The Steel Guitar Forum

Billy Mize and the late Marian Hall

Noel Boggs and Joaquin Murphy

My old friend Barney Horn, played the LA, The Sanfrando Valley, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard and Ventura Areas during the late 60"s and early 70's. Played from about 1971 until his death three or four years ago in Las Vegas. He was a marvelous vocalist, lead and steel player.

Alan Harrison, just curious if you could tell me if you ever saw Tony working the Palomino with the tony Booth Band, they came in late '69, Bobby Wayne split the group to join Merle Haggard, and I think Barney might have joined just before that.

Jay Dee didn't join the Booth band until later in 1970, before mid '70, but not right at the start of the year either.

Ray,

Wayne Burdick was working with Tex Williams' band in the early 50s, for a time they had a regular spot of the Squeekin' Deacon Show, a postion which had been held by Shorty Joe's band (young fella name Ralph Mooney was in that group, on the talent portion of the show they backed a young Wynn Stewart).. as the show grew more popular Tex's band came in to play.

Wayne was with Tex, oh about 1950 to 1955 or so, maybe a bit later.

Billy Tonnesson is probably one of my fave obscure West Coast guys, although he played on a Sinatra session and worked for a band on Capitol Records, time has moved on and his name has become quite obscure, except to the steel community and around the LA club and Lodge scene now.

Billy T. is on the forum, his posts are incrediable, not because he's the only person of his generation, after all Ray and others are the same classic vintage, but he happened to work in an area that was just exploding with work and a large amount of work (sessions, labels, clubs, the ever expanding television, radio, films etc..)...

there's also Ernie Ball, I mean sure we all know him as the string guy, but also a steeler with various bands, and there was Tommy Sargent, does anyone know what happened to him?

Here are some more Steel Players I remember and whom they played with at differen't times.
Chuck Hatfield - The Shed House on Florence Ave.
Leody Jackson - Jimmy Wakely & various clubs.
Pete Martinez - Jimmy Wakely & J.W. Movies.
Chuck Mills - Early Gene Davis at the Band Box.
Carl Moser - B & R Cafe in East L.A.
Mike Brewer - various clubs.
Joe Baker - Emil Preston, Jack Tucker bands.
Kenny Norman - Took my place with Ole Rasmussen
when I got drafted in 52' Super
Player.
Larry Spears - Sammy Masters band and others.
Chuck Foreman - Worked with Buddy Kendrick. Had a
Multichord, played like Alvino Rey.
Dick Roberts - Spade's original steel man before
Joaquin.
Ralph Miele - Deuce Spriggen's band.
Ernie Ball - Tommy Duncan & Wade Ray.
Eddie Martin - Wade Ray.
Bobby Hines - Bill Armstrong's western swing band.
Dick Stubbs - Town Hall Party (before Marion Hall).
Al Vernon - Only one I know who could play Joaquin
exact style and licks.
Earl (pee-wee) Moran - Skylite with Johnny Reeves.
Jim Corwin - Herb Tucker at Hitching Post and with
Wade Ray in Las Vegas.
Kenny Cox - worked for years with Bill Black.
Al Petty - The Saddle Club with Danny Michaels.
Les Anderson - played steel with Red Murrell and
Spade Cooley.

I had more on my list but they were previously mentioned. I just listed some of the places and bands they played with where I remember seeing them.
Another club I played at along with many others was the Pioneer Room in Norwalk. I'm sure many of you have been there. Marion Hall has previously been posted, but at one time were buddies and would come see each other on off nights. What a great gal!

When Wayne Burdick was with Tex Williams and I was with Ole Rasmussen someone arranged a soft ball game between the two bands. Tex's band won but I don't think anyone could hardly walk for the next couple of days.

Enough for now, Best Regards to everyone !

How about Dale Daughty,John Clark,John Paul Jones,Gene Davis,Vic Carpenter,Orville Rhodes,Barbara Ripatti & Sammy Watson. LJ

Hello Jason, someone else had mentioned Barney playing with Tony Booth at the Palamino Club several years ago on a similar post. I just don't remember. It is quite possible, I'm not aware of all the places he played in the LA area.

