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Topic: Who played steel on "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus&am |
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 12 Dec 2010 9:38 am |
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I heard this Jimmy Boyd record today and never noticed the steel guitar before. Anyone know who played it? Recorded in 1952. Sounds like Noel Boggs to me.
I know it's painful to listen to it, but you will hear some nice playing, including some sweet harmonics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI8spatbGEo
Anyone know?
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 12 Dec 2010 12:44 pm
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The only clue I could find: the song was produced by Mitch Miller, who was the head of A&R for Columbia at that time. Mitch lived and worked primarily in New York City, so I'm assuming that the song was recorded in NYC. My first thought was Alvino Rey, but he was working mostly in southern CA in the early 50s. Rico Turchetti was one of the top steel guitarists in NY in the 40s and 50s. He did a lot of work for CBS, Arthur Godfrey's Show, etc, so there's a good chance it was him on this recording. Or maybe Jody Carver, although he recorded primarily with RCA Victor.
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25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 12 Dec 2010 1:29 pm
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Johnny Ray and Doris Day were both on Columbia at the same time as Boyd. They did a couple of duets that had Alvino on steel. I assume these were A and R'ed by Miller and recorded in NYC.
On the other hand, Frankie Laine and Jo Stafford were also on Columbia at the same time---they did some duets with Speedy. I don't know who was A and R on them--they could be West Coast recordings.
The toughest thing to take about Jimmy Boyd (even tougher than his singing) is that he married and may even have had his way with Yvonne Craig of "Batgirl" fame.
That's even more demoralizing than pondering Jack Webb climbing Julie London's frame. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 12 Dec 2010 2:11 pm
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The toughest thing to take about Jimmy Boyd (even tougher than his singing) is that he married and may even have had his way with Yvonne Craig of "Batgirl" fame.
That's even more demoralizing than pondering Jack Webb climbing Julie London's frame. |
...ponder this: Jack Webb later married Miss USA, Jackie Loughery.
I guess love is blind. (or maybe ambition is blind)
And then there was Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts.
Then there was John and Yoko. In John's case not only was love blind, it was also Deaf. 
_________________
My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
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Mitch Drumm
From:
Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Posted 12 Dec 2010 2:41 pm
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Yeah, Jackie is nearly as hard to comprehend as Julie. Webb even put Jackie to work in "The DI".
The rumor around LA in the 1950s was that Julie left Jack because she did not share some of Jack's, er, ah, uh, personal proclivities--not to put too fine a point on it. Maybe Jackie did, despite her "Miss USA" nice girl aura. But that didn't last long either, so mebbe not.
Music content: The "Pete Kelly's Blues" CD contains Webb's narration a la Joe Friday on each tune before the band (I think Bud Shank, Shelly Manne, et al) jumps in on the tune. It's been so long since I've seen the movie that I can't remember if that is actually the way it was on the soundtrack? |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 12 Dec 2010 3:35 pm
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That Pete Kelly's Blues stuff is great--the band is George Van Eps, Nick Fatool, Matty Matlock, Dick Cathcart and a few others whose names I forget.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Dec 2010 3:54 pm
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| When I was playing with Methyl Ethyl And The Ketones in Milwaukee, I latched onto an old Gibson fat jazz box. Went to a music store in chicago, and bought a complete Gibson wiring harness, and cut that guitar up and installed it. Patent applied for pups. The guitar sounded fantastic, and if I was playin' chords, I could control it. But when I tried to play lead lines, it fed back. I'd heard about the Van Eps mute, so I went back to the music store in Chicago, and asked to buy one. They didn't stock them, but told me to go to this apartment building, and ask the guy if he had any to sell. George Van Eps answered the door! |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 12 Dec 2010 10:25 pm About Who's on steel?
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I'd bet a set of my used g'tar picks that it is SPEEDY WEST!
In the first verse, the back-up, is without a doubt Speedy and the tone is BIGSBY.
Can't no one hear that? (Just chiding!)  |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 12 Dec 2010 10:56 pm
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Ray, you are right: it is Speedy West. I just found this in an old Billboard magazine from March 1, 1952:
Singer Jimmy Boyd cut 4 sides for Columbia Records last week. Session was supervised by Mitch Miller, with Paul Weston conducting. In addition to Boyd, Buddy Cole, Speedy West and the Norman Luboff Choir were featured on the waxings.
See, you gotta listen even in the most unlikely places.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 13 Dec 2010 8:58 am So it was Speedy................it's a miracle!
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Having learned to play by EAR........
it should be noted that one's EARs are the most important element in playing music. If you cain't hear it, it's most difficult to play it....correctly.
NOTHING WORSE than playing a four hour gig with someone that can't get in tune, don't care if he's in tune or not......and then can't tell whether to tune it up or down once you've convinced them that they should really do something about the sour notes.
The EAR should come BEFORE the right hand picking and muting skills! Without a good and accurate EAR, you're in a situation like a four engine airplane pilot that has found three of the four engines are not operating. |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 13 Dec 2010 12:56 pm
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| Funny, thats just what John always emphasized to Yoko. It never sunk in though. Yoko always sang in between the notes. |
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