Blind Steelers ?

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 19 Aug 2001 11:36 pm

Greetings y'all
This past weekend i was initiatin' my fellow PairO'Kneans to Steelin'
i was asked by an enlightened fellow if i knew of any blind steelers.
i was at a loss to answer.
i knew it was a job for SteelGuitForum.
how many of us can play w: eyes closed or without lookin' ?
are there any blind Steel players ?
Steel waitin' to see...

Boomer · Post by **Boomer** » 20 Aug 2001 2:41 am

Barbara Mandrell used to play & sing at the same time. Never had to look. Best, Boomer

Kenny Forbess · Post by **Kenny Forbess** » 20 Aug 2001 6:35 am

Many times I've seen Jimmy Day play whole breaks in a song with his head tilted back, eyes closed, never miss a note.
Same with Fills and phrases.
But of coarse Jimmy had everything in his body connected to that Steel at all times.

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kenny
66 Emmons 8&7
Derby D-10 9&7

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 20 Aug 2001 8:26 am

That's a good question. I think that players should look out at the audience and smile more too.

That's is always the way I used to do it, I looked away from my steel a lot.
(occasionally a boo boo too).

It makes a lot more rapport with the dancers going by.....al

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 20 Aug 2001 9:58 am

Good point Al.
it is hard to look away but it ain't that hard to keep smilin'.
where is Smiley ?

JERRY THURMOND · Post by **JERRY THURMOND** » 20 Aug 2001 10:06 am

Jim Scott is blind, an plays very good in fact he was on the road with Jim & Jesse back in the 70's. He plays at church now but still plays very good. ps also he plays left handed Jerry

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 20 Aug 2001 3:20 pm

Kenny Dail once told me of a blind player by the name of Tom Kaufmann, who was from this general (Balto.) area. I think he said he played fiddle and lead, as well.

wayne yakes md · Post by **wayne yakes md** » 20 Aug 2001 3:48 pm

Bobby Garrett said Buddy Emmons ripped off his fretboard and played a tour without it on his steel!

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 21 Aug 2001 2:13 am

Neal Livingston of Washington state, played with Charlie Ryan on "Hot Rod Lincoln" doing all those sound effects. I believe Neal could see a little bit, but was considered legally blind.
Neal may be playing steel in Spokane.??

Roger

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 21 Aug 2001 3:44 am

I knew of one who played an old multi chord but haven't run into any others.I know there are a lot of deaf ones out there tho

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 21 Aug 2001 7:36 am

What'd you say???

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 22 Aug 2001 8:55 am

My very good friend,Mr.Jan Jones,(who happens to be vice pres. of the N.T.S.G.A.) is blind. He owns an old Sierra S-10,3 & 5. Doesn't do a bad job on,"Together Again" either. Here's the "kicker". He's a drummer by trade.

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© ars longa,
mm vita brevis
-=sr€=-</pre>

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 22 Aug 2001 2:38 pm

I think that Mike Perlowin was legally blind before his recent eye surgery.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 22 Aug 2001 4:49 pm

Hey Smiley you forgot Paul Caputo alias Paul Comet who you were so kind as to hold up the words of a song for him to sing.

He did play pretty good steel and I believe he had a DEKLEY.Paul was and still is a one of a kind Musician .Blind from birth he was once put in the position where he had to land a small plane after the Pilot died of a stroke in flight. He was guided in by the Air force reserves from Barnes AFB who followed him down and he made a perfect three point landing. He also was a transmitter tower repairmain ,yes he climed the towers.He was also a channel 22 news caster and played bass for me for over a year.A remakable human being to say the least.He wound up I'm told playing with a version of the Texas Playboys when he moved to Texas.

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CJC

Don McClellan · Post by **Don McClellan** » 22 Aug 2001 8:31 pm

I saw a street musician in S.F. playing a lap steel through a little battery powered amp with one hand cut off at the wrist and the other hand missing 3 fingers. He was rolling his head around like Stevie Wonder which made me think he may have been blind too. I'm not sure though. This was a sobering sight.

Bill Nauman · Post by **Bill Nauman** » 23 Aug 2001 7:56 am

Lee Knight,Tacoma Washington 1969

Larry Miller · Post by **Larry Miller** » 23 Aug 2001 8:02 am

I've played blind drunk before.

Larry

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GO TITANS GO!!!
[This message was edited by Larry Miller on 23 August 2001 at 09:04 AM.]

Tim Rowley · Post by **Tim Rowley** » 24 Aug 2001 10:46 pm

Here in the Flint MI area (actually Owosso I believe) we had a well-known blind steeler for many years. His name was Hank Evener, and he was great on the steel. Although I never worked with him, friends of mine have and they all say he had a great personality as well. One of the things he liked to do was to have his musician friends take him to the middle of a large empty parking lot, then he would hop behind the wheel and drive the car while the friends would coach him right, left, fast, slow, stop, etc. He would get the greatest kick out of that and they would all enjoy the fun. Hank did quite a fair amount of studio playing. He developed a technique of "measuring" back to the nut with his left hand in between licks and it must have worked well for him because he always fretted true. Of course he had a highly developed musical ear which aided his playing considerably. I understand that Hank passed away several years ago, but examples of his recorded output are still floating around out there on local gospel and country recordings cut in the Flint area.

Tim R.

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 25 Aug 2001 5:14 am

Many thanx to you who have enlightened me on this topic.
Considering PSG is hard enough even w: open eyes, i gotta bow to those who are blind and probably kick you know what, better than me !
Onward Steelers, to that promised land...

[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 25 August 2001 at 06:14 AM.]

Gary C. Dygert · Post by **Gary C. Dygert** » 3 Oct 2002 3:43 pm

Can I reopen this thread? I caught part of an Opry show on tv with Jack Greene doing Night Life, and I thought the steel player was blind. Anybody know about him?

Marty Pollard · Post by **Marty Pollard** » 3 Oct 2002 4:46 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>...are there any blind Steel players ?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Are you KIDDIN' me???This place is FULL of 'em! Just read the threads.

There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 3 Oct 2002 5:11 pm

Gary, I think you're talking about Tommy White's little snippet of a ride that there was a thread about a few weeks ago. Tommy literally smoked for his 13 seconds of the song, Night Life...while staring up into space. It was awesome!

He sees quite well, and plays pretty good too!

Kim West · Post by **Kim West** » 3 Oct 2002 5:26 pm

i JUST finished posting a reply on the buy/sell section to a guy from macon, georgia, looking for the blind steel player who sat in on two songs for my band's album in january down at capricorn studio. his name is "goose" goodrich, he's legally blind (though i'm fairly certain he his vision is extremely limited: we had to help him out of the palying room into the engineer's room after he played...), and he's from the macon, georgia area. he played in the house band at a place called "whiskey river", but we went out to see his band and, after taking our $20 cover charge, the owner told us that he'd fired the band, and, no, we couldn't get a refund! anyway, goose (i don't know his real name) plays a burled sho-bud d-10, and knows his stuff. but i can't locate him. (any help?) i went back to macon in april, and asked around, but no one could help me. folks had heard of him, but... has a nice mystery/legend ring to it, huh?

Bob Kagy · Post by **Bob Kagy** » 3 Oct 2002 5:36 pm

Joe Wright - not blind, sees very well, but who can Play, PLAY that is, without looking.

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 3 Oct 2002 7:22 pm

Hi Donny, Tom Kaufman is declared "legally" blind and is presently living in Denton, Maryland. He has email capabilities. If anyone would like, I will give you his email address. Very talented player... Yes, he does play lead guitar and fiddle as well as PSG.

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