Honkey Tonk Instrument

About Steel Guitarists and their Music

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Quesney Gibbs
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Honkey Tonk Instrument

Post by Quesney Gibbs »

A good friend of mine played at a place that features Sacred and Bluegrass music.

After he had done a set or two the owner invited him to leave the stage.

The owner told someone there he did not want a honkey Tonk instrument in his place.

Comments Please.....

Ques
Tony Farr
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Post by Tony Farr »

If they think steel guitar is honky tonk, then they are duuuuuumb, there's nothing more pretty than steel on gospel music and bluegrass.
Marty Pollard
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Post by Marty Pollard »

You know, preachers used to feel that way about the b@nj0 too. Thank goodness there's no such perception here at the SGF.
Image
I hope there are no drums either. They incite carnal desire. No air-copulation during prayer meetin'!
<font color=red size=1>Remainder of message censored due to member complaints. -Heinrich Himmler-</font><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by b0b on 05 September 2002 at 09:42 AM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Marty Pollard on 05 September 2002 at 11:22 AM.]</p></FONT>
P Perry
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Post by P Perry »

Point them to Psalms 33:2. That will give you time to tear your gear down. Really confuses them too they don't know whether to wind their butt or scratch their watch.
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Jim Cohen
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Post by Jim Cohen »

Seems to me them PIE-ANOs used to be played in bawdy-houses. I don't think they should ever be allowed in decent concert halls, do you, Mr. Horowitz?
john buffington
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Post by john buffington »

Yep, I've had preachers tell me: "I can't have no worldly instrument like that in my church, I go down the road listening to it on my car radio, but can't have it in my church. Folks won't stand for it." Yet these same "folks" will go to a resort town(s), where there are numerous "theaters" pay $20.+ for an "evening of entertainment" and hear one, yet won't allow someone in their church to use their God given talent "free". I'm off my soap box now!
John Buffington<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by john buffington on 05 September 2002 at 09:13 AM.]</p></FONT>
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Tony Orth
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Post by Tony Orth »

Ahhhh yes! Beauty is truly in the ear of the beholder.

By the way, someone should tell this bird that the fiddle is considered the "devil's instrument?" Now, If we start eliminating every instrument that's ever been played in a honky-tonk, we'll be down to a sousaphone.
I don't remember anyone ever playing a sousaphone in a honky-tonk.
Perhaps they could have two and do "Dueling Sousaphones"

Tony
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Tony Orth on 05 September 2002 at 09:59 AM.]</p></FONT>
Randy Pettit
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Post by Randy Pettit »

Sorry Tony, I saw a Sousaphone played in Preservation Hall in New Orleans. Scratch Sousaphone off list. Image
Bob Carlson
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Post by Bob Carlson »

Every Honky Tonk that had music had a piano. Took the place of drums that we wouldn't have thought of using if we'd of had em.

Listen to Hag's "Big City" and it sounds like the old days. Blondie did a lot of chording for Ray also. I even did some myself.

Bob.
Gene Jones
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Post by Gene Jones »

Remember John Astin in the movie "Evil Roy Slade", when he attended his first uppity social function and encountered a string quartet for the first time?

Evil Roy walked up to the cello player, placed his six-shooter against his head and said, "Mister, you are disgusting.....get that fiddle out from between your legs and up under your chin where it belongs, or I'm gona blow your head off!" Image
www.genejones.com <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 05 September 2002 at 11:15 AM.]</p></FONT>
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Jerry Hayes
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Post by Jerry Hayes »

I remember some years back I was at Blackie Taylor's music store in California. He told me that a woman had brought her son who was one of the students to look at some steels on display. He favored the ShoBud but she wouldn't get it for him because it had the club, heart, spade, and diamond symbols from playing cards on it....I think he got an MSA or something.

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney tuning.

Bob Hayes
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Post by Bob Hayes »

What would happen to the "Sacred Steel Guitar Assn" If the ever cross paths with that feller??????,I guess they'll have to change thier name to the NON..Sacred Steel Assn.!!!!....or start dooing thier Shows at Honky Tonks!!!!!
GV
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Tony Orth
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Post by Tony Orth »

Darn it, Randy. I'm sorry to hear that.

The Sousaphone. Another vanishing American
Institution.

Tony
Matt Steindl
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Post by Matt Steindl »

"The Sousaphone, another dying instrument"

Speak for yourself! I can go out tonight and hear 5 different bands that play five different types of music and all of em have a sousaphone. As a matter of fact, I can walk about 200 paces right now and hear a street band w/ a sousaphone player.

Fortunately, New Orleans has so many musical hybrids(gumbo?) that many bands have forsaken a string bass player and have a tuba or sousaphone holding up the bottom end.

