Going Back A Long Way

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 25 Jul 2002 2:08 pm

Any of you recall vocalist Ernie Lee?

He worked WLW Cincinnati and WJRB Detroit...and Jerry Byrd was the featured steel guitarist with him during Jerrys earlier days.

Did Ernie play the accordian? I've just detected an accordian in several of his older tunes....... Just curious?

Jimmy Dean, Smokey Rogers, Pee Wee King and the brothers that played for awhile with Eddy Arnold..........plus the fellow that currently plays with the Riders in the Sky are the few that come to mind.

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 25 Jul 2002 2:40 pm

Never knew what he played, if anything, but I
never knew those two til they were on WLW!
Milton De Lugg played nice accordion with Spade Colley, didn't he? and then went on to greater things. Time Jumpers have a fine accordionist (he's not going to be happy I can't think of his name @ the moment) with their group! He got some of his music education @ SUNY Fredonia, where Bobbe's Dad
had the first stage band! (just about the time Bobbe was born!)

Ed Naylor · Post by **Ed Naylor** » 25 Jul 2002 4:45 pm

I grew up listening to the odlMidwestern Hayride. I beleive the Accordian player was a fellow with the last name of "Ross".I well remember Jerry Byrd and the " Pleasant Valley Boys"It included Zeke Turner and Louis Ennis I beleive Freddie Langdon on fiddle. I was inspired by Jerry and still remember those"Wa Wa" blues and he took his little finger to WaWa the volume. I also beleive Jay Nease was around then. The M.C was Willie Thaw. Those were the Days . Ed Naylor Steel Guitar Works.

Delbert Barker Sr · Post by **Delbert Barker Sr** » 25 Jul 2002 6:03 pm

The accordian player on the Midwestern Hayride was Buddy Ross. I ws playing the Midday Merry Ground on WCPO at the same time as the Hayride and I met Buddy several times during that period. Later Louis Ennis was my producer on King Records. I never knew of Ernie Lee playing accordian

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 25 Jul 2002 6:25 pm

Ray: Those brothers that played with Eddy Arnold were the Willis brother, Guy, Vic and Skeeter. Those names are as familiar to me as Lil' Roy Wiggins and that Ting A Ling Steel Guitar Sound that started me on this long long road of Bar and Picks !!

Regards, Paul

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 25 Jul 2002 11:59 pm

Ed, Tommy Jackson was fiddling with the Pleasant Valley boys when I met Jerry @ WLW studios in the spring 1949. I can remember Buddy Ross now that you mention his name. Later on TV I used to see the Midwestern Hayride & I think Chuck Rich was the steel man...really nice. He played the Lexington show one year I went to it.....1995??

Jack Byrd · Post by **Jack Byrd** » 26 Jul 2002 7:54 am

Ernie Lee was really Ernie "Lee" Cornelison. He died a few years back but before he passed on he made a trip to Hawaii to see Jerry and talk of the old times they had together. This was shortly before his death. Jerry said they had a great time remembing the good ole days together.
Four 78 singles the Happy Valley Boys with GERRY Byrd and the others mentioned above are:
Home Coming Time in Happy Valley and I'll Never Leave Old Dixieland Again; My Little Grass Shack and Sophisticated Lady; Renfro Valley Home and Hop Along Peter; You Don't Love Me and Weeping Willow Valley. All on Bluebird records.

For those of you who may not know Jerry's given name is Gerald. He first went to Gerry and then Jerry.

I too do not believe that Ernie ever played an accordian.[This message was edited by Jack Byrd on 26 July 2002 at 08:55 AM.]

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 26 Jul 2002 9:18 am

Thanks to everyone for your responses and for getting this old man's perspective in order. Your comments are much appreciated.

And to you Jack Byrd........ Is there ANYONE in the whole wide WORLD that might have a copy of the Pleasant Valley Boys recordings?

That would certainly be a great "sample" to have of Gerald's early playing.

Really appreciate your input on this as well as all of your other informative and factual posts about the GREAT ONE!

Please keep 'em coming. I'd forgotten Ernie's given name. It's so nice that they got the opportunity to share some time together. I feel Ernie had a voice that was of the same quality and greatness that Foley and a few others shared.

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 27 Jul 2002 7:15 am

Ray: While we are back this far, I have had a song stuck in my head for almost 50 years. I have always wanted to know more about it but Korea and the USAF kept it on a back shelf for me.

The singer was Dolph Hewitt (sp??) and the song was titled: The Gods Were Angry With Me.
I knew the words for years but they are mostly gone now and I recall there was steel guitar on it but I no longer have those sounds or a name for the guitarist in my head. Any ideas ??

Also, anybody know what happened to Jerry Wallace ?? He always featured a terrific steel interpetation on his recordings. The song I remember best by him was Primrose Lane. I don't think I ever heards it mentioned as to who played that steel work. I just always figured it was BE because it was so good.

Regards, Paul

[This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 27 July 2002 at 08:17 AM.]

Fred Murphy · Post by **Fred Murphy** » 27 Jul 2002 7:28 am

Jim Reeves had a recording of (The Gods Were Angry with me). I could get the words for you, if it is the same song and the one you want. Also, does anyone remember who the girl was that sang with Zeke Turner? I have been trying to think of Zeke's name for a long time. I'm glad someone remembered. I always liked to hear them when I was a kid.

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 27 Jul 2002 2:59 pm

HI there!
The first I ever heard of Jerry Wallace was when his "record" kept playing over and over again on the jukebox (payola?) in this roadside diner in which no one could be found to wait on the lone customer.... I believe it was an episode of Rod Serling's
...........
The Gods were angry with me, for loving you....
The Gods were angry with me, because they knew...
I stood at Heaven's portal...and that was too high...
For any mortal, such as I.

