Buck Owens Steel Player Chronology

Lawrence Lupkin · Post by **Lawrence Lupkin** » 9 May 2006 5:17 am

Can someone provide a rough time line for who played steel with Buck Owens and at what time?

Thanks in advance!

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 9 May 2006 9:03 am

This is the ones I remember and I'm not certain to all the dates, but these people played or recorded with Buck Owens at one time or other:

Ralph Mooney, Tom Brumley, Jay Dee Maness, Buddy Emmons, Terry (Last Name? Christopherson or Christianson?)

Tom Brumley and Ralph Mooney are the two steelers that really stand out on recordings. There are probably others. I hope this helps.

GOD bless!

Terry Wood

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 9 May 2006 9:13 am

Don't forget Jerry Brightman. He was in there right after Jay Dee, I believe.

GaryHoetker · Post by **GaryHoetker** » 9 May 2006 9:16 am

Lawrence-

I think this a substantially accurate chronology

1958-62-Ralph Mooney session player only
1962-1964-Jay McDonald Buckaroo
1964-1969 Tom Brumley Buckaroo
1969-JD Maness Buckaroo
1970-72 Void of Steel
1972-1974-Jerry Brightman Buckaroo
1974-2006-Terry Christofferson Buckaroo

Enjoy Buck. He is truly one of the greatest,
and an original.

Regards.

Lawrence Lupkin · Post by **Lawrence Lupkin** » 9 May 2006 9:57 am

Thanks guys. No Depression magazine has a fairly comprehensive Buck Owens retrospective written my Rich Kienzle in this month's issue. I found it odd that the only mention of pedal steel in the article didn't include Ralph Mooney:

Buck's records, by contrast, sounded fresh and contemporary, his lead vocals and harmonies with Don Rich proudly hillbilly. Twin Telecasters, with Rich now playing lead (taught by Buck himself), twanged away, as did the pedal steel (by Jay McDonald, then Tom Brumley).

[This message was edited by Lawrence Lupkin on 09 May 2006 at 11:00 AM.]

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 9 May 2006 11:37 am

Maybe he didn't but I thought Buddy Emmons done a few recording dates with Buck.

I only saw Buck once in concert and Don Rich had been killed, and Tom Brumley had left. At first I was a little disappointed, but when I saw the show, he had Terry Christopherson playing an MSA steel and guitar part time. Then he had another lead guitarist, Jana Jae was still with him on fiddle, he had a big 7 piece band. Buck was terrific! The man was Country and AMERICAN MUSIC all the way!

GOD bless!

Terry Wood

Terry Wood

Post by **Joey Ace** » 9 May 2006 11:45 am

"1970-72 Void of Steel"

I can't imagine a Buck show w/o Steel!

John LeMaster · Post by **John LeMaster** » 9 May 2006 12:07 pm

At the 2003 ISGC, here are 3 Buckaroo steelers, Jerry Brightman, Tom Brumley, and Jaydee Maness.

[This message was edited by John LeMaster on 09 May 2006 at 03:09 PM.]

Anita Kleinow · Post by **Anita Kleinow** » 9 May 2006 12:43 pm

Sneaky Pete played with Buck alot. One recording is by the FBB's called "California Jukebox", produced by John Beland, Buck appeared as a guest.

Fred Jack · Post by **Fred Jack** » 9 May 2006 1:15 pm

Ralph Mooney was every bit as much a part of the sound Buck had as Buck himself. They were a winning combination! Listen to those old L-P's, if you gottum, and they are as refreshing today as they were in the 50's & 60's.If you were old enuf to listen to music when the Moon was recording with Buck you know what I mean when I say that music moved ya. It got inside you and brought you to life! I can still get a high out of listening to them. Those three charactors pictured above certainly stand on their own reputation. This is not meant to take anything away from them. Its just that I get fired up at Rich Kienzle writings. I read other things and I wonder where he gets his info and what makes him the authority.Uuuuhh , wheres my prozac? Wheres my Makers Mark.

Nathan Hernandez · Post by **Nathan Hernandez** » 9 May 2006 2:08 pm

Didnt Fuzzy Owens play with Buck at one point?

GaryHoetker · Post by **GaryHoetker** » 9 May 2006 7:59 pm

Nathan-

Man you have a good memory. Fuzzy sure did. In fact, he appeared with Buck and the rest of the Buckaroos on the Jimmy Dean show in 1964 or thereabout. Could have been during Buck's transition from Jay McDonald to Tom Brumley or perhaps Fuzzy was just filling in for Brumley. Fuzzy was a fine player and also had a stint with Hag when the he and the Strangers first formed.

I got to meet Fuzzy for the first time at the memorial service for Bonnie Owens a couple of weeks ago. He's a real gentleman.

