Meeting Lloyd Green - An Article

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 19 Oct 2011 9:39 am

Here is a piece I've written about meeting Lloyd Green in Nashville last May. It's not a brief article, but it may contain some interesting stuff for Lloyd fans. I may try to get it published somewhere online, but for now here it is in its entirety. Some of the Word formatting did not translate, such as italics of album names, but for the most part it is all correct I believe.

Edit: This article has since been published on OnStage Magazine. Here's the link:

http://www.onstagemagazine.com/meeting- ... oyd-green/

Thanks for reading!

Larry Miller · Post by **Larry Miller** » 19 Oct 2011 9:57 am

Chris, That was a truly entertaining article. Thanks for posting it.

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 19 Oct 2011 10:14 am

Thanks for taking the time to read it, Larry. I just remembered something I wanted to add to the story, and maybe i will. I ran into Ricky Skaggs and his band in an airport about a year ago, and one of his entourage noticed my steel seat and asked if I was a player. I said I was, and Ricky just happened to be standing next to us when I mentioned Lloyd's name to the guy who had addressed me. Ricky turned and said, "Do you know Lloyd Green?" I said I did. And Ricky then says, "He's a musical genius." And from there we starting chatting and he showed me his 1920s Mandolin.

Thanks, Lloyd, for unknowingly facilitating a memorable conversation.

Randall Meeker · Post by **Randall Meeker** » 19 Oct 2011 10:43 am

Well written and should be published. thanks for sharing it with us on the Forum!

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 19 Oct 2011 11:07 am

Chris,
A top-line interview written in top-line English, with our most top-line steel player!
Lloyd has a unique and entertaining way of putting his thoughts across. You have a fine way of keeping us in suspense throughout the whole story. It was as if I was there!

I am looking forward to more of the same kind from your pen.

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 19 Oct 2011 11:51 am

Great read, Chris!

Chuck Thompson · Post by **Chuck Thompson** » 19 Oct 2011 12:52 pm

Chris

Thank you so much for sharing this.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 19 Oct 2011 2:28 pm

excellent, thanks chris!

Alexander Rehfeld · Post by **Alexander Rehfeld** » 19 Oct 2011 2:45 pm

This report is a treasure, I adore it!!

George Rozak · Post by **George Rozak** » 19 Oct 2011 4:19 pm

Nice job Chris...

Jerry Van Hoose · Post by **Jerry Van Hoose** » 19 Oct 2011 5:04 pm

Chris, thank you for posting. It was very well written and very interesting.

Brian McGaughey · Post by **Brian McGaughey** » 19 Oct 2011 6:11 pm

Cool! Thanks for sharing, Chris.

Bryan Knox · Post by **Bryan Knox** » 19 Oct 2011 6:34 pm

What a joy to read, Chris! Thanks for sharing.

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 19 Oct 2011 7:22 pm

Wow, thanks everybody for the kind words. I'm happy that you took the time to read it. I know it's rather long. I also noticed myself today after posting it that I don't say much about all the many country sessions Lloyd did. I think I was going for a different slant, more toward the other stuff he did outside the country scene. I first became aware of Lloyd through the Byrds, so it seemed like a logical approach.

It was a great experience sitting with Lloyd, and I wanted to write something on it - even just for my own posterity. But to have you all enjoy it means even more to me. Thanks again.

Bob Blair · Post by **Bob Blair** » 19 Oct 2011 9:25 pm

Good one Chris!

Andrew Roblin · Post by **Andrew Roblin** » 20 Oct 2011 12:20 am

Thanks for a good read, Chris.

Andrew Roblin
International Sho-Bud Brotherhood
Member #79

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 20 Oct 2011 7:22 pm

Very nice Chris.
To say that I am jealous would be a gross misunderstatement.

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 20 Oct 2011 8:24 pm

Not to make you more jealous, Doug, but Lloyd brought with him that day a stack of CDs for me that featured his playing - some rare stuff I'd never heard. All of it incredible, of course. In the collection was an unreleased recent instrumental that blows my mind every time I listen to it.

Tommy Young · Post by **Tommy Young** » 20 Oct 2011 8:27 pm

CHRIS,

Thanks for posting this as LLOYD is one of my very most appreciated Steel Pickers of all time.. I enjoyed it emmensly...

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 21 Oct 2011 12:07 am

Here's another tip of the brim Chris
Thanx !

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 21 Oct 2011 9:05 am

Very interesting to read, thank you!

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 21 Oct 2011 1:37 pm

Good article Chris, thank you!

The only thing I'm a bit puzzled about is the Wings Over America Tour. I don't recall if I have read about it in more than one piece on Lloyd, but I definitely remember (without having it here in front of me) that Lloyd had been quoted in the article written about him by Robbie Fulks in the Journal of Country Music (Volume 24.3) several years ago that he regretted not taking up the offer from Paul on that one and doing something about rearranging his session schedule.

Another comment Lloyd made in that piece in reference to Chris' experience and part of the Nashville chapter of "the muscian's admiration society" is Lloyd said the two finest musicians with whom he had ever worked were Paul McCartney and Ricky Skaggs.

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 21 Oct 2011 3:33 pm

Thanks again, guys. I'm so glad it's interesting to you.

Mark, while Lloyd and I were talking about that, he did say that in hindsight it would have been an excellent experience. But there didn't seem to be any true lingering regret or anything, more like a passing "what if" sort of sentiment. Lloyd does not seem like one for regrets. We talked about stuff related to this, such as other players getting similar calls and Lloyd encouraging them to tackle the experience. But the road just wasn't his thing, it seems.

Regarding Lloyd's comment about McCartney and Skaggs, yes he said the same thing to me.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 22 Oct 2011 10:29 am

great reading.

I love the Byrds stories... Gram asking Lloyd to grow his hair long

and Clarence White taking Lloyd out for a night of honky-tonking. I wonder if it was The Palomino club or possibly Nashville West?

the only clarification I would make is the description of Clarence White as a B-bender virtuoso. He certainly was, but I wouldn't pigeonhole him like that. He was a trailblazing flatpicker, and did some amazing Telecaster work before the invention of the B-bender. All of his playing on Sweetheart was pre-bender.

I'm just a nitpicker about my favorite guitpicker!

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Meeting Lloyd Green - An Article

Meeting Lloyd Green - An Article

Thanks for sharing your article and experience