Sonny Curtis

Roger Kelly · Post by **Roger Kelly** » 14 Oct 2019 8:16 am

I met Sonny when a Band I was playing with opened for George Jones back in the 70's I believe? Sonny showed me his guitar set-up and a few licks I asked him about. He was very nice and was a GREAT player! If I remember correctly his guitar foot pedals were backwards to what everyone else had.
Rest in Peace Sonny.

Rick Troyer · Post by **Rick Troyer** » 15 Oct 2019 11:31 am

So sad to hear of the passing of Sonny Curtis, he was a friend and a great steel player. Sonny played at several of our Steel Guitar Celebrations over the years and was always a great performer but above all, a wonderful and kind man. He will be greatly missed for sure!

William Kendrick · Post by **William Kendrick** » 15 Oct 2019 6:08 pm

I met Sonny at the Ohio Steel Guitar Association gatherings. What a player and what an individual! He will be missed. So sorry for your loss, Bsrbara. We miss you, Sonny! RIP, my friend.

Rick Troyer · Post by **Rick Troyer** » 18 Oct 2019 4:07 am

One of My favorite memories with Sonny was a time spent after one of Gary Preston's shows in Columbus Ohio. After the show Herbie and Bunny Wallace, Sonny and Barb along with my wife and I visited a local Tim Hortons. We must have been there 3 hours or more. Sonny and Herbie sharing stories of there lives on the road and as Steel players. If I only had a flash drive of my memories to share. RIP dear friend.
RT

Tommy Shown · Post by **Tommy Shown** » 18 Oct 2019 5:38 pm

A lot of folks don't that Sonny was also an accomplished songwriter too. He also wrote the them for the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Pete Finney · Post by **Pete Finney** » 19 Oct 2019 7:07 am

Tommy Shown wrote:A lot of folks don't that Sonny was also an accomplished songwriter too. He also wrote the them for the Mary Tyler Moore Show.

That's a different Sonny Curtis, from Texas. He grew up with and played with Buddy Holly, and was later the lead singer for the Crickets. He's still around, and wrote a lot of great songs; "Walk Right Back" and "I Fought the Law," among others.

Gary Preston · Post by **Gary Preston** » 20 Oct 2019 6:11 am

[bDarryl , Sonny only had one child Rick , no girls . [/b]

Jeff Harbour · Post by **Jeff Harbour** » 21 Oct 2019 4:32 am

Pete Finney wrote:
Tommy Shown wrote:A lot of folks don't that Sonny was also an accomplished songwriter too. He also wrote the them for the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
That's a different Sonny Curtis, from Texas. He grew up with and played with Buddy Holly, and was later the lead singer for the Crickets. He's still around, and wrote a lot of great songs; "Walk Right Back" and "I Fought the Law," among others.

I almost made that mistake in person, when I first met Sonny. Thankfully I was a bit too star-struck to mention how much I liked "I'm No Stranger To The Rain". A short time later, I researched and discovered the odd coincidence that there are in fact two significant musicians in the country music business who share the same uncommon name.

As for our great steel player Sonny... I will miss him dearly. At all of the jam sessions we attended together, he always came over to talk to me, even when I was still a beginner. He always praised the things I was learning, and encouraged me along. Many players that have accomplished what he has may have simply just ignored a player like me.

To talk about his playing specifically, he had a very tasteful and beautiful touch, right up to the last time I saw him play a few years ago. The only other player I could say is even remotely similar in style and touch is the great Ron Elliott.

Sonny, we will all miss you... especially your Ohio clan. RIP.

(P.S. In one of the posted photos, you can see my great Roland JC120 Amp on a tilt stand set up to Sonny's right.)

Alan Cook · Post by **Alan Cook** » 21 Oct 2019 6:55 am

You don't walk out on stage with a thirty-six piece orchestra if you're gonna sing country music. You walk out there with a pedal steel guitar.

"George Jones from Ragged But Right 1984"

RIP Sonny Curtis.

Jeff Harbour · Post by **Jeff Harbour** » 21 Oct 2019 6:55 am

Oh yeah... In the pictures of Sonny playing, you will see his pair of identical Randall RG-300 Amps behind him. Sonny told us once that they were a gift to him from Tammy Wynette, from back when he was her road player.

If I remember correctly, he told me he played with George first... Then George & Tammy together... Then stayed with Tammy when they split, totaling 17 years between the two of them. He can be seen in MANY of the early episodes of Hee Haw, basically any time Tammy was a guest. Sometimes even with great close-ups of his playing.

Jeff Harbour · Post by **Jeff Harbour** » 22 Oct 2019 3:31 am

https://www.tennessean.com/story/entert ... 054440002/

Benton Allen · Post by **Benton Allen** » 28 Oct 2019 7:12 pm

Boy, this really hurts. Sonny always treated me with the utmost kindness when we were together. He and I would hang out together at different Steel Guitar shows around the country, and he always made me feel like a dear old friend. He was always willing shared his knowledge and experiences with me. I will dearly miss my friend.
God bless and keep you Barbara.

Benton

Daryll LeCroy · Post by **Daryll LeCroy** » 30 Oct 2019 9:49 pm

Gary Preston wrote:[bDarryl , Sonny only had one child Rick , no girls . [/b]

Oops, meant step-daughter.

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