Curley Chalker

David Wright · Post by **David Wright** » 25 Jan 2003 7:55 pm

Jeff,
Yes it is, I do believe this is something you feel, and would be hard to teach someone,
Thanks Bill See you in Dallas...

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Sierra Guitars

Sierra S-12 9&7
Peavey-2000-PX-300

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 25 Jan 2003 9:43 pm

Well, some pretty good company is saying the same thing about Curly.

Jeff , and Carl, I agree with what you said about the difference between a Jazz player and Jammer. Right on!
Jeff, I might think of you as being a jazz player.
That could make a whole new post.

Gene-I agree that Bert Revera is no slouch himself. He just wasn't Curly . I talked to him during the break and he was nervous in following Curly, who wouldn't be?...al?

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 26 Jan 2003 5:43 pm

Curly was a great E9th player, too, with an expression and feeling on that neck which is easily equal to anyone I have ever heard. Yes, including the late great Jimmy Day. Were Curly around today, I have no doubt he'd be one of the top session players. He was indeed far ahead of his time.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 26 Jan 2003 7:13 pm

I agree Donny, the "Nashville Sundown" album that he made of all Gordon Lightfoot songs, all on E9th, is one of my all time favorites.

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Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 30 Jan 2003 5:59 pm

Here's my two cents worth on A MASTER PLAYER - CURLY CHALKER!

I guess I'm alittle behind others on their posts on Curly. After reading the comments on him early in the week, I had to dig out some of Curly's steel recordings. And I gottem' all! Every recording listed are great as are his "More Ways To Play," and "Neveda Breaks L.P.s or tapes."

If your new to the steel guitar you need to try and get copies of all of Curly's soloist recordings. You won't be disappointed in his efforts.I think Tom Bradshaw Pedal Steel Guitar Products and or Scotty's Music St. Louis have them.

Curly Chalker in my opinion, rates in THE TOP 10 Steel Guitarists of all time.
He had big ears/picker's ears, I mean like Emmons, Reece Anderson, Julian THarpe, Diggin' Doug Jernigan and only a few others have. These guys just are gifted in that sense.

Don't know about the rest of ya'll but I dearly miss some of these guys who have gone onto the bandstand in the sky: Curly Chalker, Julian Tharpe, Jimmy Day, Zane Beck, etc.

May GOD bless you all!

Terry J. Wood
I Corinthians 1:18

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 30 Jan 2003 10:41 pm

There are so many adjectives to describe Curly's playing and like what happens to all of us, time has a way of slowing us down and robbing us of our keen abilities. Whey you hear the stuff he did in the sixties starting with the "Travis" album and Hank Thompson's recordings and on into Carl Smith's great stuff of that decade, you stand in awe of his expression and tone. He played the brass section of a big band, the gutting of a jazz organ's volumn and the dynamics of a concert piano. He had the ability of rapid triad runs with the speed of a single note player that defined clean pure sound.
Some complained about his temperment but when he played, he bared his soul like we all wish we could and displayed fire mixed with tenderness that showed behind that facade, laid the heart of a sensitive man that let his music speak of his true nature.

Billy Easton · Post by **Billy Easton** » 31 Jan 2003 8:13 am

Gary...
You are right on... no one could have said that better than you. Bless You and Keep you and Chrissie.

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Billy Easton
Casa Grande, AZ
Southwestern Steel Guitar Association

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 31 Jan 2003 5:19 pm

Is "volume gutting" also the same as "reverse
swell"? Isn't it like you grab that chord with
volume real low and quickly spring up to a higher level? It's done so quickly and deftly
that it creates this exciting sound that can only be accomplished thru this technique?

It's a tricky technique and can be blown real easily. But once you get the hang of it,
it can really be a beautiful and effective tool, to add to your tool box.

Hope we're talking of the same technique.

Chipper

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 31 Jan 2003 7:08 pm

Chip, Curly would punch his chords and back off a bit and then bring it back up. It is an art that he was the expert. If you ever hear a big band, the brass section does the same thing and is very dynamic and Curly being a trumpet player was a fan of the big band sound.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 31 Jan 2003 7:47 pm

Thanks Gary....WOW! I can tell, you know of
what you speak......I'll certainly pay more attention to those "non-steel" instruments
and try to incorporate that 'mystical difference that defines one instrument from another'.

Ever since I read this interview (early-on)
with Roger[Jim]Mcguinn [BYRDS] in GUITAR PLAYER magazine > I was just totally impressed.

He was asked how or where he came up with the lead guitar part to '8 Miles High'?

And his answer, which just floored me at the time, was >>>>> "I copped some of those licks
from John Coltrane" (reknowned jazz saxist)

"Yeah, you heard me right. Yes, I play guitar,
but I really get most of my influences from
jazz sax players, and/or other non-guitarists".

Here we are, all listening to guitarists to emulate, and along comes this guy Mcguinn. and says..........oh yeah...... you may, you might, you could, and you will become a better musician, simply by listening and trying to play on the guitar sounds from different instruments and voices.

Early, raw, fuzz tones actually sounded like
big saxaphones.

Chipper

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 1 Feb 2003 12:01 am

Thanks Billy for those wonderful words and the same to you my friend.

Dale Granstrom · Post by **Dale Granstrom** » 4 Feb 2003 7:55 pm

I had the privelage of taking six hours of instruction from Curly six months before he passed away. This was in his du-plex he was living in in Nashville. He would show me his way doing his style for an hour and then we would sit and talk, mostly about music. What an opertunity this was, from my steel guitar hero. Curly's favorite style of music was big band. He learned it from a couple of big band arrangers, is what he said. This is something I will never forget.

I also learned his musical history and background and a lot about HEE HAW and the events leading up to it and afterward.

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