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Topic: Requesting info: electric lap steel on Blues / R&B Records |
robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 15 Jun 2019 7:39 am |
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Robert:
Not exactly sure of your categorization, but here are a few possibilities:
Wynonie Harris; Time to change your town; I gotta lyin' woman; both probably Gene Phillips, steel.
Gene Phillips made quite a few records under his own name, some with what sounds like steel to me; such as "Steelin' The Blues" and "Gene's Guitar Blues".
Louis Jordan; Barnyard boogie; I think this is Carl Hogan on steel. Carl was LJ's standard guitar player as well.
Buddy Johnson; Boogie Woogie's Mother In Law; unknown steel
How about The Del Vikings "No Huhu" on Mercury from 1957. Or are groups off limits? It's a great take on the Jules Ah See tune and I only wish I knew who was on steel.
Chuck Berry also did "Cryin' Steel", but it sounds very similar to Blues For Hawaiians. Maybe an alternate take under a new title?
I assume Billy Eckstine is out of scope; if not, then Jelly Jelly with likely Hurley Ramey on steel; with the Earl Hines band.
I assume Fats Waller is out of scope; he had a couple of tunes with Ceele Burke on steel.
I'm sure Sarah Vaughan is off limits, but you gotta find out for me who is on steel for her on Hot and Cold Running Tears; done in NYC on 4/2/56. Please tell me Speedy was never, ever in NYC!
That's all I've got now that don't veer into rockabilly or pop. |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 15 Jun 2019 7:56 am
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Mitch - Precisely what I was looking for. Thanks very much!
"B", Sarah & Fats are NOT off limits (I should have added "Swing" and "Jazz" to my request list. Could you please list these artists also. Thanks very much for you time. Your knowledge is very impressive. Also if I can ID "unknown" steel players - I will forward info.
(sidenote: Billy Eckstine is my favorite singer) |
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 15 Jun 2019 8:42 am
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OK; adding "swing" and "jazz":
Eartha Kitt; Lovin' Spree, with Noel Boggs; too poppish?
The Waller tunes are My window faces the south and Why do Hawaiians sing aloha.
Armstrong did at least 3 tunes with steel; I'm sure you are wise to them.
These "Pop and Jazz" folks with steel excluded:
Georgie Auld
Dinah Shore
Sinatra
Doris Day
Jo Stafford
Helen O'Connell
Johnny Mercer with The Pied Pipers
Merrill Moore
Judy Canova
Bing Crosby
Frances Langford
Manhattan Transfer
Rebecca Kilgore
Patti Page
The King Sisters
Vaughn Monroe
And excluding anything "rock and roll", "rockabilly" or "Hawaiian" according to my hard drive file structure by genre.
There is J.D. Edwards "Hobo", with likely Hop Wilson, but I guess that's out of scope based on your first post.
That's all I've got that's remotely fitting as of now. It's not often that I find new stuff with steel in your stated areas. |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 15 Jun 2019 9:26 am
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| Great! Thanks again. I will track these down. I may have more inquires as soon as I absorb these. I'm sure this info is of great interest to other Forum members Thanks again, Mitch! You saved me a boatload of time and I would have never found all these on my own. |
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 15 Jun 2019 9:31 am
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Supposed to be Floyd Smith on that Donna Hightower tune, per the liner notes on an LP compilation of her early recordings.
You can Google/Youtube for L.C. Robinson, a post war west coast steeler who I got to see in Oakland around 1971, but he may be too bluesy for your criteria. There was an LP and I think even a CD, on Arhoolie.
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 15 Jun 2019 10:58 am
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| Thanks again - Got my work cut out for me! When I organize them in chronological order I will send. I have Louis - Crosby - Sinatra. |
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 15 Jun 2019 11:50 am
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A few more I just thought of:
Andy Kirk - Floyd's Guitar Blues; this is a pop/swing/jazzish instro with Floyd Smith on steel; pre-war. Pretty well known; you are probably aware of it.
Slim Gaillard
He did a live, with audience, extended length (6 minutes or more) piece that had a steel lick in it. Originally probably pre-1955, but it was reissued on LP in the 1980s. I haven't heard it since the 1990s and I'll be damned if I can find it on mp3.
Like a lot of his tunes, he is half talking and half singing, running off at the mouth as only he could. As I recall, he starts raving in bogus Spanish and all of a sudden you hear the opening bars of "San Antonio Rose" on a steel, to which Slim responds "Ah-ha, Glendale".
I don't know the title. I thought it was "Avocado Seed Soup Symphony", or one of his "Operas In Vout" or maybe a "Groove Juice Symphony", but my mp3s by those titles don't have that San Antonio Rose bit, so it must be another version that I just can't find. If you locate it, advise.
Is recent so-called “Gypsy Jazz†swing combo stuff off-limits?
If not, 2 by Alma Sinti, with Andre Venturini on steel. Both instrumentals. European origin.
Nivram
Slide Stomper
I really like the latter song. Can’t find anything else by Andre. Here’s a pic:
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 15 Jun 2019 12:55 pm
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| Mitch - thanks again. I should have access to all these and will put in chronological order with the audio. It will take some time but when finished I will get this back to you on a thumb drive. If you think of anything else - please post. |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 18 Jun 2019 8:49 am
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| Mitch Drumm - This is Bob Kramer again. I have sent you a Private Message through the Forum. Thanks again. |
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Joe Goldmark
From:
San Francisco, CA 94131
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Posted 18 Jun 2019 10:11 am
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Also "Krazy Kris" recorded "Floyd's Guitar Blues" on King. This could have been a pseudonym for Floyd Smith...?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGUlvcAdiZE
There are also more bluesy steel instros by "country" steelers from back in the day. Jimmy Day - "Blue Wind" (that doesn't seem to be on YouTube) Jerry Byrd - "Steelin' the Blues" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTmcwHmO_sI These are probably outside of your scope.
