I'm lucky to have lived in the "Golden Years"

Eddie Cunningham · Post by **Eddie Cunningham** » 16 Jun 2014 10:50 am

I was born in 1929 and thru the 30s and 40s there was so much Hawaiian music on the radio. I heard David Keliis magic on "Hawaii Calls" and listened to Lil Roy Wiggins tickle the strings with Eddy Arnold and Dons style backing old Hank Sr. Jerry Byrds touch and tone inspired me to play maybe a little better ?? And how I enjoyed old Bashfull Brother Oswalds Dobro with Roy Acuff !! They are mostly all gone now but I have the memories of those sounds and the old 78s records to play !! In my mind those were the Golden Years and I am so happy I lived thru these times !! the olde geeze - AKA Eddie "C"

Chris Brooks · Post by **Chris Brooks** » 16 Jun 2014 11:05 am

Great memories, Eddie.

I figure I got in on The Good Years, too. Remember when it seemed like every city had a big country-western dance hall? What was the one in downtown Springfield, Eddie? I played many nights there in the mid-80s.

I was lucky enough to enter country music full-time in 1975--at the old Flame Lounge, in Fairbanks, Alaska. I had been playing steel for a few years but this was my first full-time job as "the steel man." Boy, did I have to learn a lot! Kick-offs, breaks, and all those standards.

These days, gigs are pretty much down to American Legions and VFWs--unless you live in Texas!

By the way, for those who don't know Eddie Cunningham, he is one of our species who has played non-pedal steel for his entire career--am I right, Ed?

Chris

Eddie Cunningham · Post by **Eddie Cunningham** » 16 Jun 2014 11:13 am

I did play a Fender 1000 back in the 70s & 80s but it got too heavy and I went back to non-pedals !! Back in the 50s , 60s and 70s there were probably 150 or more clubs locally with Country music , some with bands seven nites a week , now there are maybe 10 places to play !! = "The decline and fall of Country Music" !! olde geeze - AKA Eddie "C"

joe long · Post by **joe long** » 17 Jun 2014 11:21 am

Although I was born in 39 I also feel that I also got to enjoy the glory years of the steel guitar. Those players were some of my early heroes. Those were the good ole days.

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 18 Jun 2014 8:00 am

I too, have to agree! Born in '36, I grew up listening to Hawaii Calls and the WSM Grand Ole Opry via the NBC affiliate here in Oregon. Some great records were heard from an unknown DJ in Del Rio Texas when the weather was just right.

How I miss those days.........

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 18 Jun 2014 8:23 am

I got in on the tail end of the Golden Era of gigs... 7 nights a week in house bands for many years, 1970s and 80s. Nowadays the live music scene has shrunk down to almost nothing... very few paying gigs, and they are all 80 miles away!

Chris, what was that hall in Springfield you mentioned? I played all of them, every club, social club, fair, etc. in western MA and CT, so whatever it was I probably played there back in the day. When I tell my young students how much live music there was back then and how we played 7 nights a week, they don't believe me! They think I'm making it up

billchav · Post by **billchav** » 18 Jun 2014 6:10 pm

Great memories Eddie; and LIGHTS OUT RAY". Born in 34 and listened to the TEXAS BORDER BLASTER STATIONS; XEG. XERF, XERA in the late 30's and 40's along with WSM, WLS,KVOO. I remember the Carter Family and later PAUL KALLINGER along with a "quack" doc from Missouri.
I also was able to listen to some Hawaiian Music on a short wave band just prior to WW11

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 18 Jun 2014 8:43 pm

Nowadays the live music scene has shrunk down to almost nothing... very few paying gigs, and they are all 80 miles away!

Sounds like L.A. in the 90's..

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 18 Jun 2014 8:56 pm

I was born in '43, but I can remember as a kid listening to Johnny Kaonohi Pineapple on the radio..

Bill Fall · Post by **Bill Fall** » 19 Jun 2014 5:29 am

I believe I was 17 when I saw my first real live, in-the-flesh steel player at a venue called Square Acres in Bridgewater, MA. It was the venerable Eddie Cunningham, playing a (double-neck?) stand-up Fender he had converted into a pedal steel with a homemade toilet-chain contraption! (Eddie has ever been a clever innovator; I remember the "talking steel" setup he contrived using surgical tubing attached to the driver from a public address horn.) It was my honor & pleasure to play lead with Mr. C. back in the 1980s; and being familiar with his work both on pedal and on straight neck, I can attest that the ever-young "Old Geezer" is admirable in both worlds.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 19 Jun 2014 7:25 am

Yes, Eddie's a great guy and a great player. A few years ago he sent me a box full of Hawaiian song books and guitar books. I've learned a lot from those books!

Speaking of "toilet chain pedal rods", there was a steel player from out this way, Paul Manning, who built his pedal steel from miscellaneous parts. He was one of the top players in this area back in the 50s and 60s. He passed away a few years ago. He said that "everything you need to build a pedal steel guitar can be bought at a Hardware store!" One time he demonstrated for me how easy it was to pack up his steel guitar after a gig. When he took off the pedal rack the toilet chains would just collapse into the case (or into the blanket!). Why didn't I think of that?!

Gary L Reed · Post by **Gary L Reed** » 19 Jun 2014 8:27 am

I was born in '42, grew up listening to the good ole country tunes and loved the PSG sound. Only regret is I waited until a year ago to figure out I wanted to play one. Thanks to some good folks like Larry Robertson, Irv Neihaus, William Littaker, Greg Wine(who sold me his old ShoBud), Dennis Cooley and a few others, and to the Forum, I am having a ball trying to learn the basics of this thing. I hope these guys don't give up on me!! Thanks to all for the help.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 19 Jun 2014 9:43 am

I was born in 1945, and have to agree.
When I was younger I wished I had been born ten years earilier. Then I would have witnessed a lot of steam engines that I missed. In retrospect, if I had been born ten years earlier I would now be 78.
I would love to have been born 100 years earlier, and witnessed so much more. But then, I would be dead now.

Eddie Cunningham · Post by **Eddie Cunningham** » 19 Jun 2014 9:45 am

With all the modern electronics You could not beat the olde car radios in the 40s and 50s !! Those olde sets at nite could pull in stations 1500 miles away !! I remember getting WCKY Cincinati with Nelson King , WWVA , West Virginia listening to Lee Moore , the coffee drinking nite hawk , Del Rio , Texas , WSM Nashville direct after the Opry , even some Canadian stations , plus a lot of Boston stations that played country music and on Sat. there were many local bands on live boadcasts plus "the 101 Ranch boys" on the Mutual network !! Those were the days my friends !! olde geeze - AKA Eddie "C"

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I'm lucky to have lived in the "Golden Years"

I'm lucky to have lived in the "Golden Years"

Hi Chris = Pedals ??

Golden Years...........for sure

Golden Era

Memories of Eddie

Powerful olde car radios !!