Alvino Rey (1959)

Dennis Saydak · From: Manitoba, Canada

Warning, not for the faint of heart! Wink

Some wild right hand techniques from the Lawrence Welk days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHlmsMhcdrM&feature=related
_________________
Dennis
Just when you think you're getting ahead in the rat race, the rats get faster.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

He's cheating. Unfair advantage.

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Thanks Dennis. Alvino Rey was an terrific innovator. Steel guitar was used in big band and orchestra all the time back then.... What happened Question

I cheated over to the audio clip of "My Buddy" with him and his wife Louise King on the Sonovox. Pretty cool. I bet these things would be a big hit today. Idea

Thanks for the link.

Bent Romnes · From: London,Ontario, Canada

That man was from another dimension. It is just impossible for a normal steel player to do that stuff.
At 1:15 he even makes the thing sing La la la, clear as day!
_________________
BenRom Pedal Steel Guitars
https://www.facebook.com/groups/212050572323614/

Eddie Cunningham · From: Massachusetts, USA

I believe that Alvino considered himself a Banjo and guitar player and the steel was just a sideline !! He was an absolute musical genius and very talented in what ever he played !! What would he have accomplished if he put all his energy into just the steel guitar ??? His "Talking Steel" always fascinated me from the late 30s , early 40s when I first became aware of a steel guitar !!! Eddie "C"

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

John W Taylor · From: Louisiana, USA

I inherited a lap steel guitar from my mother. She told me that her father bought her the guitar in the mid to late 30's from Alvino Ray. Her recolection was that Alvino built the guitar. My guitar has no markings or serial numbers. Any one seen an Alvino Ray built guitar? Any ideas on how to verify her recoletions? The guitar is made from three very large pieces of, what appears to be, mahogany. The three pieces are laminated in the longitudinal axis with the grains of the wood running opposite of each piece.

Thanks,

JT

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Pictures Jake?

John W Taylor · From: Louisiana, USA

I don't have any pics at the moment. I am away from the guitar. I put some up as soon as I can. The head stock is shaped like the top of a picket fence and it has what appears to be very high quality tuning machines. It stays in tune forever. It also has a very heavy chrome or nickle plated hand rest at the bridge. Thanks for your interest.

JT

Bill Stafford · From: Gulfport,Ms. USA

When I was with Sierra, Alvino visited us for about two weeks every day while we were building him his new eleven string steel guitar. (He heard my 14 string unit and really liked all the chords in that lower range but he said he was too old to change very much. He opted for us to just add my 14th string to his new order. That gave him another E note-080ga at that time.
We would sit in his motor home every morning and have coffee with him and his wife Louise King Rey. Alvino told us one morning that he used to study classical guitar for two years in Europe wih Segovia- and if he had ever mentioned to Segovia that he liked electric steel guitar music, Segovia would have physically kicked him out of Europe forever. Interesting story and it illustrates why and how Alvino was such a great musician. Meeting and being befriended by Alvino Rey is one of my proudest moments.
Bill Stafford

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

I got to see Alvino twice somewhere in the late 40's,first time was with his big band at the Aragon Ballroom in Ocean Park, Ca. (Just down from Santa Monica) He did his Steel Guitar specialty songs during the evening but mostly played Lead Guitar with the big band (he had it on a tall stand that he could walk up to and play. I showed up at the box office without a tie and they promptly lent me one to wear with my sports coat. (differen't times back then).

The second time was when he was playing at a Club in West Los Angeles with a small group. He played a lot of Steel and Lead Guitar on a lot of songs with a more Jazz type venue. His Steel was a little worn from the years but sounded great.

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

I got to see Alvino twice somewhere in the late 40's,first time was with his big band at the Aragon Ballroom in Ocean Park, Ca. (Just down from Santa Monica) He did his Steel Guitar specialty songs during the evening but mostly played Lead Guitar with the big band (he had it on a tall stand that he could wald up to and play. I showed up at the box office without a tie and they promptly lent me one to wear with my sports coat. (differen't times back then).

The second time was when he was playing at a Club in West Los Angeles with a small group. He played a lot of Steel and Lead Guitar on a lot of songs with a more Jazz type venue. His Steel was a little worn from the years but sounded great.

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

Wow !! Buddy Emmons, Ben Keith and Alvino Rey first thing in the morning. I think I may have OD'd on this music...

Regards, Paul Very Happy

Dr. Hugh Jeffreys · From: Southaven, MS, USA

I've always had great respect for trailblazers: Alvino was definitely one. He used to tell me that he practiced more on guitar than on steel. He sent me some tapes that he had rejected for publication because of poor engineering and other areas. I don't see how professional sound engineers can release such lousy work, poor balance, over-riding bass, etc. They are realy bad. Alvino did a lot of work (ie, Gibson Co) that Les Paul got credit for. The Sonovox bit was a commercial gimmik; a band has to do some things to make money! He said he choose not to develop a single string technique, although he was VERY FAST on elec. guitar and Classical as well. One thing that drew him to my playing was my rapid single-stg. style. He asked: How? I told him I played with all 5. Another thing that both of us had in common is the ability to arrange/compose/orchestrate. That has probably been the single most important factor in the development of my playing. I used to talk to him c. once a month. It was really something to ask a question about the profession and listen to his labyrinth of experiences.

Walter Stettner · From: Vienna, Austria

Thanks for posting that link! That is really something else to see and hear. What a musician, truly an innovator!

Kind Regards, Walter
_________________
www.lloydgreentribute.com

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Great clip. My dad still talks about seeing Alvino Rey when he was training on the West Coast during WWII. To prove to him you were a serious guitar player, he always said, "OK, hotshot - play something by Alvino Rey." Of course, Alvino was a fine 6-string guitar player also.

Deke Dickerson · From: California, USA

If you're in Southern California, or visiting there, you owe it to yourself to go to the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad. They have a terrific exhibit there right now called "ON!" about the early days of electric instruments. The reason I mention it here is because they have lots of Alvino Rey's personal instruments on display there, including the famous "Frying Pan buried in an acoustic guitar body" Alvino used to have to play when people wouldn't accept the Frying Pan on its own. There's also a really spiffy Sho-Bud pedal steel with Alvino's name on the front....and tons of other stuff that list members would really like.

Deke

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

Interesting info there Deke, particularly the frying pan disguise Smile

...kinda like Les Paul's "log" huh? Back then, established tradition was difficult to overcome, I guess.

I noted the Charlie Christian on the banjer too Exclamation

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Roger Shackelton · From: MINNESOTA (deceased)

HINDUSTAN

Main Entry: Hin·du·stan
Pronunciation: \ˌhin-(ˌ)dü-ˈstan, -də-, -ˈstän\
Function: Geographical Name

1.A region of Northern INDIA North of the Deccan
including the plain drained by the Indus, the
Ganges, & the Brahmaputra

2.The subcontinent of India

3.The Republic of India

Forum Index > Steel Players		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic