"Blue Bayou" Dan Dugmore solo

Joe Krumel · Post by **Joe Krumel** » 18 Feb 2017 1:10 pm

This has to be one of the most Fitting solos ever recorded. Anybody else have the same trouble I have trying to get Dan's feeling and timing? Classic stuff!

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 18 Feb 2017 2:52 pm

I have always found that solo quite easy personally, but its not in everyones wheelhouse, some guys butcher it.. There are other solos that other players nail perfectly but I stumble all over like a dope, so it is what it is. Don't sweat it... I use a combination of palm and pick blocking during that solo, as well as several parts that go unblocked, perhaps thats part of the problem you are having with it.. It is a very simple, yet very elegant and perfectly appropriate solo... bob

Jory Simmons · Post by **Jory Simmons** » 18 Feb 2017 3:21 pm

I agree with Mr Carlucci!! You have to play this piece with much technique, emotion and varied amounts of bar Shiver. I love this solo...and perform this song as an Instrumental in My Show Regularly....Keep in Mind I'm probably playing at a Restaurant..or Resort/Casino.....and the people I'm Playing it for.. don't even know what I'm doing most of the night..Point is, when They hear That particular Solo....they come up to see what I'm Doin!!!! Finally!!!!
Now that its been brought up..I think I'll Tab My Arrangement and offer it in My Catalog here on the Forum.

Joe Krumel · Post by **Joe Krumel** » 18 Feb 2017 3:51 pm

Thanks guys for the input. This solo even to this day will stop me in my tracks wherever I hear it. I remember reading that Buddy E thought it was superb.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 18 Feb 2017 6:57 pm

Most great solos consist to a large part on the feeling and timing of the player. I'll bet Dan was getting into the feeling of Linda's singing and musically answering her... like a sonic photograph of a particular moment in time.

Without having Dan's head and heart, anything else would be a very close facsimile.

That's not to say that universes of knowledge can't be acquired from techniques that the inspiration those solos bring out in others. This is one way the craft is preserved and saved for posterity. Play the song many times and your own timing and feeling will come out, I promise you.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 18 Feb 2017 8:14 pm

Well said, everyone! Lotta feeling in that ride, and it was almost as if he was he was another vocalist on the track. Linda showed some tremendous vocal dynamics on that cut, and Dan's playing echoed her style perfectly. That hollow/dark, slightly out-of-phase tone he used really suited the song, and set it apart from the standard fare of the day.

Hard to believe that was 40 years ago.

Howard Steinberg · Post by **Howard Steinberg** » 19 Feb 2017 5:59 am

William Litaker has an old share a lick, on you tube that teaches this solo. It's not particularly difficult to play with a little practice. This solo is an integral part of the song. Anything else broadcasts "I can't play the solo."

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 19 Feb 2017 8:41 am

It's the classic solo. I totallly agree with Donny and Herb, in the way he echoed refrain to Ronstadt--no crying, just singing
One of the most memorable rides.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 19 Feb 2017 12:18 pm

Never liked Linda's politics much, but boy in her day she was an astounding vocalist, and was always one of my favorites.. That voice was indeed an expressive and beautiful instrument.. Sad that its been silenced.... bob

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 19 Feb 2017 1:30 pm

Speaking of Blue Bayou ---> Click Here

Jason Putnam · Post by **Jason Putnam** » 19 Feb 2017 6:37 pm

It is a great solo. I was lucky enough to get to visit with Dan at his home about a year ago. He is a real cool guy to talk to. He shared many stories of his musical experiences and even let me play a few of his steels. Of course I was nervous and totally butchered everything I tried to play but it was an experience I will never forget. Now if I can meet Paul Franklin and Mr Nashville himself I will be a happy guy!

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 19 Feb 2017 6:49 pm

Classic solo indeed. Right up there with the best of the most recognized and admired rides across the spectrum of recorded music and particularly in the pop, country rock etc. era of the 70's.

Dan is a terrific player who seems to have an innate feel for a song and how to best complement it.

Some of my favorites are on Travis Tritt's recordings and one tune that I've played to death by Karla Bonoff titled "Home".

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 22 Feb 2017 12:12 pm

If my memory is correct they let the steel break play thru in Denzel Washington's movie "Man on Fire".
Once it gets started, to cut it short would have been criminal.

Dennis Lee · Post by **Dennis Lee** » 23 Feb 2017 8:24 am

Give a listen to another giant singer and songwriter, Karla Bonoff. Dan has his footprints all over many of her recordings. As always, he is spot on with just the right playing, imagination and feeling.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 24 Feb 2017 3:16 am

Playing a solo such as this is the same as emulating a great singers phrasing, such as Merle or George J, It's not so much about the WORDS but rather how are they glued together.

Dans phrasing on this particular piece is what makes this one so iconic.

Sometimes as players, we play a piece we really love , the notes are not all that difficult, but we never really "listened" to it which is probably the most important part of learning it. Then we ask ourselves why it doesn't sound right !

