Roy Nichols passes

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 3 Jul 2001 3:53 pm

The rough news seems to extend out to Bakers field etc. Last evening another country guitar great Roy Nichols secommed to a heart attack.

Special forum condulences to members Norm Hamlett, Redd Vockart and any other forum folk who worked with or knew Roy

Going thru my head is the intro to Working Man Blues

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

Larry Miller · Post by **Larry Miller** » 3 Jul 2001 5:15 pm

Good Grief!! They are all leaving us. What's going on. Two of my Guitar heroes gone in a week! I am sad! Larry

Pat Jenkins · Post by **Pat Jenkins** » 3 Jul 2001 8:11 pm

My son and I spent a few minutes just the other day talking about what a great player Roy was and how he influenced not just Merle's sound, but, that of several great artists. We were watching a video of Merle on Austin City Limits and marveling at all the things that Roy and Norm were twinning on. This has been a sad couple of days...Pat

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 4 Jul 2001 2:02 am

I am truly saddened. Roy was one of my guitar heroes! Just last week I was e-mailing back and forth with Norm Hamlet about Roy. He had a stroke a few years back that paralyzed his left side, leaving him unable to play.

BTW: Janice, I'm hearing the solo from "Honky Tonk Night Time Man". Classic Roy! "Workin' Man Blues" was James Burton. (I think Roy played it better, though!

)

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My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com

Janice Brooks · Post by **Janice Brooks** » 4 Jul 2001 4:05 am

Thanks to a couple folks who set me streight about Burton and Working Man Blues.

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

Terry Downs · Post by **Terry Downs** » 4 Jul 2001 10:58 am

I entered a post on this in the announcements section earlier with this link to the Bakersfield Califorian.

http://www.bakersfield.com/local/Story/513153p-508799c.html

Roy was my greatest guitar influence. I just opened my special box of memories and looked at the picks Roy gave me in 1985. My condolence goes out to the Nichols family.

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Terry Downs
http://nightshift.net
terry@nightshift.net
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Terry Downs on 04 July 2001 at 12:15 PM.]</p></FONT>

Deana Clark · Post by **Deana Clark** » 5 Jul 2001 4:06 am

Roy was also a major influence on guitar players where I'm from. All the young pickers learned a pile of licks playing along with Roy on those Hag recordings. (my husband being one of those)
What a legend!

Ron Page · Post by **Ron Page** » 5 Jul 2001 7:54 am

I'm thinking of the summer of 1975 when I was still a teenager. I'd just attended my first Hag concert outside of California. It was in Binghamton, NY. The show wasn't up to Hag's standards, but all was not lost because I walked up to the stage and got to meet Norm and Roy for the very first time.

I don't even know if I owned a steel yet. Anyway, both of these great Strangers graciously accommodated my brother and I by idly talking about – what else? – Merle Haggard music.

I’ve missed seeing and hearing Roy perform since his stroke and am saddened by his passing. I also offer condolences to Norm, Redd and all of Roy’s friends and family.

Play on, Roy.

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HagFan

John Egenes · Post by **John Egenes** » 6 Jul 2001 3:02 pm

I've always considered Roy Nichols to be the father of modern country guitar. A true guitar hero, and certainly a great loss.

Neil Hilton · Post by **Neil Hilton** » 9 Jul 2001 8:57 am

I've commented before about these 2 albums and the news of Roy's death compells me again - the 2 live albums that Merle & the Strangers recorded in '69 and '70 in Muskogee and Philadelphia respectively are the most quintesential capturing of the magic of Haggard and the band from that wonderful era.... the fantastic tele work of Roy Nichols is and always will be a huge part of the magic that flows from the crackling groves of those vinyls. - Neil H.

Peter Dollard · Post by **Peter Dollard** » 12 Jul 2001 2:26 pm

In the studio version of Working Man it was indeed James Burton but it also had an annoying "hammer" effect that chinked all the way thru the song driving me crazy. Without any doubt the best Working Man break I ever heard was on the live "Muskogee" album by Roy Nichols; he really out did James especially his throwaway flurry at the tail end of the solo. I still cannot find this version on CD and believe me I have looked. Liven up that heavenly band Roy.

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 12 Jul 2001 3:48 pm

Pete, they where re-issued a few years back under a different name on a two-for one set, which seems to have been deleted.

I hope Capitol reissues them with extra tracks and new tribute notes to Hag and the Strangers.