History Of The Name.....MSA!

[MARK GILES]

Bobby, Phillip Krause originally was doing violin repairs and building bows in the old Watkins Music Store on Tyler St. before he opened the shop across the street. I started building fiddles in 1975 and would go by his shop for advise. I eventually went to work for him for a short period. He still lives in Oak Cliff, or he did when I last saw him about 5 or 6 years ago. I don't know if Phil is still alive or not. Maybe Darvin could check with Phil's grandson.
Watkins was a frequent hangout for me back then and I vaguely remember the steel guitar shop in the back. That was before I discovered the steel guitar and "ruined" my life. The man than ran the store was tall and thin, smoked a pipe and wore glasses. I think the owner was Don Berry, but I've been wrong before.

[Bobby Bowman]

Don Berry is correct.

[c c johnson]

Mark Haven't seen you on the forum for awhile. I am still trying to have enough time to stop and see you on Hamilton. I go through there at least once a month on the way to BenBrook to see my kids etc. but it seems as if we have a deadline to meet. Will keep trying. cc

[Terry Wood]

Hi Reece,

Hope your doing well! I appreciate you sharing this history of the MSA.

I think it would be interesting for those reading this if they knew more about some of the others who worked with MSA including well known steel players.

Correct me if I'm mistaken but I know that Bud Carter of Carter Steels now days, and our mutual friend the late Julian THarpe worked with you all for awhile too. I am sure there were many others as well. Maybe you could shed some light on that too.

GOD bless!

Terry Wood

[Ellis Miller]

Ellis Miller, what a nice suprize to see your name on the forum, hope all is well with you. I recall many a gig with Pete Martell and yourself playing harmony parts etc at the Nashville West. Pete is living in Vancouver Wa, no one sees him much these days, his health may be an issue.

Larry Behm, thanks for checking in. I have very fond memories of my time in Portland. There was quite a community of very accomplished PSG players around there at the time and I had the pleasure of working with several. I am glad you are carrying the torch forward.

Mr. Anderson, Mr. Seymour and all; thank you for the wonderful information and this great thread. It has been doubly enjoyable to me because of my relationships with some of the parties involved.

[Reece Anderson]

I appreciate each of you who were so kind as to have read and participated within this thread.

Fred S……You’re almost exactly right. There was a time when MSA was producing 2626 steel guitars per year to fulfill contractual agreements. When considering the amount of working days in a year, we were building eleven pedal steels a day.

Bobby B……Thank you for providing me such great memories of the early years of MSA, and most importantly for your contributions to MSA.

You are right in that MSA’s first location was on Tyler Street in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas behind Berry Music. Next to us, was Phillip Krauss Violin maker and repair. Those I remember those who contributed while we were in our first location were……. Tom Morrell, Danny Shields, Bobbe Seymour, Bud Carter, Bobby Bowman, Phillip Krauss, Albert Talley, Tim Thomas, Don Berry and myself.

When we moved a block north on Tyler street, we moved into a facility which was about 10 times as large. It was while in this building that Tom Bradshaw and I collaborated on what could possibly be THE FIRST STEEL GUITAR SHOW ever held in which both builders and players were invited. The factory was full of people from all over the country. In fact it was such a success, Tom and I soon planned another even bigger show, which we held at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas that seated about 1500 people with a huge dance floor where steel guitar manufacturers setup their guitars.

Not only did we have steel players from all over the country, we had many steel guitar enthusiasts who heard of the event that attended. Those whom I remember that played were: Jimmy Day, Albert Talley, Jeff Newman, Julian Thorpe and of course Tom Morrell, Bud Carter and myself. If I’m not mistaken, I also enticed Tom Bradshaw to play.

Those who worked at our 2nd location were Tom Morrell, Bud Carter, Billy Braddy, Merle Counts, Danny Roll, Chuck Wright, David Wright, Jim Little, Junior Knight, Jerry Anderson, and myself. While at this location we sub-leased part of our building to Tom McCormick who was making the Howard amps.

Chuck Wright who was the founder of Sierra steel guitars moved to Dallas and built the MSA Imperial guitar, which at the time was a “Hybrid” steel guitar beautifully crafted by Chuck Wright. There should still be a few of those in existence.

In the early 70’s we moved to the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas, and that’s where the MSA history takes up, which is displayed on the MSA website.
If I overlooked someone I sincerely apologize, and if they will contact me, not only will I apologize, I will make the record clear by posting their name and their contribution.

I will share one quick story about Don Berry, (who also played steel) and I do so because he is responsible for changing my life forever.

