Career history of steel gal Beryl Harrell

[Eric Stumpf]

http://www.hillbilly-music.com/artists/ ... p?id=14768

[Don Barnhardt]

Interesting article. Many excellent musicians spend thier lives playing clubs and local engagements and never receive the recognition they deserve.

[Tom Cooper]

Thank you for posting this. Fascinating article. Very sad also, to think someone so talented and beautiful ended up not playing anymore much and eventually taking her own life. And a student of Sol Hoopii to boot. I would like to learn more of her, maybe get some recordings and such. I just had a daughter and want her to see women steel players. Thanks again, TC

[Mike Neer]

Thanks for the link to Beryl's story.

Steel players have had such a rough and rocky road to travel through the years. It hasn't been easy, but for me, the best decision I ever made was to seriously take up the steel guitar. There's a wonderful connection between the history of the instrument and the future of the instrument, because we cannot be content to treat the steel guitar as an instrument whose best days are behind.

That said, the lean years are a sobering reality.

[Ray Montee]

I couldn't help but notice the young lady was playing thro' a VOLU-TONE amp, just like Jerry Byrd's early amp......

and in another adjacent photo, the guitar player on her left appears to be playing one of those BAKELITE Spanish guitars........as does she, except she's playing it as a steel guitar. Kinda interesting!

[Tom Cooper]

I agree Mike. I am a relative novice on the steel. Started with dobro in 05, pedal steel in 06, and eventually settled on straight non pedal steel. Through it all I have sort of retraced the steps of the steel guitar. I understand how the E9 and C6 evolved after moving to non pedal. As for the future of the instrument, I can say only from my local central florida experience as a serious amateur musician, the local kids wont leave me alone. They are always hitting me up to play. We have a couple of serious 20 yr olds now who I pawn gigs off on finally, but the point is people love the steel guitar. Even with my limited ability, I get all kinds of nice comments. I worry sometimes that the steel guitar will get watered down, but at least it is out there. Youtube will forever insure that hot classic steel guitar will always be there for young people to see how it was originally played. Not just alt country swells and Ben Harper. Not that there's anything wrong with that, just seem to hear too much of that kind of playing sometimes. I have great hope for the steel. I am having a blast with mine, and see no let up in the future. I have to turn down gigs. Not all are prof., some are, but mostly local yokel stuff. Grociery money gigs. My purpose is to play for the love of it. Lots of love going around here these days. I wish things had turned out better for Beryl. TC

[Jerry Hayes]

Eric, thanks for posting that great story of Beryl. That's only the second time I'd heard of her. I did a stint on steel guitar with Carl Cody in the Los Angeles area in the early eighties at a club called "Dave's" in north Long Beach. Carl and I talked a lot about music and he mentioned her and told me what a great player she was and how they'd do some twin stuff so we started doing a couple of tunes together. Carl also spent some time playing in Las Vegas himself. He was a funny dude in his approach to music. We'd start a song, play the whole thing through, do a lengthy instrumental ride, and then play the whole song through again. I'd kick off all the songs and play all the fills as he loved the steel guitar and no doubt Beryl Harrell had something to do with that........JH in Va.

[Ron Whitfield]

I couldn't help but notice the young lady was playing thro' a VOLU-TONE amp, just like Jerry Byrd's early amp.

It look's just like mine, with the wooden logo/faceplate. So cool to see someone of that era using a VT. I wonder if they were the best available at the time? They still have the 'magic' today.

The article say's she was the company's recipient of a custom Rickenbacker dbl. neck in 1950. Could this have been the first Rick dbl. neck? Does it still exist?

I've seen Beryl's promo picture/s many times over the decades and now we have the story to go with the face!
How sad and curious that her personal life turned tragic after such a success filled career. She deserved better.

[Peter Lindelauf]

Thanks for posting that. Good read. Especially this part...

They had arrived in Las Vegas in 1954, in a car they had purchased in Alaska, but consider back then that air conditioning was not the standard feature found in a car as it is today. Don broke into tears and his mom asked him, "Honey, what's wrong?" He blurted out, "Are we in hell?"

That's a country song almost writing itself.

[Don Triolo]

Hello Gentlemen.
Just wanted to say "Thank You" for those of you who responded to Beryls Bio on hillbillycom and appreciated fotos and CD's of her music..A recording in 1950 with Dusty Ellison has surfaced and I have had it restored and it is a "kicker"!! It was on Billboard 3/11/50..Great solos and instrumentals of all the musicians..Beryl,Dusty, Hal Duffy{fiddle} & Jimmy Pruett {piano}..
Thanks for all your kind words..She was a Special Lady and a top notch musician!
Happy Holidays to all
Don Triolo

[J. Wilson]

It must have been so hard to have been a female career-musician at that time; Particularly in an industry that has been traditionally sexist.

[Ron Whitfield]

Oh, sweet serendipity...

Started off the net morning with a visit to this page and thread while listening to a 'new' Beryl Harrell CD, her 1950 45rpm - I Can't Find The Keyhole b/w Goofus which Don graciously sent me a copy of. This little gem needed to surface, 60 years later it has.
Goofus is the musical showcase of the two with the band romping thruout and stellar steel displayed on each, while Keyhole is more comedy, but notable also for (the sorely forgotten talent monster) Jimmy Pruett's ragtime piano backing.

I think Mitch may be posting these sides eventually.