Al Johnson · Post by **Al Johnson** » 10 May 2006 3:52 am

I am 72 with a good memory-I have read many articles by Rich Kienzle and have often wondered---where did he get that???? But his writings are interesting.
Al

Randy Reeves · Post by **Randy Reeves** » 10 May 2006 4:39 am

Im listening to a Best of Buck Owens right now.
Mooney is a real standout.

Im curious. how did Don Rich pass away; what a talent.

there was a brief spell when Don played a fuzztone effect on some era o recordings.
maybe that's when the steel left the studio.
those few 70's tunes are real horrid.
otherwise, Buck and his Buckeroos are some of my country heros.[This message was edited by Randy Reeves on 10 May 2006 at 05:39 AM.]

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 10 May 2006 4:49 am

Don Rich died in a motorcycle accident.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 10 May 2006 5:33 am

"Under your spell again"... What a great steel break. Thank you Mr. Mooney.

Bill Simmons · Post by **Bill Simmons** » 10 May 2006 10:58 am

Wow...this post brought back a lot of great memories. As a kid growing up in Winnipeg, Canada, my dad got me playing steel guitar through listening to Buck Owens records with Ralph Mooney. Man, I'd sit in my room with a beat up turntable and my Fender 1000 trying my best to be like my new hero -- Ralph Mooney! Great style that to this day you can immediately say, "That's Mooney!"

Come to think of it, it was a couple of other Buckaroo's that greatly impacted my playing -- Tom Brumley's playing on the 'Live at Carnegie Hall' blew me away. To this day, this is my all-time favorite recording along with his time with Ricky Nelson etc.

About 1977 or so, the gospel group I was travelling full time with recorded in LA. The producer had another well known steel player set but I insisted Jay Dee Maness be the session player...man, his tone and approach was soooo inspiring...one of my all-time steel hero's...great memories!!

Gary Spaeth · Post by **Gary Spaeth** » 11 May 2006 4:50 am

this thread has the info about buddy emmons' recordings with buck, straight from the sources mouth-or keyboard in this case. http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum15/HTML/011389.html [This message was edited by Gary Spaeth on 11 May 2006 at 05:51 AM.]

Keith Hilton · Post by **Keith Hilton** » 11 May 2006 2:09 pm

I used to play steel guitar for Bob Morris, the guy who wrote the song Buckaroo for Buck Owens. Bob was from Hardy, Arkansas. Bob wrote many number one hits including, "Play Boy".

Gary Spaeth · Post by **Gary Spaeth** » 11 May 2006 8:38 pm

according to the buck owens box set, bob morris played bass on all the sessions not doyle holly,who played rhythm. funny he was never credited as a buckaroo on the albums.

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 11 May 2006 10:09 pm

Randy, Don was on his way to join his family in the town we now live in on his motorcycle in '74. I think it was at night and he was hurrying to be with them. What a shame. It forever changed Buck and his career was never the same.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 12 May 2006 6:49 am

Keith, thats interesting. There is a performance clip of Morris on the Buck Owens Ranch Shows. I has know idea he wrote those songs. Sounds like he was part of the Owens team.

Scott Wehmeyer · Post by **Scott Wehmeyer** » 12 May 2006 5:37 pm

In addition to writing great stuff like Playboy, Helpless, Don't Take Advantage of Me, Buckaroo, Rattle Traps, Fishing on the Mississippi, It Takes a Lot Of Money, etc, etc, Bob put out some great stuff on the Challenge, Tower, and Capitol labels in the sixties. "Don't Underestimate Me" goes as hard as anything Buck ever put out. Maybe because Buck is singing harmony on it (I think that's him).

[This message was edited by Scott Wehmeyer on 12 May 2006 at 06:38 PM.]

Don Barnhardt · Post by **Don Barnhardt** » 15 May 2006 7:21 pm

If my memory serves me right Buck started out as a steel player himself or did I just dream that up?

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 16 May 2006 12:05 am

Gary, that's real good, although I might make a couple of suggestions, totally sidestepping any temp steelers as well.

1958-62-Ralph Mooney session player only

1962-1964-Jay McDonald Buckaroo

1964-1969 Tom Brumley Buckaroo

1969-JD Maness Buckaroo (I'd say more like early 1969 to about March of '70. I'm fairly sure there's no 1970 recordings with Buck)

1970-72 Void of Steel, I'd say 1971 was when Jerry Brightman joined, Jerry might confirm if he's around, although I don't think he got into the studio with Buck until '72.
During this period he utilised Al Bruno on palm pedal guitar, and Buddy Emmons in the studio only.
Buck added a piano player in 1970, who also played some dobro according to some session credits.

1972-1974-Jerry Brightman Buckaroo

1974-2006-Terry Christofferson Buckaroo.
I don't think Terry took up the steel with Buck until 1975, he was for a time the guitarist, post-Don of course.