Which Television Steeler Had The Most Impact

Ron Scott · Post by **Ron Scott** » 9 Nov 2003 12:55 pm

What about Don Helms on the wilburn Bro Show.I really enjoyed the times he was on along with Hal and Curly.Good memories...

Ron

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 9 Nov 2003 9:06 pm

Wimpy on Ralph Emory's shows. Jody.

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 9 Nov 2003 10:01 pm

I only ever remember Buddy Merrill playing a Blonde Fender 1000, but; maybe my memory is just a little older! Regardless, I watched every week, just in case he would be scheduled for a featured spot! After I started playing in 1948, I watched as many popular shows as possible, just to catch sight and sound of any steel guitar! (as soon as TV was available at the neighbor's house) I remember mainly Speedy West, Buddy Merrill and Marvin, with Jimmy Dean and Andrico Tarketti(sp) These were just the very early-days!

------------------
“Big John” {(<< Uh~
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

BDBassett · Post by **BDBassett** » 10 Nov 2003 5:33 am

Up in the pacific northwest we had a TV show on every Saturday night called Evergreen Jubilee hosted by Jack Roberts and the Evergreen Drifters. It was on for 8 years as I recall. From about 1960 to 68. The steel player I remember was Chubby Howard. Although I didn't play steel at that time I was enthralled by the sound of it. I got to meet Chubby several times before he moved back to Ohio. Sorry to say I never got to pick with him. But I'd like him to know what an influence his playing had on me.

BDBassett
Rimrock AZ

Gaylon Mathews · Post by **Gaylon Mathews** » 10 Nov 2003 6:30 am

Does anyone know if the Hee Haw episodes are offered on VHS or DVD anywhere? How about the Wilburn Brothers show? You can find Andy and Barney or the 3 Stooges on DVD nowadays but no Hee Haw that I can find. I'd buy'em all if I could find them.

------------------
Gaylon's Homepage
www.geocities.com/nashville/1064

Craig Collins & High Lonesome
www.craigcollinslive.com

[This message was edited by Gaylon Mathews on 10 November 2003 at 06:31 AM.]

JAMES BANKS · Post by **JAMES BANKS** » 10 Nov 2003 8:21 am

I remember the TV shows out of Ft Worth. I remember Gary Hogue from the Cowboy Weaver Days. I was fortune enough to see the televised part of the famous Charley Pride, Live at Panther Hall recording on Channel 11 out of Ft Worth. That one program made me want to play steel more than anytning else. I also remember Leon McCaulif (probably spelled wrong) on the Panther Hall programs.
I sure miss those days. Regional TV was better than today's satellite junk.

------------------

David Spires · Post by **David Spires** » 10 Nov 2003 9:00 am

I'll give another vote to Larry Sasser on Nashville Now. Watching and listening to Larry gave me a lot of ideas, about pickin', and about how to carry yourself.

Tommy sure did a fantastic job on Music City Tonight, and I loved Mike Johnson on "You Can Be A Star". However, I think that Nashville Now was more popular, and to a wider audience.

By the way, "Thanks, Wimpy.",

David Spires

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 10 Nov 2003 9:05 am

When I started playing in 1980, the steeler that had the most inpact on me was Frans Doolaard, with a hawaiian -act.Later came POCO with Rusty Young,the same time Emmylou Harris and the hot band with Hank di Vito.Ralph Mooney with Waylon also.They where the guys who were good exposed at the Dutch TV.

Gino Iorfida · Post by **Gino Iorfida** » 10 Nov 2003 9:14 am

My first impressions were I think of the show "Pop! goes the country!" with Ralph Emory... and I remember seeing many shots of this steel guitarist wearing this funny hat all the time, and asking my father (who is NOT a steeler) "That's Buddy Emmons -- the guy who the BUD in ShoBud is , and the name Emmons on his steel is for"... then as I grew older, still only 'curious' about the pedal steel, it was 'Wimpy' on nashville now, Mike johnson on 'you cna be a star' (as a side note, growing up watching the Dukes of Hazzard, with Jay Dee Manness' 'chase scene' playing always stuck in my head, and in fact was the 'tone I had in my head' when searching for my tone)

John Cadeau · Post by **John Cadeau** » 10 Nov 2003 11:43 am

Tommy you're right, I saw Rusty on Bill's T.V. show, and at a few live concerts. He had a sunburst Fender 1000 I believe. and yes those shows were great.
John.

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 10 Nov 2003 11:52 am

Wimpy on Nashville Now...

Charles Curtis · Post by **Charles Curtis** » 10 Nov 2003 2:07 pm

I remember Weldon Myrick playing with Bill Anderson and Ron Lashley presenting him with an Emmons on live TV. I would watch and listen, mesmerized if you will, trying to see how Weldon was doing all that picking with so little of it shown. It just seemed that his right hand didn't seem to move with all the action.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 10 Nov 2003 2:33 pm

I have 2 albums (one was the first PSG album I ever bought) by Buddy Merrill and they both have him pictured with an Emmons. I was lucky enough to catch him a couple times on Welk's show and he played the Emmons both times. This was probably after the Fender.

