Back when Bob White was with Hank Thompson.

[Tracy Sheehan]

How many are old enough to remember or have heard
the great arrangments on the endings of Hank Thompsons songs back in the mid or a later 50s Bob White did on steel.Think Banard Young was the drummer back then.Wish i could find some of the orginals from that area.For one instance the production Bob did on the ending of Tears are Only Rain To make Love Grow.And on some used a 4 and flat 9th chord with a 9th note added then the root chord while Banard Young used a cymble to make a sound lke air escaping. and one down beat in between the chords.
A shame those days or gone when musicians worked togethe like that. Ahhh,memories.

[Tore Blestrud]

Did Bob White play on the Six pack to go album? I'm thinking on the steelpart and solo on track 2: Honky Tonk Town, fantastic non pedal steel work, best I have heard.

[Jussi Huhtakangas]

Bob White plays on some cuts on Six Pack To Go album, but not on all. The album is a collection of tunes recorded in various sessions. Pee Wee Whitewing plays on Six Pack To Go, and I can't remember for sure now, but I think it's him on Honky Tonk Town too.

[Tore Blestrud]

Thanks Jussi, that explains the big difference in the sound from song to song on the album.

PS: Hope you're doing fine in Finland, hope to see you back in Norway soon.

[Tom Harris]

Tracy,,thanks for the Bob White topic,that boy was a steel player,,i met him in 53 while he was with Hank,,when you mention Hank Thompson,,u automaticaly say Bob White and PeeWee Whitewing,to me they are the "Real Brazos Vally Boys",,I know Hank had other steel players who were good,such as Bobby Garrett,,Bert Rivera,,Curly Chalker,and more im sure,,but in my mind Bob and PeeWee are the player's,,sad day when i heard that Bob had passed away,when i think of all the hours i listened to ole Hank,just to hear ole Bob and PeeWee on the breaks,,Hank does one song on an album i got,,"Backstreet Afair",,aint real sure its Bob and PeeWee,but some of the best runs and breaks of all time,,,when i saw Hank in 1953,he had a about a 9 or 10 piece band with him,,Bob and PeeWee on steel,Merel Travis and Grady Martin on leads,Billy Gray and Curly Lewis on fiddles and the twin trumpet players i cant recall their names,,or the drum player's name either,,i stood right behind Merel and Grady for about an hour and a half,u talking about a show,lawdd them boys were good,it was almost a month before my feet touched the ground lol,,Tracy again thanks for rememberin BOB WHITE,,even tho he's gone,,i get out my Albums of Hank,,and im right back to 1953 again.........Tom Harris

[Tom Harris]

Tracy,,thanks for the Bob White topic,that boy was a steel player,,i met him in 53 while he was with Hank,,when you mention Hank Thompson,,u automaticaly say Bob White and PeeWee Whitewing,to me they are the "Real Brazos Vally Boys",,I know Hank had other steel players who were good,such as Bobby Garrett,,Bert Rivera,,Curly Chalker,and more im sure,,but in my mind Bob and PeeWee are the player's,,sad day when i heard that Bob had passed away,when i think of all the hours i listened to ole Hank,just to hear ole Bob and PeeWee on the breaks,,Hank does one song on an album i got,,"Backstreet Afair",,aint real sure its Bob and PeeWee,but some of the best runs and breaks of all time,,,when i saw Hank in 1953,he had a about a 9 or 10 piece band with him,,Bob and PeeWee on steel,Merel Travis and Grady Martin on leads,Billy Gray and Curly Lewis on fiddles and the twin trumpet players i cant recall their names,,or the drum player's name either,,i stood right behind Merel and Grady for about an hour and a half,u talking about a show,lawdd them boys were good,it was almost a month before my feet touched the ground lol,,Tracy again thanks for rememberin BOB WHITE,,even tho he's gone,,i get out my Albums of Hank,,and im right back to 1953 again.........Tom Harris

[Tom Harris]