I don't recall Barney Horn playing with Tony Booth when he (Tony) took over from Red Rhodes as the Palomino bandleader. Jay Dee was playing as early as 1970, maybe before. But Barney could have been there a short while.

Barney took my gig with Jimmy Lawton when I moved to TX in 1972, and Jimmy moved the band to a club in Ventura. Barney subsequently relocated to Vegas and stayed there until his demise. He was a great guy and we used to reminisce at the TSGA Jamborees, and I still converse with Jimmy Lawton all the time.

Y'all have covered most of the guys I remember. How about Dave Ziegler?

Billy T:

Thanks for mentioning Al Vernon.

For the last 10 years, I had been trying to remember the guy who played that cool Joaquin style on Doug McGinnis' "Mulekick" LP from the 1960s. Doug had told me who it was, but all I could remember was the first name Al and a last initial V. I knew it wasn't Al Vescovo, but for the life of me couldn't come up with Al Vernon until your mention.

Does no one recall anything at all about Curly Cochran????

He recorded in a very bluesy primitive style with both Billy Hughes and Sam Nichols circa 1950 and is shown on the cover of the above-mentioned Doug McGinnis LP (along with Jimmy Bryant and Doug). The picture was taken on stage at the Mulekick Club, later to become the Palomino.

Also, Eddie Martin hasn't been mentioned. Worked with Hank Penny, Merle Travis, and others.

Eddie is the steel player in the old Travis soundie film clip playing the steel guitar in the contraption bigger than a Hammond organ, for those that have the video.

Speedy W. told me a great Eddie Martin story: Eddie was a legendary drinker. Hank Penny got a gig in San Diego at the Bostonia Ballroom, a one-nighter that was also an audition for a local TV show that could be a big plus for Hank. So on the way down from LA to SD, Hank said "listen Eddie, this audition is a big deal, so don't get drunk on me and blow it!"

Eddie assured him that he'd be cool and stay sober.

Of course, Eddie got totally plowed drunk in the afternoon, crashed hard, and missed the show.

Hank woke him up after the show, hopping mad. "Damn it, Eddie! I asked you not to get drunk, you went ahead and did it anyway, and we had to do the whole show and audition without a gaw-dammed steel!"

Eddie replied to Hank "Awww, that's alright, Hank... I ain't mad at ya!"

Speedy really loved that story - he told it to me three or four times! (Not all at the same time, however )

Ah,to be in your early 20s.When i was playing in So.Ca.in Apple Valley i went to Compton at times on my night off.A friend of mine who i had worked with in Tx was the drummer at the Sky Light club in Compton i believe it was.
Any hoo,one time i was there he took me to Georges round up in Long Beach to introduce me to Ralph Mooney whom i had only heard the name at the time.
Norman told me he was an old codger about 30 years old.I still laugh about that.Thats back when we were at that age we thought we would be young forever.

Mitch:
How could I have forgotten Curley Cochran ! We were good friends and I picked up a lot from his playing. Curly worked lot in the mid fourties at the Fargo club on Pico Blvd. in L.A. About a block away on the corner of Figeroa St. was the infamous 4-Aces club which was popular with the sailors during WW2. Most of the time Curly played at night and bartended during the day or his off nights. Curly was playing excellent single string even before Joaquin arrived on the L.A. Scene. He also played speceial effects with bar chatter. I think Speedy West got a lot of ideas from Curley. I beleive Curley also played at differen't times with T.Texas Tyler. I subbed a coulple of times at the Fargo Club when Les Anderson was playing steel there. It was a little scary for a 17 year old kid but I hung in there and prevailed.

Mitch, I seem to recall that part-time steeler Al Gershen did some work with Don McGuinnis in the late 60s.
Al was the first guy who told me about seeing Sneaky Pete playing the Lazy X with the Norm Raleigh Band and how they did Beatles songs.. that band turned into the group Sir Raleigh & The Coupons who recorded rock songs for Jerden and other labels in '65.

Great to have Bill Tonnesson in on this topic, wonder what happened to Kenny Norman, he was a triple neck Bigsby player in the 50s, or at least that's what I've heard.