So then they took down the sun, the skies were gray...
and the howlin' winds took you away...
and there was nothing I could do or I could say,..
It was because the God's were angry with me.

JERRY BYRD does a fabulous "backup" during Ernie Lee's recitation in the middle part......like Jerry did so well. It was so emotional, it would bring tears to your eyes.

Ernie Lee did, as did Eddie Kirk on Capital. Altho' I have several older Dolph Hewitt 78's, I have no knowledge who the steel player might be. Originally, I tho't it was JB...but later determined it was likely not the master.

I can get you the remainder of the words for above....should you desire. Those are I could remember at this sitting.

Zeke Turner's brother Zeb Turner cut a couple of records also featuring Jerry Byrd.

At about the same time JB was recording with Louis Innis and others there at WLW, JB recorded a couple of tunes with JUDY PERKINS and I'm wondering if she might have been the vocalist you were thinking about.

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 27 Jul 2002 6:12 pm

Ray
You are without a doubt the "oldest" person
on this Forum..

older than dirt.

See all of you again sometime in the future,
I have many things to do here at home.

Eddie Kirk "sheeesh.." next you will be talkin about Carson Robison.

see ya

Jody (younger than Ray)

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 27 Jul 2002 10:14 pm

Hey Jody! What about Texas Jim Robertson?
T.Texas Tyler?

Nice hearing from you once again.

Older than dirt? Hummmmmm......

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 28 Jul 2002 5:06 am

.[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 02 August 2002 at 08:12 AM.]

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 28 Jul 2002 6:34 am

Texas Jim ! I recorded with him....

Sounds like: My wife ran away with my best friend Jim ! I don't miss her but I do miss him.

Jody; you got some old things flippin' around in my head. I don't know what the song was that Montanna Slim did but something of his had a nice steel part on it and I recall it getting my attention probably when I was 15 or 16. If that was you than my hats off to you matey !! We've met long before we knew !!

Ray: Those lyrics are fine for now. I'm not going to try and resurrect the song, I just wanted to set my memory straight. Like the nice time we all had over a year ago with a thread titled The One Rose, this one is doing the same things for us. Nice old memories and for those who aren't old enough to share with us, you will some day. You'll have a lot of old things you will recall fondly from your present musical work. It never ends. The leaves come down in the fall and the buds come back in the spring.
That's just the way it is.........

Regards, Paul

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 28 Jul 2002 8:35 am

Paul
If the steel sounded good,,,it wasn't me.

Texas Jim was a nice man,,he took his own life years back,. Wilf Carter and Montana Slim were one and the same person.

Ray is so old "How Old Is He"?? Ray is so old
he played with Paul Whiteman when Whiteman was starting out and then he played with Rudy Vallee,,,,didnt you Ray....get the Geritol,,,it works

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 28 Jul 2002 11:47 am

Hey Paul, regarding those Montana Slim songs you were recalling with the fine steel guitar on them.
Might they have been: Shoo Shoo Sh La la,
Maple Leaf Waltz, There's A Tree in every road?

Jerry Byrd did those numbers along with the flip side, of course.

Glad the lyrics were what you were after.

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 28 Jul 2002 12:19 pm

For Mr. Graupp. You were asking about Jerry Wallace. Jerry lives in the Victorville, CA area. I worked a gig with him about 4 months ago. He still sounds great. Who would have thought over 30 years have gone by? Seems like it was only yesterday

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 28 Jul 2002 12:53 pm

Ray: Yes I recall those names but like Jody said, you're going a long ways back....,,,,

Jim Bob: If you catch another gig with JW, ask him who played steel on his albums if you would please !!

Thanks, Paul

Butch Foster · Post by **Butch Foster** » 31 Jul 2002 4:21 am

Ray, thanks for taking us back. I read an article about Jerry getting his first steel-he said he ordered it from Spiegel and went to pick it up on a bike but didn' remember how he got it home! He wrote about getting up at 2:00 in the morning to practice. He also mentioned a gentleman who operated a local guitar school who assisted him in getting " THE RICKENBACKER". He said his parents were a little disappointed when he first brought it home as they then knew music would be his career choice. Mr. Jack Byrd did the author quote Jerry correctly?

Howard Kalish · Post by **Howard Kalish** » 31 Jul 2002 5:41 pm

I just have to say how much I enjoy eavesdropping on the older fellers reminiscing. So great to hear Jerry Byrd referred to as the master. I recognize quite a few of the names mentioned, like Zeb and Zeke Turner, who were wonderful, monstrous guitar players. I know of them from numerous King recordings, especially the Delmore Bros boogie woogie numbers. I'll go back to listening at the door.

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 31 Jul 2002 6:19 pm

Zeb Turner played in Sudbury Ontario, in Canada in the sixties at the Townhouse Hotel, where I was in the house band with Bill Long. He played a Martin solid-body electric guitar with a natural wood finish. I have not seen one before or since. He was one smooth player. I stole two jokes from him that I use to this day.

Like the spider said when he walked across the mirror, "That's another way of looking at it!"
Like the skunk said when the wind shifted,"It all comes back to me now!"[This message was edited by Andy Greatrix on 31 July 2002 at 07:26 PM.]

Jack Byrd · Post by **Jack Byrd** » 1 Aug 2002 9:00 am

Butch,

The author of that little story is basically correct. This will be covered in Jerry's soon to be published book (looks like October now).

Ray Montee · Post by **Ray Montee** » 1 Aug 2002 1:29 pm

Thanks guys for participating in this post.

So many great names that have unfortunately been lost to time........ Such a shame.

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 1 Aug 2002 1:49 pm

Jack, please add my name to the waiting list for Jerry's book. Click on my email address and send me an email if you want any "up front" input and or address.

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kd...and the beat goes on...