Who's playing steel with George Jones

[Charlie Hansen]

Who’s the steel player in this picture? The guitar player is bluesman Johnny Winter.

[Lee Baucum]

Here is a previous discussion:


viewtopic.php?t=263966&sid=0a3d7378992e ... a75355cca0

[Sam Inglis]

Rather than start a new thread... does anyone know who the steel player is on the George Jones album My Favorites of Hank Williams? Jimmy Day perhaps?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0359TJQeVk

The playing is lovely.

[Pete Finney]

I'm quite sure that Jimmy Day is playing on the "My Favorites of Hank Williams" album, and also the one of Jones singing Bob Wills from the same era. Great stuff!

[Sam Inglis]

Thanks Pete. It's amazing how much expression he can get out of just a few notes.

[Chance Wilson]

In the linked post, someone mentioned the pic was from the early 50s. It's not. Jones did live in TX from 47-51 but the pic is from the 60s. If it was the early 50s, he wouldn't be wearing that Buckaroos style suit & they didn't have ES style basses back then.
Jones lived in California for 1952 & 53 and wouldn't have strayed back to TX during the war.
Before he was George P. Willicker Picklepuss Possum Jones or Thumper, he lived at Moffett Field (San Jose). He sat in at Tracy Gardens and Billy Tonnessen told me that folks around there just called him "The Singing Marine". Cottonseed Clark had left LA and moved up there too. Jones sang for him regularly at the dances Clark hosted all around the Bay for a much needed $25 (laugh first, adjust for inflation then cry). Since Clark was so connected with everyone in country, I imagine Jones got around California a lot back then. KVSM was a whopping 250 watts at the time and Jones had radio experience so it's likely he could have had some involvement there but I have no evidence. I bet Bobby Black could clarify.

[Mitch Drumm]

I bet Bobby Black could clarify.

Bobby Black regarding his time with Blackie Crawford's Western Cherokees in Texas, circa 1953, from an interview with Andrew Brown:

"George Jones was living in Beaumont then. I had met him before that, though, at the place I mentioned in San Jose" (Tracy Gardens, where Bobby also saw Joaquin Murphey with Tex Williams). "That was when he was still in the Marines. He was stationed out here at Moffett Air Field. He’d be in uniform -- he’d come out and sing with us. Nobody knew who he was; he was just “George Jones, the Singing Marine.” He’d do Lefty Frizzell songs. So when I went with Blackie, I saw him and said, “Hey! You’re that guy...” There was always that kind of thing going on back in those days."

Did George Jones appear with the band at this point?

"No. He came up to the radio station that one time, just to watch us play, I guess." (Likely KVSM in San Mateo).

[Jerry Kippola]

could that be Harold Morrison?, there's something written on the front of that steel---

[Steve Hinson]

could that be Harold Morrison?, there's something written on the front of that steel---

Jerry,do you own this steel?Harold was my neighbor...he once brought one like it over
and I cleaned it up and changed the strings for him...I'm not sure that's the one...

Thanks
Steve

PS-that's not Harold in the picture of George and Johnny...it always looked like
Herb Remington to me...

[Chance Wilson]

The steel in the OP pic is a 22.5", not a looong scale.

[Jerry Kippola]

could that be Harold Morrison?, there's something written on the front of that steel---

Jerry,do you own this steel?Harold was my neighbor...he once brought one like it over
and I cleaned it up and changed the strings for him...I'm not sure that's the one...

Thanks
Steve

PS-that's not Harold in the picture of George and Johnny...it always looked like
Herb Remington to me...

Hi Steve, yes I own it, it's a '53

[Steve Hinson]

could that be Harold Morrison?, there's something written on the front of that steel---

Jerry,do you own this steel?Harold was my neighbor...he once brought one like it over
and I cleaned it up and changed the strings for him...I'm not sure that's the one...

Thanks
Steve

PS-that's not Harold in the picture of George and Johnny...it always looked like
Herb Remington to me...

Hi Steve, yes I own it, it's a '53

Jerry-does it have 3 pedals on it?

The one I worked on had had 3 pedals added to it by Doc Martin of Springfield,MO.

Thanks
Steve

[Jerry Kippola]

Hi Steve, it was modded for a few pedals, i have the rod pedal bar, but don't have the pedals, my buddy says he might have them--there is some pedal linkage in the underside of the guitar--i'll try to post a pic----did it have his name on it when you saw it?

[Donny Hinson]

Hard to say with the poor picture quality, but I'd say the steeler in the picture may be Noel Boggs, or possibly Frankie Juricek.

[Mike Vallandigham]

It certainly looks like Noel Boggs. It also looks like it could easily say that name on the front of the guitar. You can find photos of him with a blonde Fender with his name on the front.

Good call Donny.

[Steve Hinson]

Hi Steve, it was modded for a few pedals, i have the rod pedal bar, but don't have the pedals, my buddy says he might have them--there is some pedal linkage in the underside of the guitar--i'll try to post a pic----did it have his name on it when you saw it?

Jerry,come to think of it, the guitar I worked on was a double-neck,not a triple...

It had the pedal linkage underneath, and was very primitive, but Harold told me that
he played it on"I Take the Chance"by The Browns...

I tried to get him to sell me the guitar(one of the first steels I ever remember hearing on a record...he wouldn't turn loose of it, but I did get the tweed Fender"Bandmaster"amp that he used on that record!

Thanks
Steve

[Jerry Kippola]

The Bandmaster would have been a good score, it sure looks like a triple neck in the GJ pic, and there's history of Harold playing w/ him. But you're sure it's not him? That's not to say the guitar could have been used by someone, or someone sittin' in. Does anyone have a pic of Harold playing the Triple /w/his name on it? Or even an impromptu pic of Harold? This guitar has linkage added under it for two pedals, working the middle neck.

[Steve Hinson]

The Bandmaster would have been a good score, it sure looks like a triple neck in the GJ pic, and there's history of Harold playing w/ him. But you're sure it's not him? That's not to say the guitar could have been used by someone, or someone sittin' in. Does anyone have a pic of Harold playing the Triple /w/his name on it? Or even an impromptu pic of Harold? This guitar has linkage added under it for two pedals, working the middle neck.

Jerry,the HM guitar I worked on had 3 pedals on it...

Thanks,
Steve

[Jerry Kippola]

Did it have his name painted on it?

[Steve Hinson]

Did it have his name painted on it?

I think it did...it’s been 35 years,but yes.

[Andrew Brown]

As stated in the other thread, the photo was taken in Vidor, Texas in 1962 at a benefit.

It is Johnny Winter on bass. It was probably a multi-artist show and he agreed to sit in. I don't think Winter ever gigged with Jones.

The steel guitarist is unknown, but there were a lot of guys in East Texas in those days who played steel.

[Jerry Kippola]

I enhanced the picture, there's a name on the front of the steel---can you discern it?