Steel Players

[Michael Tyne]

While travelling around the southern parts of the USA in 1975 I taped some local bands who had the following steel players. Brian Kincaid, Charley Vaughn, Ray McCoy and Billy Miles (not of the same name?) and wondered if anyone had recalled seeing these guys play. Some locations included Reno, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta Houston and Dallas.
I remember the venues were often out of town and started about 9pm. Some bands were resident and played more than 3 nights a week.




Mike Tyne, Sydney Australia,

[Darrell Criswell]

I lived in Dallas around 1975 and don't remember any names of steel players then but there were some great ones. Around 1975 I used to go listen to a Waylon Jennings impersonator (but great on his own) named Wendel Adkins, he had some great and I mean great steel players. If anyone played for him or knew of his steel players I would love to hear from you.

[Bill Cunningham]

Michael, Charley Vaughn would have been in his prime on the Atlanta scene around then. A smoother E9 player there was not. You may have heard him at Sammy Tucker’s Nugget Club, along with Sid Manley, a guitar player I later had the pleasure of playing with a lot. Not sure which club, I was still in high school, 100 miles north of Atlanta in 1975.

Below is a picture from 2015. I was filling in for Tommy Dodd at a little Opry house in west Georgia where Charley had been the regular guy before Tommy. He had to retire due to hearing problems. Charley came out to hear me that night and sat on the front row in front of me. (Talk about pressure!) He passed away a short while after then.