At one time we both worked for McCord Music in Dallas. I taught steel guitar and he repaired guitars and band instruments. I was actually teaching for Don McCord. (the brother of Fred McCord who owned the store) I originally started on steel guitar with Don, and after about a dozen lessons I found I could play any of the tabs he had written. I was desperately trying to play like the steel players I heard on the TV, radio and records, was failing miserably and was about to give up and quit playing. I had my heart set on playing Bob Wills music and “Steeling The Blues”. One day Don saw me waiting on a student and said, come upstairs to my shop I have something to show you.

When we walked into his shop he said, see that Fender double neck, go over there and strum the bottom neck. The instant I strummed across the tuning, I immediately heard every song and sound I ever wanted to play. It was tuned to a 6th tuning, all all I had ever been shown was an E tuning....no wonder I couldn't play what my heart wanted to play. My life direction and love for steel guitar was changed forever in the blink of an eye that day. Thank you Don, I have no idea what I would have done with my life had it not been for you sharing with me.

I owe a debt of gratitude to each person named, as well as thousands of others who contributed to MSA over many years with kind words and helpful deeds. I have been helped by family, friends as well as good and caring people, some of whom I've never had the pleasure of meeting over my entire life. I can only hope that I too can contribute to others and steel guitar, while doing my best to give back at least a small portion of that which I have been so blessed as to have received.

We were always like a family at the old MSA, and the tradition of family exists yet today at the new MSA.

In Memory of past MSA family…………….
Tom Morrell
Danny Shields
Julian Thorpe
Tim Thomas
Don Berry
Merle Counts
Billy Braddy
Tom McCormick

[Jim Cohen]

In Memory of past MSA family…………….
Tom Morrell
Danny Shields
Julian Thorpe
Tim Thomas
Don Berry
Merle Counts
Billy Braddy
Tom McCormick
Merle Counts

Evidently, Merle does but Reece doesn't!

(Jus' yankin' yer chain, Reece! All in fun... As a relative newcomer to the MSA family, I too enjoyed reading this bit of history)

[Reece Anderson]

Jimbeaux......Always great to know the SGF thread content police is on duty. I made that mistake on purpose just to see if you would be the one to notice it, and sure nuff, you took the bait.. Now I'll edit it and no one will know what you were referring too, and everyone will believe it was YOU who made the mistake.

[Jim Cohen]

[Gregg Thacker]

I brought back wonderful memories for Reece last March at the TSGA "Reunion". I recalled a friend that Reece went to School with who had a Band that played at the Longhorn Ballroom many years ago. The persons name is Harold Crabtree. Reece appeared to remember him as I recall. Harold is a co-worker of mine and he also told me that he had used Doyle Grisham on Steel during Doyle's early years when they played at the Longhorn Ballroom.

I thought that I would my little tidbit to this thread.

Gregg

[Jody Sanders]

Hi Maurice, Thanks for the info. Your honesty and integrity shine thru as usual. Jody.

[KENNY KRUPNICK]

Reece, Would you share with us the shop on Scottsdale,and the relationship of MSA/Micro?

[David Wright]

I left Ca, in Jan 1970, moved to Dallas, and went to work with My Dad & Maurice... so many great times there on Tyler st...and thats where I started playing steel, under Maurice's guidance.. I worked @ MSA until MSA went with Micro, my Dad and I rented a shop there on Tyler St, and started building Wright's again...it was not long after we started doing that, Ernie Ball called my Dad, he went to Ca, and cut a deal to build steels for Ball.... I moved him out to New Port Beach, Ca..and returned to Dallas, and went back to work with Maurice @ M.S.A./Micro....I'm very Proud on my Years with M.S.A.
Now, here I am 39 years back in Dallas, you just never know where life will take you, and am very Happy Here... Heres some pictures from the early years here.....

[Reece Anderson]

Gregg T.....Thank you again for providing me such great memories of my long time friend. See you again at the Texas show in March.

Kenny K......In response to your question....... In late 1971 a man walked into MSA, introduced himself and told me he had a machine shop and was looking for machine work. The man's name was Stan Bennett. He was very surprised to learn we built steel guitars, and told me his company (Micro) had built a steel guitar. When he left I said, next time you are out and about, bring your steel I would love to see it.

After that brief visit I thought little about it until Stan again visited MSA and said he had brought the steel with him. When he went back to the car to get it, I called Tom in who was in the shop, and asked him to come to my office. Within minutes Stan walked back in, sat a nice looking case on the floor and proceeded to open the case. When Tom and I saw the bottom side of the guitar, we looked at each other, and our jaws hit the floor.

