Tom Morrell Question

Billy Henderson · From: Portland, AR, USA

Don't know exactly how to phrase this question but was Tom a pedal steel player or did he stay with the non pedal?

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

When I saw him in Dallas in 1974 he played spanish guitar, and a 12 string MSA with lots of pedals. The 6 strings in the middle were tuned EADGBE like his spanish guitar. The other 6 strings were tuned to various pitches in between. I can't remember what the pedals did. I remember that he played Freedom Jazz Dance at a ridiculous tempo.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

He used to burn it up on pedals, then switched over to concentrate on nonpedal for the past many years.

Ted Solesky · From: Mineral Wells, Texas, USA

I don't know if this is true or not true, but I heard that sometime back, someone stoled his pedal rack and he didn't feel like replacing it.? So, he played non-pedal since then.

Sonny Jenkins · From: Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx

I'm hoping someone will post a bio on Tom,,,I know there are tons of questions everyone has about this man with all that awesome talent.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Well, for starters, here's the text of his SGHOF plaque. Does anyone know which filmscores he played on?

<center><b>TOM MORRELL</b>

FOR OVER 50 YEARS THIS TOURING SIDEMAN AND SESSION PLAYER DELIVERED WESTERN SWING, JAZZ AND COUNTRY WITH ARTFUL SKILL ON MOTION PICTURE SOUND TRACKS AND ON THE RECORDINGS OF INNUMERABLE ARTISTS, INCLUDING BOB WILLS' TEXAS PLAYBOYS. LATER AS A BANDLEADER, HE ARRANGED AND PRODUCED DOZENS OF ALBUMS. DURING THE 1990s HE PROVED TO BE A MAJOR FORCE IN THE RESURGENCE OF NON-PEDAL STEEL THROUGH TOURING, ARRANGING AND RECORDING BESIDES HIS BRANDS OF MORRELL AND THE MORRELL-SHIELDS STEELS. HE WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS
AND DESIGNERS OF MSA PEDAL GUITARS.

BORN: OCTOBER 31, 1938 DALLAS, TEXAS
INDUCTED: 2001</center>

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

Tom told me a few years ago that he liked pedals but just didn't need them anymore. He enjoyed traveling light with that little E13 S-10 he played and used to carry it in a soft gig bag that he could sling over his shoulder and put in the overhead bin on planes. He also said he still did a few pedal gigs if someone asked him to.

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

I have a neat story about this man. Back in about 1981 I was in a jam session at LeRoy Prine's shop in Ft Smith, Ar. LeRoy was the original Pedalmaster builder. The jam included Bob White, Tom Morrell and Jack Rider. Jack was a great C6th player and we all know about Bobby White who was a hometown guy who played with Hank Thompson and a Hall Of Fame member. I'm sure you can get the picture as to how secure I felt fitting in with these guys. Tom was playing a ShoBud and I recall it had pedals but no knee levers. Of course they all played great and Tom played every style tremendously well and we were blown away that he didn't even have any levers. I don't remember if he even used the pedals very much or not, but he played great. I will never forget I was helping Tom carry his gear to his car and I was carrying his amp. As we were going thru the door Tom complimented my playing in a very serious voice. I said "thanks" but apparantly I didn't sound too convinced. Tom, stopped, turned around and looked me straight in the eyes and said, " no, I really mean it". That is the first time I remember any credible player telling me anything like that. I guess I was carrying an inferiority complex around and I guess it showed but Tom was very genuine and I have never forgotten that. He was a very nice humble great, great player.
Jerry

Dean Parks · From: Sherman Oaks, California, USA

Regarding Tom's EADGBE pedal steel tuning, I asked him about that last March. He said he kept adding levers to it, but always needed more and more, and finally just gave up! I took that to mean, he went to non-pedal mostly at that point.

-dean-

Jeff Agnew · From: Dallas, TX

There are a million Tom Morrell stories in this town and here's mine, related to the question Billy asked.

Shortly after I moved to DFW in '87 Reece Anderson graciously agreed to take me on a whirlwind tour of most of the clubs in town one night. We hit the usual spots (most of which are long gone now) and of course Reece knew all the musicians at every one of them and introduced me around. We were on our way home when Reece remembered that his drummer was sitting in with a lounge band at a Holiday Inn off Central Expressway.

Having spent some time in a lounge band myself I subtly suggested we just continue on home but Reece insisted we stop by just for a few minutes. We did, and both of us were a bit surprised to see, along with the tuxedo-clad rest of the band, Tom Morrell sitting behind a walnut lacquer D-10 MSA. And absolutely playing the snot out of it. I have no recollection of the rest of the band members (other than Reece's drummer) or anything else about the gig, but what I heard Tom playing has never left me. It was so far above and beyond what was required of a lounge band it's probably fair to say there has never been a Holiday Inn with better music than what I heard that night. I distinctly remember thinking that the gap between my own playing and what was really possible on the instrument had never been greater.

I heard Tom play (non-pedal) many times in the intervening years and loved it but I've always wished he had also kept playing pedal steel, just to hear what else he might have done with it.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Tom used to play "Bud's Bounce" on a non-pedal guitar, using bar slants. Pretty amazing.

John Bresler R.I.P. · From: Thornton, Colorado

Danny shield once told me that it would actually make the hair on the back of your neck stand-up just to listen to Tom tune up a pedal steel.

Cool

Steve Alcott · From: New York, New York, USA

According to the liner notes, Tom played a 1952 Sho-Bud on Vol. 2/3 of "How the West was Swung" All the others say either "steel guitar, nonpedal steel guitar, or 1950 Bigsby triple 10 nonpedal steel". His Carson Wells single neck had a changer with a couple of pulls actuated by knobs on the back apron, but he told me he didn't use them much except for a final chord once in a while.

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