Jay Dee was with Buck into 1970, he reckons he was on the road for a year, he would have joined after Tom Brumley left, which was Feb '69-abouts, so give or take a month, early '70.. all of Tony's band that started at the Pal, but mid '70 the only original left was Lary Booth as the drummer Nick O'Hair (spelling?) left for Butch Hendrix & the Country Roads.. and Bobby Wayne went with Haggard, with Archie Francis and Al Bruno joining up to replace them.

I'm not sure if Barney played with Booth, but Jay Dee is unlikely to have been there as he was still on the road with Buck in late '69.

Dick Stubbs, I keep forgetting he was around in the 50s, I often wondered if he must have moved back to Texas for a bit and came back to the west coast in the 60s. Earl Ball mentions working for him when he first moved to SoCal in '64.

Chuck Mills, now there's a name you don't see much.
He was in Jack Tucker's band with Gene Davis, then they went out as Chuck & Gene.. about '54 I guess, and soon formed a band.
Chuck came and went after '56, seems to have been out on Vegas for many years, his son told me that he has a pic of Phil Baugh working with Chuck's band in Vegas.. pre-Country Guitar hit I assume.

Major Simpson worked with Amil Presson for several years. Super nice guy, tasteful player. Major had a Gibson Electraharp and was the first player I had ever seen who did not use fingerpicks, Just his nails and a Thumbpick. I believe he worked for the US Postal Service during the day. He told me he had a bunch of toothpicks to put under his eyelids so people would think he was awake.

Don't forget Ernie Hagar.Speedy West was his hero and he could play exactly like Speedy if he wanted to. He had an old Sho-Bud crossover with an A6 tuning that he lowered into "E9"-upside down but so distinctive that you could recognize his sound as far away as you could hear it.Ernie was also a C6 wizard and never tired of learning something new.He had played all over California and joined commander Cody when Bobby Black left.
When I moved to Reno he was playing in "Family Portrait" at the old Shy Clown. We became fast friends and he sure taught me a lot of C6 and had a ton of stories from the old days. He left town around 1992 and unfortunately died a year and 1/2 ago in Idaho.

Barney Horn was one of my best friends also. We met in Vegas in 1980 and became fast friends.He had played guitar for Eddie Rabbit and sure loved Eddie.He didn't tell me about working with Tony Booth and I think He would have sometime.Barney was the nicest guy and everyone in country music loved him it seems.
The last time I saw him was a week before he died. We went to his house and he had me play his red Emmons as he sat and grinned from ear to ear. He got his boots on and tried to play some, but the cancer had taken all his strength.When his wife called about his death, she offered me his guitar-Barney wanted me to have first chance, but couldn't afford it.I do have the pro-picks he gave me that last time and think of Barney every time I use them.

Don't forget good old " Zed Dixon " on Steel who played with Jack Tucker and The Oklahoma Play Boys with Big Jim Miller on Guitar,Billy Smith on Bass and Myself (Leo) on Drums. And when I would be on the road with " Johnny Angel " Jeff Scott would fill in for me. Leo J.Eiffert,Jr. PS: Union gig, local 47. At The Pioneer Room in Norwalk,Califonia.

Ernie's a good call, worked with the Collins Kids and Commander Cody & The LPA in the 70s, his '68 album is still super obscure.
Apparently he did some demo sessions and sweeteners for Buck Owens at his studio, this would have been non-Buckaroos stuff, although Buck didn't officially open his studio until '69, it was active the year before.

Larry Petree's another one, played Bakersfield, did some sessions at Gary Paxton's studio, and there's Leo LeBlanc who I suppose has a degree of fame, playing on Red Simpson's early Capitol albums, John Prine, Beck, Wallflowers, etc beofre he passed in the mid 90s.

Jim Bob, thanks for mentioning Major Simpson, I remember him playing with Amil Presson at Shipwreck Joey's Place. Another one who played without fingerpicks was mentioned by Billy T. was Dick Stubbs.

I remember Kenny Cox playing with Bill Black at Walt's Club in Southgate and playing standing up and doing some string pulls behind the bar. Is Kenny still alive?

Ol' Joe Baker with that lavender Emmons D-10, he played every song on his gigs on the C6th neck.