Roger Crawford · Post by **Roger Crawford** » 10 Nov 2003 2:57 pm

Another Sasser vote!

MALCOLM KIRBY · Post by **MALCOLM KIRBY** » 10 Nov 2003 3:04 pm

The first Steel Guitarist that I remember seeing on TV was Hal Rugg on Eddie Hill's "Country Junction", with Jimmy Capps on guitar. I was in grade school at the time, but would always catch that early morning show. Although I wasn't into steel at the time, the instrumentals and backup that they played sure caught my ear.
Buddy Emmons actually had the most impact on me, later in life, on "That Nashville Music".

Buddy, didn't you play bass and let David Smith play steel one time?

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 10 Nov 2003 4:43 pm

For me growing up with Chicago Television-I would say Don Worden on Porter's show, Rugsy on the Wilburn Bros show, Curley on Hee Haw, and there was one episode of "Don Kirschners Rock Concert" featuring POCO when during the final tune Rusty Young whipped his Sho-Bud up on end at the front of the stage and started sliding the strings vertically like a madman-then he threw his bar out into the audience at the end-For me as an aspiring pedal steeler that was akin to being a rock guitar player and watching video of Hendrix burning his Strat at Monterey

Bob Strum · Post by **Bob Strum** » 10 Nov 2003 5:42 pm

Joaquin Murph on a snowy b/w tv during the 50's. Wow!

Jim Anderson · Post by **Jim Anderson** » 10 Nov 2003 11:12 pm

Not my first, by any means, but I always enjoyed Larry Sasser, and still do today(St. Louis, 2003)

------------------

Tom Althoff · Post by **Tom Althoff** » 11 Nov 2003 4:15 pm

You can tell us "young-uns" by who we remember. Earliest for me was Rusty Young with POCO On "Rock Concert" and later live in Passaic, NJ at the Capitol Theater. Then Orville "Red" Rhodes with Mike Nesmith's 1st National Band etc. It was Nesmith's music (even back in his Monkees days) that got this old rock'n'roller to consider that country steel might be cooler than the techno-metal-punk-garage music I was into in the in the 70's and 80's. Yep..it takes a while but if you Texas boys play long enough us Jersey guys eventually catch on!

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 11 Nov 2003 10:05 pm

They didn't have TV when I was seeing and hearing Alvino Rey in person or on the radio or records. But he was way ahead of everyone at that time.

SO I would say Hal Rugg Impressed me with the Wilburn Bros. on TV, playing that old Sho-Bud Professional, on C6.

He did a lot of songs on C6 on the shows. Sounded to me like he knew what he was doing......al

------------------
My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 20 November 2003 at 09:51 PM.]

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 12 Nov 2003 12:44 am

As a kid I watched Evergreen Jubilee too, when we lived in-between Lynnwood and Bothell, Washington. I remember once getting real close to the screen when the steeler played, my dad said "what are you doing?" I said, "I'm watching his hands so I can learn how to play". My dad just laughed...can't blame him I guess....but look Dad, I've been doing it for some time now! Also watched Lawrence Welk, waiting for some guitar or steel playing. I watched any music show I could find! Later of course it was Curly on Hee Haw. I really miss the old local live music shows like they had in the '60's, too bad they're just about extinct except maybe on a very few small towns' local TV stations. A band I was in called Hired Hands did 3 music shows in Las Vegas in 1982 (or '83?) on KVVU Fox 5 when it was an independant station, before the Fox affiliation, they were the first and last local music shows on there that I know of, even though they said they got good comments. Oh well. [This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 12 November 2003 at 12:54 AM.]

John Bresler · Post by **John Bresler** » 12 Nov 2003 1:43 pm

I grew up on the Oregon coast and we had limited TV service, but Tom Brumley (The Buck Owens Show) was the first pro steeler that really impressed me and gave me that "have to have" thirst for playing pedals.

Jim Park · Post by **Jim Park** » 12 Nov 2003 5:54 pm

Having started playing in the early eighties the Nashville Network allowed my to see all the great players work at one time or another. But the "one" that I watched regularly was Larry Sasser. another one i watched was Greg Trostle from I-40 Paradise, plus that cute little blonde, what ever happened to those two??

Bob Cox · Post by **Bob Cox** » 12 Nov 2003 7:21 pm

I remember Rosco squirts from Hunington WV on the Buddy Starcher show playing his ol multichord and fenders.They had a camera hanging over his head and would zoom right in on the frettboard.

Rich Weiss · Post by **Rich Weiss** » 12 Nov 2003 8:08 pm

So many of those cats from the 60's TV shows, would always look up at the camera and smile, WHILE they were playing. HOW DID THEY DO THAT?