Chalker on The Wilburn Brothers Show-Awesome

Jon Jaffe · Post by **Jon Jaffe** » 27 Dec 2021 9:08 pm

https://youtu.be/8MRk2os2PJs

Curly not only is in the mix, but he leads it. I only post one of several episodes.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 27 Dec 2021 9:53 pm

thanks for sharing, hadn't seen this one yet. the entire show is a tribute to Faron Young, recorded April 13, 1974. uploaded by Jason Wilburn, nephew of Doyle & Ted

Curly is on fire, hot in the mix, and even plays a little C6 at the end of the show

more great C6 here: https://youtu.be/i2Eg6aiIGUg?t=825

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 27 Dec 2021 10:08 pm

That's great. Thanks!

Faron looks like they had to drag him off the golf course to film his tribute!!

Eric Philippsen · Post by **Eric Philippsen** » 28 Dec 2021 6:06 am

Is that tape on the chrome strips of Curley’s steel? Perhaps to control glare from the studio lights? Or is it just the film clip?

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 28 Dec 2021 10:30 am

Sounds like "Four In The Morning" was using a prerecorded track, with all the string sections, etc...

I've always been curious. Does anyone know..... how did that work on those TV shows? Did the artist carry around the tracks on tape for these performances, were they sent by someone prior to the show, or what.....? Today you could bring a CD or thumb drive, or just a link to a cloud location, but then tape was the only way. Maybe some experienced TV people can chime in with some info.

RC

Jerry Horch · Post by **Jerry Horch** » 28 Dec 2021 5:23 pm

black msa with white trim...

Tiny Olson · Post by **Tiny Olson** » 28 Dec 2021 6:06 pm

Great stuff. I loved those Wilburn Bros. shows and Curly and Hal were always lighting it up on them. Thanks for posting this Jon.

Like Jerry said, those early-mid 70s, MSA Classics had White trim instead of chrome. Curly's MSA Classic was the only one I've ever seen that had two white trim strips on the necks though. Most others had just one. The two strips looked way better to me.

I also noticed Curly's first run, Session 400 (with silver grill cloth instead of black which followed shortly) on the floor behind him.

Curly sure was awesome and cool !!!

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 28 Dec 2021 7:15 pm

Is that MSA a Classic or a pre Classic. Maybe late 60's
anybody know? I don't see Classic on the front apron. An outstanding musician! T.Lee

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 29 Dec 2021 5:01 am

Lee Dassow wrote:Is that MSA a Classic or a pre Classic. Maybe late 60's
anybody know? I don't see Classic on the front apron. An outstanding musician! T.Lee

Curly went to MSA after they introduced the Classic. And, as a youngster, I remember well what Tiny said about the unique two strips of trim on the neck. I never saw another one besides his with that effect.

I was/am a big fan of Curly going back to this timeframe as I was just getting interested in playing steel. Unrelated, but I met him once. In 1975, I believe, I attended the CMA awards. It was the year Charlie Rich burned John Denver’s envelope. There was an after party with all the stars and Curly was playing a Gibson 355 in the cocktail jazz band working the party. Yes, they had a jazz quintet playing the CMA party.

Chris Brooks · Post by **Chris Brooks** » 29 Dec 2021 3:56 pm

What a right hand!

Chris

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 30 Dec 2021 5:23 am

Curly Chalker's picking, of course, was great and his sound was outstanding. MSA was way ahead with those guitars. I still have one I bought in 1977. A great guitar, bulletproof, quiet smooth pulls, and easy to add/change pulls or add half stops.

Chris Brooks · Post by **Chris Brooks** » 30 Dec 2021 6:59 am

Yes, Bill, I have a D 12 bought in the 70s which served me well over the years. And I picked up a lacquer-finish SD 12 from that era later to keep set up at home as a practice guitar. Bulletproof indeed.

Chris

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 30 Dec 2021 3:09 pm

What era is that Steel guitar, late 60's or early 70's? T.L.

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 30 Dec 2021 5:34 pm

Lee Dassow wrote:What era is that Steel guitar, late 60's or early 70's? T.L.

Probably 72-74 ish. He went there from a Sho~Bud not long after MSA Micro started and they released the “Classic”

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 31 Dec 2021 6:31 am

That was awesome. His C6th playing was as good as it gets too.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 31 Dec 2021 7:59 am

Spectacular... What a player.

Curly was one of the only world class players that I can remember that was regularly seen on TV etc using an MSA.. It was mostly Emmons, Bud, and maybe a ZB here or there back in those days... MSA were popular everywhere and they sold them by the thousands, but not many top pros used them, at least not many that I remember..

I used to look for them as an MSA player back then and was always disappointed...

I think this guy used an MSA on this cut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1On2vIZPTo

Lee Dassow · Post by **Lee Dassow** » 31 Dec 2021 10:41 am

Bill thanks for the info. Bob great tune, T.L.

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 10 Jan 2022 8:55 am

I seem to remember reading a story by Lloyd Green talking about him introducing Chalker to E9th. Who better to be introduced to E9th by? Ha!
In my opinion Lloyd was the tastiest of all professional E9th players, setting the "manual" on how to accompany a country singer next to (NOT so much behind) Charley Pride on the Panther Hall Live record... a close second being in my opinion Curly Chalker. I know some will be looking up wondering if I ever heard of a cat by the name of Buddy Emmons! Emmons to me is a completely different artist.
One may argue that you could hear "a lot of Lloyd" in Chalker's E9th... while I would agree, I think much of it was also him being himself. He had a unique technique of picking chords almost like single notes on C6th he tastefully and discretely carried over into his E9th playing.
Interestingly too, he could make one of the old MSA "Boat Anchors" SING endlessly, which elegantly refuted the "argument" that MSA's "didn't quite have IT".

... J-D.

Darrell Criswell · Post by **Darrell Criswell** » 10 Jan 2022 11:57 am

I love the backup Doug Jernigan does for Faron on Wine me Up here:

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

John Palumbo · Post by **John Palumbo** » 10 Jan 2022 5:18 pm

Curly's right hand was phenomenal.
Did Hal Rugg & Curly alternate shows on the Wilburn Bros., or was one before the other? I used to love watching them along with Jimmy Capps.
Thanks for posting!

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 10 Jan 2022 7:45 pm

I believe Don Helms was the original steel player with Buddy Spicher on fiddle. Hal replaced Don at some point, and then Curly and Jimmy replaced Hal and Buddy

John Palumbo · Post by **John Palumbo** » 10 Jan 2022 8:00 pm

Thanks Scott!

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Chalker on The Wilburn Brothers Show-Awesome

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