Here is a true story. A freind of mine was fed up with living in the Big Easy, he had his car stolen, lost his girl and job all in one week. He was ready to head home to Chicago to start anew, then out of the blue at 10:00 AM on a Tuesday morning, a young black kid went riding past him on a bicycle w/ a sousaphone around his neck, belting out some growling tones as he rode. My buddy smiled, and said "only in New Orleans!" Guess what, he still lives here to this day.

Never heard country music w/ a tuba though!

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Mattman in "The Big Sleazy"-:
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Rick Garrett
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Post by Rick Garrett »

I figure the Good Lord likes all kinds of music played by all kinds of instruments. It mentions stringed instruments in the Bible and after all he IS the author of it all.

Rick Garrett
Bob Anderson
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Post by Bob Anderson »

Boys you dont understand. Its aginst doctrine. Everyone knows the fact, its the only string instrument you can set a beer on while playing. Please no piano jokes thats a percussion instrument.
jim milewski
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Post by jim milewski »

the first time I heard "Someday Soon" by Judy Collins, I had never heard a more beautiful instrument, (I didn't even know what a steel was or looked like)it was heaven on earth, I can't believe any true man of God could judge that style of playing ungodly, hymns are made for the steel as far as I'm concerned, and most bluegrass pickers I've met are the salt of the earth, many are beleivers, I don't think I ever bought a bluegrass album without a couple gospel tunes on it, and how about Ronda Vincent or Alison Krauss with the Cox Family (Kayton Roberts is on several tunes)this is gospel. Here in stuffy New England on a Christian station a guy does an hour show every week called Gospel Country, he opens up with the line "twin fiddles and steel guitar, it don't get any better than that....not on this side of heaven"
Lem Smith
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Post by Lem Smith »

I too have been told in the past that my steel didn't belong in Church because it had the playing card symbols on it. My steel was of course a Sho~Bud.

I've got a friend who was "called down" one time in a Church when he was playing Dobro, because he had a peace symbol on his Dobro strap.

Takes all kinds I guess.

L.
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Tony Prior
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Post by Tony Prior »

Whhoooww..lets not go down the Church road..I did 6 years behind a Grand Piano on bass in an 8 piece Assembly of God full Pentecostal band, 3 services a week with rehearsals and other ministry's as well. I have some pastor stories that relate to Instruments and such but we will save that for our Church/wife cheating pastor topic.

Those "legend in their own mind" religious leaders are pretty narrow if they think "ANY" Instrument cannot be used on the platform. I'm ok with not displaying symbols
but I never read a scripture anywhere that stated " Thou shalt not mash pedal A and B " !

Seems to me the number one (1) honky tonk Instrument is the 6 string guitar , no ?

there's really only one scripture that apply's to all musicians...

"Thou shalt not play out of tune "

tp
Larry King
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Post by Larry King »

Rom.8:1 backed up by Rom.2:1 and furthermore Paul said "you're in the world, not OF the world"...there's always gonna be pinheads, even in the pulpit..AND the Word sez "let everything that hath breath praise the Lord". Not being a player I assume your Steels breathe 'cause when it exhales y'all call that "cabinet drop"...I've been on both sides musically but always on the right side and was part of a TV show at WSM back in the sixties where we had some rookies in the TV band....one named Weldon and when he was busy he sent Garrish or Basore...we always had a steel and that was even before they started putting crosses on the front....but, during those years and through that effort we saw people like Connie Smith come to the Lord and I'm positive that if we had a pious attitude and rejected those honky tonk steels we would have driven people away..after all, she knew one of those players purty good...incidently, a holier than thou attitude may have resulted in there not being a "Cowboy Church" out at the Opryland area...just someone else who came to the Lord during those days..keep pickin' 'em, making a joyful noise
Bob Farlow
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Post by Bob Farlow »

My assesment of the situation:

"Ignorance is temporary,,,,Stupid is forever"
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Tony Orth
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Post by Tony Orth »

Matt,

I had no idea. I need to get out more.

One thing's for sure. That Sousaphone has got to be lighter than my Emmons and Peavey rig. And, I'll never be toting them around on my bicycle.

Later
Tony
jim milewski
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Post by jim milewski »

besides I bet sousaphones don't have a forum!
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Johan Jansen
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Post by Johan Jansen »

Hi Quesney,
I don't know the steeler involved, but if he played it like a Honky-tonk instrument, they fired the player instead of the instrument.
food for thoughts Image
JJ<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Johan Jansen on 07 September 2002 at 07:24 AM.]</p></FONT>
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David Doggett
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Post by David Doggett »

"Scientists say hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. I dispute that. Stupidity is the most abundant element in the universe." - Frank Zappa
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