First Time I Heard "When I Call Your Name"

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 6 Jan 2004 11:14 am

I just assumed it was John Hughey playing steel. I had seen him on TNN playing steel when Vince and Patty sang it, so when I played it on my CD why shouldn’t I think it was John. It sounded just like him.

Before I continue, let me make it real clear that I am not taking anything away from John Hughey. John is one of the few players who developed his own style and you could tell who it was as soon as he started playing. AND ALSO, Buddy Emmons is still the most.

Meanwhile back at the ranch: When Gary Walker and myself both lived in Flagstaff he stopped by the house one day and this song came up and I mentioned John playing on it. Gary is a soft spoken person and said, I think that was Paul Franklin playing on the recording. He already knew it was but I said lets get the CD out and look. It said, Steel Guitar - Paul Franklin. I said, well I’ll be darned, I’d have bet a nickel it was Hughey.

It got me thinking that prior to that, all I had heard of Paul’s playing was the short breaks he did on country songs that wasn’t supposed to sound too country. And if he could sound like John Hughey, he could probably sound real close to anybody else.

So you might say most of Paul’s playing has been with the curtain pulled.

And that makes me wonder.....will Paul Franklin ever get the recognition he deserves????

Bob
[This message was edited by Bob Carlson on 06 January 2004 at 11:17 AM.]

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 6 Jan 2004 11:30 am

Bob,

I'm sure he does get the recognition he deserves (at least from all of us who know what a Steel Guitar is!), there are so many ways to discover his great playing, look for his playing with Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless, Vince Gill and, and, and...

He is a great players and he is also a great guy who is always willing to help others and answer all those questions he's asked - he has proven that so many times on this Forum!

Regards, Walter
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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Ron Page · Post by **Ron Page** » 6 Jan 2004 11:44 am

I'm not sure any backup musicians get the recognition we might think they deserve.

Paul certainly gets a lot of recognition in my record collection-- Patty Loveless, Randy Travis, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Rodney Crowell, and so on. The more country the tune the better he sounds to me. Now and then the producer will let the band play--usually on a album cut where the radio 3-minute limit can be ignored-- and that's where you have to love Paul's pickin'. Listen to him on the C-neck at the end of Alan Jackson's "Another Good Reason Not To Drink".

One aspect of Paul's ability is that he can provide sort of an anthology of steel guitar styles. The best single evidence I've heard of that is on Alan Jackson's "Under The Influence" where Paul plays a lot of the original signature licks of other steelers.

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HagFan

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 6 Jan 2004 11:56 am

And that makes me wonder.....will Paul Franklin ever get the recognition he deserves????

He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame a few years back. That should count for something.

Mike Headrick · Post by **Mike Headrick** » 6 Jan 2004 12:23 pm

Here's an interesting item. The first time John Hughey heard "When I Call Your Name", he turned to his wife and said "I don't remember playing on that song". It was quite ironic that John shortly after was hired by Vince and from then on, it WAS John playing on the song.

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 6 Jan 2004 12:39 pm

And John did play on his next CD, "Pocket Full Of Gold".

Bob

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 6 Jan 2004 12:59 pm

Mike,

Is that story about John and Paul true? It's a great one anyway!

Reminds me of a similar story about Chet Atkins: Chet and John D. Loudermilk and their wives were on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, at night they were sitting at a table with their guitars, singing and having a good time. The guy at the next table was listening. Next morning he walked up to Chet and said: "Let me tell you something, you are a great guitar player, but not a Chet Atkins!" True or not, who knows?!?

Walter

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Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 6 Jan 2004 10:03 pm

Walter, Chet told that on Nashville Now with Ralph Emery and that's a true story. I have it on video. Ralph asked him if he told the guy who you were and Chet no, I didn't want to embarrass him, even after Leona told him, he should've told him. That's the kind of guy Chet was.

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 6 Jan 2004 10:25 pm

We only got to see John play the solo in public assuming he was the one on the recording. He was merely playing Paul's great solo in every detail. Had John done the recording, he would've probably played it a bit differently in his own style because his basic style is different from Paul's. Being able to phrase the solo like Paul did, speaks well of John's ability.[This message was edited by Gary Walker on 06 January 2004 at 10:33 PM.][This message was edited by Gary Walker on 08 January 2004 at 10:33 AM.]

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 9 Jan 2004 9:54 am

And when Vince Gill appeared at Chautaqua Institute (near Jamestown, NY) in July 2003, Jay Dee did an outstanding job on the tune, while keepin' it the same, as he did when Vince was on The Grand Ol Opry just before the CMT dropped the Opry a few months back.

It's a tribute to Paul Franklin that for the most part, most steel covers of this tune stay true to the original.

I gotta say I made the same mistake, I too always thought it was John Hughey. I think there is also a steel guitar education video that makes this mistake too.

Emmons SD-10, Dekley S-10, NV400[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 09 January 2004 at 09:55 AM.][This message was edited by Ray Minich on 09 January 2004 at 09:59 AM.]

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 9 Jan 2004 12:18 pm

I wanted to add to this topic that the author, Bob Carlson passed away the next day of this subject on Jan. 7, 2004. I never heard him utter an unkind word of anyone when he and I were residents of Flagstaff, AZ.

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 9 Jan 2004 7:46 pm

I thought it was John, too, until a thread that Theresa Galbraith started about the song some time ago got me to looking in www.allmusic.com for the credits. Turned out to be Paul.

And I must say I'm distressed to see that Bob Carlson has passed on. It is strange and unsettling to be posting a reply to his thread that is not even a week old. God rest your soul, Bob, and God bless your family.

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 9 Jan 2004 10:08 pm

Anybody, that counts, recognizes Paul Franklin as the foremost steel player in the world today! Paul can play as melodic as anyone ever, IMHO! That solo is a prime example! His work on the new Connie Smith, Barbara Fairchild and Sharon White album is another! The first interlude on the first song is as good as any I have ever heard!!!

Paul puts the oil where the squeak is....some have a different opinion of the location of the squeak. Deep huh?

Dave Burr · Post by **Dave Burr** » 14 Jan 2004 2:13 pm

Wow, I can't listen to that break enough!! Couldn't have been done better.

Click below and you can listen to the break over and over and over and over... Well, you get the idea.

http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/1989.html

Respectfully,
Dave Burr