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 24 Feb 2017 8:35 am

... It's not so much about the WORDS but rather how are they glued together. ... Dans phrasing on this particular piece is what makes this one so iconic.

Bingo! That's it.

Another example - this is why nobody really sounds (to me) like Jimi Hendrix. People play the notes, sing the words, but I've never heard anybody that had his feel. Thousands and thousands of emulators, many excellent. But no cigar, and no problem - they're not Jimi.

And I consider all this a good thing. When you get right down to it, time, pitch, and tonality are pretty continuous and fluid - there is literally at least a 3-dimensional infinite continuum of ways to phrase things, both in timing, pitch, and tonality. So it should be no surprise that no two ever come out exactly the same. This gives everybody a chance to put their unique (and potentially interesting) footprint on it.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 24 Feb 2017 9:15 am

Dave Mudgett wrote:
... It's not so much about the WORDS but rather how are they glued together. ... Dans phrasing on this particular piece is what makes this one so iconic.
Bingo! That's it.

Another example - this is why nobody really sounds (to me) like Jimi Hendrix. People play the notes, sing the words, but I've never heard anybody that had his feel. Thousands and thousands of emulators, many excellent. But no cigar, and no problem - they're not Jimi.

And I consider all this a good thing. When you get right down to it, time, pitch, and tonality are pretty continuous and fluid - there is literally at least a 3-dimensional infinite continuum of ways to phrase things, both in timing, pitch, and tonality. So it should be no surprise that no two ever come out exactly the same. This gives everybody a chance to put their unique (and potentially interesting) footprint on it.

And I'll bet that Dan has played it differently on different live gigs with Linda back in the 70s.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 24 Feb 2017 9:54 am

And I'll bet that Dan has played it differently on different live gigs with Linda back in the 70s.

Absolutely - and I saw a few different variations on live shows back then. But all great, and clearly had his stamp on them. One of the great things about youtube has been the ability to see different live takes of classic tunes. Consider these two examples of Blue Bayou, one the studio version, another a live take:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_lzeHYNngE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp9G0zkorio

Of course, the tone is different, but note-wise, they're basically the same, but articulated slightly differently. For example, you can hear some note phrases picked, and others pedaled into. But the overall effect is very similar.

I said at least 3 dimensions, but there are really at least 4 - timing, pitch, tonality, and relative amplitude. There are other practical considerations that are captured in these 4, but perhaps more clearly articulated using some other method. For example, the difference between slurring in a note versus picking into a note can be captured by a 4-D continuous function of those four, but from a practical point of view, it's much more clear to a player to note how it's done.

When I really sit down and think about what it takes to really reproduce something truly accurately, it makes me marvel that different takes can seem as close as they are. But of course, if you put them under a microscope, differences will become apparent.

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 24 Feb 2017 10:23 am

My favourite version of Dan's solo of this number is on the Show Pros CD.

David Cubbedge · Post by **David Cubbedge** » 24 Feb 2017 12:00 pm

I just had to learn this one for a sit-in I did a few weeks ago. There is a great YouTube video that showed me how to do it! It's actually pretty simple and taught me a new thing or two!

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 24 Feb 2017 3:14 pm

David Cubbedge wrote:There is a great YouTube video that showed me how to do it!

Do you have the link?

Don R Brown · Post by **Don R Brown** » 24 Feb 2017 6:09 pm

Slightly off topic of Dan Dougmore's playing, but Karla Bonoff was mentioned above. Didn't she sing backup on one or more of Ronstadt's releases? Or perhaps she wrote one of the songs?

Michael Maddex · Post by **Michael Maddex** » 25 Feb 2017 4:06 am

Don R Brown wrote:Slightly off topic of Dan Dougmore's playing, but Karla Bonoff was mentioned above. Didn't she sing backup on one or more of Ronstadt's releases? Or perhaps she wrote one of the songs?

How about Hasten Down The Wind, 1976: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasten_Down_the_Wind

Don R Brown · Post by **Don R Brown** » 25 Feb 2017 6:26 am

Michael Maddex wrote:

How about Hasten Down The Wind, 1976: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasten_Down_the_Wind

I'm sure that's what I was thinking of. I no longer have a turntable and have not played a vinyl record in 25 years, but somewhere I still have that album. Who could get rid of THAT?

Thanks!

(While there are some areas in which I disagree with her, it's very sad to see that health issues have not treated her kindly. An incredible voice and dazzling looks are not guaranteed to remain for life.)

Ted Silar · Post by **Ted Silar** » 25 Aug 2024 11:49 am

In case you haven't heard yet, I have created a Spotify playlist for Dan Dugmore. I think you can add songs right to it yourself, so go ahead.

The playlist is called "Pedal Steel Virtuoso Dan Dugmore."

Here's the link to the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4NsGO ... 5835b54033

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