said it was Don Davis on steel guitar.

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 12 Aug 2015 4:05 am

That makes sense, they worked and designed the Daland steels together!

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 12 Aug 2015 6:27 am

Thanks for that, Steve. Maybe the family can give us a date of the recording. I read that sadly Don passed only a short time ago, in March. He did publish a book entitled 'Nashville Steeler'.

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 12 Aug 2015 7:07 am

Watch Don Davis bounce the bar with his DALAND steel guitar on this Cowboy Copas cut!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_esNDABJ53s

Quote:

But country music was not his only interest. He developed an interest in jazz music and would jam occasionally with such legendary jazz greats as Lionel Hampton, Nat King Cole and Oscar Moore.

In 1955, Don got together with Shot Jackson and Hank Garland to design and build ten custom pedal steel guitars, one of the first pedal steels ever made. Shot Jackson, would later team up with Buddy Emmons to begin the company that manufactured the famed Sho-Bud Pedal Steel Guitars. Don would later become a spokesperson for the Fender company for their line of pedal steel guitars.

From here: http://www.hillbilly-music.com/artists/ ... p?id=11160

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 12 Aug 2015 2:19 pm

He really did sound like Speedy to me, except for a few things: he played a few chords that I don't think were in Speedy's vocabulary--at least I never heard him play them, and I've listened to a lot of Speedy. The other thing was that the tone was just not that Speedy tone--there was a lot of bar noise on the vibrato, which is not something I've ever noticed in Speedy's playing.

I have to say, excellent playing, though. Glad I've been introduced to Mr. Davis, although I'm sure I've heard him before.

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 15 Aug 2015 8:46 pm

The Hank Garland family report that the recordings were made around 1952. I have found another recording of the two together on a 1949 recording of Sugarfoot Boogie. No twing guitars but Don certainly does a convincing Joaquin. There are two lead guitarists listed for the session. Garland and Billy Byrd. It sounds to me as if the head is played by Billy while Hank takes both the guitar solos. The discography only lists Billy as soloing on one of the other tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzqVKe-_AT4

Matthew Dawson · Post by **Matthew Dawson** » 15 Aug 2015 10:31 pm

What a cool thread. Great tunes and nice detective work guys!

Mitch Drumm · Post by **Mitch Drumm** » 16 Aug 2015 5:35 am

Sugarfoot Boogie is an odd bird.

It was recorded as by Eddie Crosby on Decca 46168 and was reviewed in Billboard in June of 1949 under that title---"Country guitar boogie fireworks in front of a compelling beat should get big rural juke and jock action."

But the copies I've seen have a different title for the song, as below.

Guy Cundell · Post by **Guy Cundell** » 16 Aug 2015 10:48 pm

Interesting, Mitch. Here's the discography entry for the session. I'm not sure whether the other two tracks were released.

On listening closer I find it hard to tell which guitarist is doing what. There is a distinct difference in tone between the two opening choruses of 'head' and the following guitar solo. In contrast the second guitar solo seems similar in tone to the head out. That octave displacement at the beginning of the second solo is pretty wild. I guess that's Hank but I wouldn't want to sell Mr Byrd short. I'd love to hear the other tracks.

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 20 Aug 2015 4:41 pm

Those are the exact recordings that Don Davis sent me several years ago, along with details about his recording them with Hank Garland and the history of the ten DALAND guitars that Don, Hank and Shot Jackson made.

I have the first DALAND made and the one on the recording. The pickups were hum buckers made by Ray Butts for Don Davis and were essentially eight string Filtertrons -- in 1954!

The guitar is the first pedal steel made by Shot Jackson from scratch -- not a converted non-pedal.

Ignore the caption with the Slim Whitman photo.