Yet More Buck-Steeling Questions

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 12 Dec 2001 8:39 am

Two questions for all you Buckaholics....

Does someone know all of the steel players and the time line involved for Buck?

On the CD "Hotdog", Terry Christopherson and Ralph Mooney are credited. All of the steel playing sounds quite "Moonish" to me. Does anyone know which tracks are Mooney and which are Terry?

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Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas

B Bailey Brown · Post by **B Bailey Brown** » 12 Dec 2001 4:04 pm

Steve,

I can give you a guess, but that is all it is. Buck’s original steel player was Ralph Mooney, and that was in the old Liberty record days (Late 1950’s – early 1960”s.) I don’t know if Ralph ever went on the road with Buck, but he played on all of the early records. After him, Jay MacDonald, Tom Brumley, JayDee Mannis, and Jerry Brightman were the players.

Beyond that, I can’t tell you, because my brain becomes foggy.

B. Bailey Brown

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 12 Dec 2001 5:14 pm

Okay, this is the long and the short of it.

Ralph Mooney session steel from 1958 to 1962.
Jay McDonald came in on steel in 1962 as part of the newly formed Buckaroos, I'm not sure when he started sessions, but he was on the February '63 session that produced 'Act Naturally' among others.

By the January 1964 sessions Tom Brumley was in the steel role, something that lasted until 1969. I'm not sure if he did any sessions after January 1969.

By the time Jay Dee came in on steel there was a fair amount of studio material in the can, so he got to do next to nothingin the studio, except for the Buckaroos 1969 album and of course the 1969 live albums.
Jay Dee did play on 'Big In Vegas' in August '69 which was released at the end of the year and appeared on an LP in 1970.

Buddy Emmons played on the 1970 album 'The Kansas City Song' at least on the title track, while he also supplied a bit of the steel work for a Buckaroos LP that also featured tracks from the Brumley days.

Jerry Brightman came into the group and was doing sessions as early as March 1971.
After that it was a mix, Terry Christofferson originally joined on guitar, but after Jerry left in the mid 1970s Terry was also on steel, sometimes they'd hire steel players for gigs and Terry would stay on guitar.
Terry was originally a different style player, but he later got more into Mooney style, until then he wasn't on a lot of the steel sessions, Frank Arnett who used to play the L.A. and Vegas honkytonks was brought in for some sessions circa 1977; he knew Mooney and could emulate his style reasonably successfully, while a duet with Emmylou Harris 'Play Together Again' in 1979 was actually recorded with the Hot Band, so that was Hank DeVito on steel.

In regards to the Hot Dog album, all I know for sure is that the title track had Terry on steel and lead guitar.

B. Bailey, I think you've got Buck mixed up with Warren Smith when it comes to the Liberty recordings as Buck never recorded for the label, but Warren did. (most of Smith's sides featured Mooney on steel).

Buck didn't have a regular band until 1962, but for a Vegas showcase gig in 1960 he shared billing with Wynn Stewart and they both used Ralph Mooney as part of their shared band, this is probably where Wynn made all his contacts which led to the Nashville Nevada Club gig for Wynn from 1961 to 1964.

Jerry Brightman · Post by **Jerry Brightman** » 12 Dec 2001 7:02 pm

Yikes....

I can't keep up with all this..

WTG..Jason, as usual!

Jerry

B Bailey Brown · Post by **B Bailey Brown** » 13 Dec 2001 7:38 am

Jason,

You are absolutely correct, and I knew that. Don’t ask me how that crept into the post…chalk it up to “brain in neutral with fingers engaged on keyboard”. Thanks for pointing that out.

B. Bailey Brown

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 13 Dec 2001 7:45 am

Hi guys, actually there's a Bear Family CD of Warren Smith's Liberty sides, we're talking 1960-1964 and it's with Johnny Western, Jim Pierce, Bobby Bruce, Ralph Mooney and all recorded on the West Coast where Warren moved in '59. The CD is called 'The Call Of The Wild' and anyone looking for some West Coast country gems, well this set is for you!

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 13 Dec 2001 10:23 am

A few years back, I saw Buck when he played the Santa Monica pier. Terry had one of those keyless guitars slung around his neck and he was sitting at an early model Mullen pedal guitar. He switched back and forth between them covering all of the guitar parts, sort of a reverse Junior Brown. That guy can really play!!!

Billy Woo · Post by **Billy Woo** » 13 Dec 2001 11:59 am

About six months ago, I went to the Crystal Palace and saw Buck, Terry was playing a black Steinberger with a Session Sierra and singing covers after Buck left the stage for the night. A great show and I'm thinking of going back soon, they have a great deal at Best Western which is next to the club and you get a discount if you go see Buck in Bakersfield..Also a Karoake place right next to Best Western for all you Country Crooners.

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 13 Dec 2001 1:40 pm

oh yes the Santa Monica pier. Those were the biggest substitute jobs I did w/Spade. Joaquin did about all of these and I only did about 4-5.I guess Joaquin had a hot date the times I played and boy was it fun with that big band. I was the worst musician in the group so I learned so much from the old habds and thank goodness they had a lot of patience.

Stan Townsend · Post by **Stan Townsend** » 13 Dec 2001 1:42 pm

Speaking of Buck's Crystal Palace, this comming Saturday evening, December 15th, a great local band, KEVIN BANFORD and the BAKERSFIELD BOYS will be performing there following Buck's Show. KEVIN sings in the true honky tonk style of the 60's, doing songs by greats such as Buck, Faron, Johnny Horton, Ray Price, including some originals.
Forum member, GREG VINCENT, plays pedal steel! You gotta hear these guys!

ebb · Post by **ebb** » 14 Dec 2001 5:53 pm

i really need to know the answer to this.
on buck's "in the palm of your hand" the steel player on all cuts other than "in the palm of your hand" sounds like mooney through some kind of compression. am i crazy?
mr. brightman can you help. whoever played on "arms full of empty" and "somethings wrong" may i kiss the hem of your garment and then ask you 10 more questions?

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 18 Dec 2001 6:44 pm

Jason...You de man! Amazing!