Sorry bout that,,hit send button twice.....
Tom

[Tracy Sheehan]

If i recall correctly Bob White did the arangements for Hanks songs and had the band to tune to the steel ao thay were all in tune together.Seems as if the trumpet players name was Dobson and they called him Doober.Been a long time back.I played fiddle in a big swing band back then and was learning steel.Bob showed me how he did that run down the neck on Tears Are Only Rain.A little trivia,i am almost sure there was 3 Bob whites in the band back then.Bob Wwhite on steel,A Bob white on fiddle and i do not remember what the other played.Also on The Wild Side of Life i think Curly Chalker played nom pedal steel on that.

[Jussi Huhtakangas]

Thanks Tore, hope to be back in Norway, had a lot of fun last time!
I checked and the steel player on Honky Tonk Town is Bobby Garrett, so it is actually a D10 Sho Bud pedal steel you're hearing

[Tore Blestrud]

Thanks Jussi - you are a great source of info.
Sounds like a 8 string C6 tuning. Always thought it was a Stringmaster, played by Bob or Pee Wee, can't hear any pedals. Then you might know who else plays steel on that superb album?

[Charles Davidson]

Bob and Pee-Wee were great together,I have all the vidios of the cajun jams years ago,on one they featured Bob and Pee Wee doing some of the old Hank songs.They complimented each so good.Saw an interview with Hank one time,He was asked of all the great steelers he had used in his band,who was his favorite? He said Bob defined the style of the Brazo Vally Boys the most.Sure miss those great western swing bands such as the Playboys,Brazo Vally Boys,or Spade Cooley[even though he was a little more cosmopolition]used to watch his show all the time when I lived in L.A.for awhile.IMO Ray Benson kept this style from fading into oblivion.I think he has worked harder than ANY ONE to keep this style alive.

[Andy DePaule]

Back in 1980 I had a chance to visit Bob White at his place in Fort Smith, AR.
I'd met him at Scotty's convention and when I told him I was going to be going near there he invited me.
He had a club, I think it was called the Crossroads or something, my memory has not been good this past year.

There I was introduced to his sons who played in his club with him.
They were a real good tight band playing old and new tunes. He played about as good as it ever gets.
There was also a nice Steel Guitar museum across the street.

It was a great trip, wonderful visit and I left thinking what a nice gentleman he was.

I was sorry to hear he had passed away back in 2003.

[Bobby Montgomery]

HI TRACY; WHEN I SAW HANK IN THE EARLY 50s HE HAD DUBERT DOBSON ON TRUMPET, THE FIDDLE MEN WERE AMOS HEDWICK, BOB WHITE AND ONE TIME HE HAD THREE WITH BILLY JACK SAUCIER THE THIRD ONE. THE DRUMMER WAS PAUL MAGHEE. BILLY GRAY WAS THE FRONT FOR HANK BACK THEN.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU'RE STILL KICKING. IT'S BEEN MANY YEARS SINCE WE PLAYED AT THE RAINBOW IN SIOUX FALLS.

BOBBY

[Tracy Sheehan]

Yeah Bob those were the days.Playing the Rainbow seems like yesterday.I used to play fiddle with Billy Jack S some on the old big D.Jambroe in dallas back in the early 50s.Last time i ever saw him was at the golden nugget in vgas back in the 60's.Don't recall who i was working with at the time.Wish music would make a come back.take care my friedn.Tracy

[Bernie Gonyea]

Tracy: so glad to hear someone bring up the name of these two steel players I had just been thinking about Bob White and the name of the other steel player; Saw them in concert in Charleston, S.C. back in the early 50's: First time I had ever seen two steel guitarists being part of the same band.. Hank T. was one of my favorite singers, at that time. But the work and stylings of those guitar players was out-standing. Thanks for bringing up such a great thread.. Makes me feel young again. Good to see our steel guitar friends from these other countries being so up to par, with our steel guitar world. Glad you fellows are part of our SGF.. Regards, Bernie