Anyone remember Bill Kennedy? He was a fine steel player both non pedal and pedal. He'd had a severe injury to his bar hand which prevented him from holding a round steel bar so he used a Dobro type but it didn't stop him at all, he played great. I met him at Cec's Lost Weekend which became the Avalon Room.

How 'bout Johnny Davis? He was so well known in the old days for his lead guitar work that a lot of folks forgot just how great of a steeler he was (is).... Johnny works the show in Arizona each year on lead guitar in the backup band. I wish someone would get him to do a set on steel guitar. You'd be amazed at how good he is.........JH in Va.

Billy T:

Thanks for the comments on Curly Cochran. The odd thing is, no one currently under 70 years of age has even heard of him. That leads me to believe that he must have been gone from the LA steel scene by the early to mid 1950s?

Why? Do you have any insight here? I can't find any known recorded performances after the early 50s at the latest and wonder if he may have passed away at a relatively early age, got out of music entirely or?

You are correct--he did work and record with Tex Tyler, as well as with Al Vaughn, another forgotten name from the 1940s.

Regarding the Fargo Club--do you know whether or not Billy Hughes was owner or part owner? I am guessing you spent time at Murphy's Club as well. Billy told me that Murphy's was one of the major joints in LA after the war. Wasn't that where Speedy first encountered Jimmy??

Edit:

Just discovered this page by Curly Cochran's musician son, which implies that Curly was alive and working into the 1960s at least?? It says Curly also worked with Merl Lindsay, Bob Wills, and Cowboy Copas.

http://tinyurl.com/6a3jcq

Hey Jerry,I am a member of the SWSGA,Johnny says he will play a set on the 2009 show in Jan.I am looking foward to hearing him on steel,he works over a six string.
Dean Batye
Concord,Ca.

Just remembered another excellent player in So. Calif.

Frank Arnett:

I remember seeing him playing with Gene Davis at a club on Lakewood Blvd. which I think was called the"Starlight". It was across the street from the old "Blue Bayou" in what I think was Paramount, Ca.
He played excellent country somewhat like Ralph Moony. I think he later relocated to the San Diego area and was quite popular down there.

Jim Sliff wrote:Another SoCal guy was my late high school friend J.B. Crabtree, a tremendous steeler in the Sneaky/Cage/Young genre. He was the dobro player when the Sweethearts of the Rodeo were playing Tuesday night gigs at the Straw Hat Pizza Palace in Manhattan Beach...I sat in on mando few times. This was before the Janis Oliver married Vince Gill, they made it big...and canned the local band. J.B. was a killer player and one of the kindest souls on the planet.

Jim,........I lived in "The Valley" and went to school in Northridge during the early to mid 70s......I was just taking up dobro at that time.....

I was knocked out the first time I saw Sweethearts of the Rodeo.......JB on steel bodied dobro and pedal steel......not to mention the two angels who fronted the band......I traveled everywhere to see them......he was killer!

I really didn't like their later music as much when they "got big".....those early raw days were really something.......


I was really sad to learn of JB's passing......I can still see him playing the instrumentals "San Antonio Rose" & "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round"......at break neck speed.......

A lot of these guys worked with Hank Penny,Sammy Forsmark,Eddie Duncan,Dick Roberts,Ralph Miele,Eddie Martin,Hank also used Boggs,Speedy,Remington,Joaquin,and Curly.DYKBC.

Good evening,

I'm putting together a biography of a female steel guitar player who was on the LA scene in the late 1940s to early/mid 1950s. She worked with such folks as Foreman Phillips, Eddie Cletro, appeared on the Hometown Jamboree and Town Hall Party (perhaps around the time Tommy Sargent was playing).

Her name was Beryl Harrell. She appeared in an early Rickenbacker catalog and of all people, Sol Hoopii gave her Hawaiian guitar instructions (for the princely sum of 25 cents per lesson!). She was known for a time as "The Hawaiian Cowgirl". But information about her on these shows is scarce.

Her son has sent me a demo recording, of which I've included a clip on the web site I have.

Any of you folks have any recollection of her?

She also worked at Al Royer's Red Barn. Later, she went to Las Vegas.

Back to the research and thanks for your input.

Cheers,
Dave
http://www.hillbilly-music.com