Who was Steelin with The Happy Goodmans 1974

[Tom Vollmer]

Watching some old You Tubes of The Happy Goodman's 1974
Seems they carried steel and some great steel playing
on their shows. Some of the playing on Gospel Music as are many Gospel songs so much like the Country Music many of us like . It is not only good music but inspiring.
Anyway who is the Steeler? What brand Steel is he playing. Looks like Fender Amp.

[Fred Justice]

That would be Jack Smith.
He later moved from Nashville out here to Phoenix, and was working in Payson AZ. and died in a bad car crash on his way home one evening.
Jack used to come over for strings once in a while, and we'd have a nice long visit.
Rest in peace Jack.

[Kenny Davis]

Jack played Sho~Bud in those days. His cousin Jerry Hall played steel in and around Oklahoma City and got most of the session work then. What he didn’t get, Doug Campbell got. What Doug didn’t get, Frank Arnett got. Jerry would throw his “lizard” sessions to me on occasion.

I was always under the impression that Jack started before Jerry, but I read somewhere that Jack visited Jerry in Oklahoma one time and saw he was playing pedal steel, so he talked his Dad into helping him get one. Jerry was probably as good as Jack, but never got away from this area before he passed away.

[Bill L. Wilson]

I worked at a studio where Jerry Hall did sessions almost everyday. During down time he would have me set my steel up in the control room next to his and show me how to play. His new at the time, “1970’s” Emmons push-pull was a tremendous sounding steel and for me personally he was my steel guitar Hero. Being able to record and get lessons from JERRY was an invaluable experience that I will always appreciate him taking his time to help me. God Rest Your Soul Jerry Hall.

[Kenny Davis]

Great story Bill - Jerry was definitely a player. If I remember right, that was a Rosewood mica PP? I was lucky to have him teach me after Doug quit. He gave me my first session at Gene Sullivan's studio. It was for a local gospel band. Jerry probably did 80% of the gospel stuff in OKC then. I just hate that there isn't any videos or even audio of Jerry online. Unless you knew a gospel group he played on or maybe listen to Benny Kubiak's "Tulsa On a Saturday Night."

Here's one for you...for a short period of time, Jerry, Gary Carpenter, and I had a three bedroom townhouse together! I had a female cat I named "Dobro", and he brought a big old male in and he named it "Weldon." Bet you can't guess who he named it after!

[Bill L. Wilson]

Jerry loved Weldon Myrick and played a lot like him. If you can find some old Jerry Short and the Countrymen records, Jerry played on several of them. His son Steve has some of those old albums. Steve, his brother David, Richard Sharp, and I backed Jerry Short up at a old folks care center in downtown OKC 2yrs ago. It was a lot of fun being The Countrymen again. I thought Jerry Hall’s Emmons was a maple guitar but I could be wrong, that was 45yrs ago.