Joe |
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 18 Jun 2019 10:55 am
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| robert kramer wrote: |
| Mitch Drumm - This is Bob Kramer again. I have sent you a Private Message through the Forum. Thanks again. |
Your message has been answered.
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Chris Walke
From:
St Charles, IL
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 21 Jun 2019 11:26 am
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I want to thank everybody for replying and thank you all for such useful information. I had little idea this world existed and, since my first love is Blues & R&B, this hits home: Sarah Vaughn, Billy Eckstine, Louis Jordan, Chuck Wills and many other including King Oliver, Crosby, Louis, Sinatra, Fats on and on. You wouldn't want steel on everything - not to replace horns, piano and hot jump guitar, but it works on these few sides. Generally, the Jump sides were played by the group's of in house session blues / jazz guitarist. I wonder of those cats had taken or had had access to the Hawaiian steel guitar correspondence courses.
Thanks again! If anyone thinks of any more - please reply.
Gene Phillips:"Steelin' The Blues"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l4ksqA6EhE |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 9 Jul 2019 7:41 am
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Floyd Smith.."Floyd's Guitar Blues"... First version with Andy Kirk's Twelve Clouds Of Joy on Decca, second version on Hy-Tone from Chicago with alto-piano-bass-drums backing, third version as Krazy Kris (Columbo) And the Swinging Gentlemen on King with organ-drums-three piece horn section. He recorded a version on his solo French Black And Blue LP but it's played on standard guitar.
Chuck Berry pedal steel on "(I Won't Let You) Run Around" and "Mad Lad"
Oscar "Bo Dudley" Coleman "Shotgun Rider" (Freddie Roulette)
J L Smith..."I Got My Top Let Down" (Freddie Roulette)
Herb Kent The Kool Gent..."10 2 Double Plus" (Freddie Roulette)
Eddie Chamblee..."Blue Steel" on Miracle (Lefty Bates on steel)
MLA
Also that JD Edwards thing, I don't hear steel at all, just very distorted standard electric or amplified acoustic guitar, and it sounds nothing like Hop Wilson at all. |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 10 Jul 2019 9:03 am
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Michael Lee, Thanks for you reply. Do you have the session info on Eddie Chamblee..."Blue Steel" on Miracle (Lefty Bates on steel)?
i.e. session date location and if you have the compilation on both Miracle M133 and M155. Thanks for whatever info you have. |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 10 Jul 2019 3:10 pm Eddie Chamblee & Lefty Bates
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The other Miracle is "Lazy Mood", there is no steel guitar on it. The standard guitar is unknown, at least to me. There's a local tenor player who plays it as an opening theme and tribute to Eddie which is how I know the tune.
"Blue Steel" was cut in 1950, probably at United Broadcasting just north of downtown Chicago on East Erie Street.
Eddie Chamblee...leader/tenor sax
Charles Stewart...baritone sax
Prentice McCary...piano
Lefty Bates...steel guitar
Ernest Shepard...bass
Osie Johnson...drums
Personnel listing from the "Colored Musician's Union" files as I was part of a reissue project including this track. it never happened but the research was done and masters made. I still have several copies of this 78RPM in storage including one autographed by both Eddie Chamblee and Lefty Bates. Also an autographed promo photo of The Horace Palm Trio, pianist Palm with Lefty pictured with his archtop strapped on standing in front of an Epiphone lap steel on a folding metal stand. I can't remember the bass player's name.
MLA |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 11 Jul 2019 9:09 am
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Thanks Michael Lee. Very informative. I didn't know there was a "Colored Musician's Union" in Chicago. I know the union was strong in those days and I think I've read all the Chess guys had join - a good thing. Eddie Chamblee is great and hats off to you for being a part of his reissue project.
Listen he uses a major scale:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmU37QirxL0 |
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Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
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Posted 12 Jul 2019 7:41 am
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Back in the day there were many segregated unions. Chicago was the last big-city holdout. It had a "White Local" and a "Colored Local" and they didn't merge into a single combined Local until 1964. Change was slow here.
Robert, you may have misunderstood. I was part of a still unreleased compilation with the working title of "Blue Steel". No relation to the Chamblee reissue CD. It does have his track on it. The whole project was a document of black urban blues and jazz using steel guitar. We started so long ago the original intent was a vinyl release. I remember GRT owned the Chess masters at the time and they refused permission to use Chuck Berry's "Run Around' and "Mad Lad". I guess there wasn't enough money in it for them to bother. Later the project expanded to CD size and it's mastered with a print-ready master booklet ready to go. It's dormant for now, one guy involved dropped out with health issues and another has been living out of the country for five years now. With the decline in CD sales it probably isn't a viable project anymore. Not for the "artistic merit", but I doubt it would sell even a 500 unit pressing and would be a financial loss.
MLA |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 13 Jul 2019 9:49 pm
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My band in the 80s did this one - the crowd loved it. I played a 6 string Silvertone lap and sang it.
https://youtu.be/MSyES8i_zxk |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 13 Jul 2019 9:59 pm
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This is another one I've been playing for decades - although, I adapted it to my stratocaster, and combined it with a T-Bone Walker tune called Prisoner Of Love - a slow blues with the Stormy Monday changes.
https://youtu.be/IS5m4M33LtM
Here's the 6 string adaptation. Bob Margolin show me the little chord part. He's been playing with Muddy Water's band for a while, and they used to do it. This is very close to the way I played it.
https://youtu.be/XM7wttgcm2c |
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