While trying to regain our composure, we then set up the guitar, and we could hardly believe our eyes. It was a well designed single 10 with 3 pedals and 2 knee levers. Tom and I again looked at each other, knowing the first guitar they ever produced, was better than anything we had produced up to that point in time. In addition is was designed as a production guitar capable of mass production.

After a stream of phone calls and etc. it was suggested we join together with a mutual venture and we were to move our facility and all equipment to the Micro facility. That is how MSA/Micro came to be.

I trust I provided the information you wanted, and thank you for asking.

David W.....Thank you for relating some of your experiences while at MSA. You and your father (Chuck) are both legends in the business and I'm proud to say you were both a part of MSA in those days. Even today you are still part of our immediate family at the new MSA.

BTW we're glad you finally came home to Texas and brought such as beautiful lady with you. You and Rebecca make a great couple.

For those who may not know, the following are the names of those pictured,
which David was so kind to provide.

#1......Myself and Chuck Wright in the showroom of MSA's 2nd facility
#2......David Wright, myself, Jim Little and Jerry Anderson. We were in the DisneyLand Hotel convention room in California.
#3......It appears to me to be Curley Chalker and David Jackson. Location unknown.
#4......Tom Morrell in the hippie days when he was known as.... "wolf".
#5......David Wright in his early playing days.

Jim C.....Right back atcha my dear friend

[Herb Steiner]

That's the Tom Morrell that I first met!

Reece... refresh my memory if you will. I recall meeting Morrell at a Michael Murphey gig in 1973. Tom was playing in a horn band at the time. Do you recall the name of that bandleader? Was it Bill McCoy or something like that? They had a really great sound, like Chicago or Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

[Russ Wever]

Herb,
Might you be thinking
of the band 'Calico'?
~Russ

[David Wright]

The pic of Curly, # David J was at the Longhorn here in Dallas, 68 I think at the steel show..

[Bo Borland]

Interesting info Reece. My first MSA was a 1974 MSA MICRO and all the paper work that came with any parts was from the Scottsdale address.
Where does Bud Carter fit in the history of MSA ?

[Dave Grothusen]

Wow Reece I sure am glad you cleaned your attic. This is good stuff my friend. Thanks.
Dave

[Dick Wood]

Reece, I can only add a very small part to these great stories and memories of MSA but back in 1975 I started working for a Machine Tool Sales Company driving their local delivery truck.

We sold manual and CNC machine tools along with all types of cutting tools and one of my stops most every week was at MSA.

I was 20 and played guitar but had never seen or knew what a steel guitar was at the time. I figured it was some kind of guitar but wondered what the pedals were for.

So on one stop I asked some guy what the heck that thing was and he said it was a pedal steel and explained how it worked.

It's funny how things work out because 7 years later I was playing in a band and we let a steel player sit in and I had to have one.

I looked it the phone book and found Steve Lamb at Steel City Music who sold me an MSA sidekick. Steve stills laughs to this day when he reminds me of how he remembers seeing me strap that guitar to the back of my Yamaha 750 and drive away.

That guitar guitar ultimately led to purchasing an MSA Universal which I never really learned so after a couple of years it was traded in on a new Dekley D10.

When I had heard MSA had closed I never thought we'd see it open again but I'm glad to see you're doing great and that you're still around making guitars and sharing great stories with us.

[Reece Anderson]

Herb S……Although Larry White was the regular steel player, he and Tom were great friends, and I understand Tom played some for him from time to time when Larry was previously committed for another job. Possibly the band you are trying to remember was called “Recoyle” headed up by a piano player named Pat Coyle.

Russ W……You may possibly be right, however I played on some of “Calico’s” sessions and engagements, and I don’t recall them ever using a horn section.
Thank you for bringing back my memory of “Calico”. That was a very talented and great bunch of guys. They had everything it took to become superstars, but sometimes luck plays into the equasion, and possibly they were never in the right place at the right time.

Bo B……I hope the fact I haven’t acknowledged anyone specifically in this thread other than Bobbe Seymour does not diminish what I know to be significant contributions to MSA made by everyone whom I have listed.
Now to your inquiry about Bud Carter……I first met him in Misssouri after playing an engagement at Ft. Leonardwood. (which is where I had went through Army basic training a few years earlier)

I received a call from a singer guitar player named Kenneth Box who asked if I could provide him with a bass player, drummer and steel player to go from Dallas to the Army base. I finally thought to myself, Tom Morrell can play drums, I’ll play bass and I’ll get Billy Braddy to play steel. For those who may not know, Billy was an unbelieveable player and was raised with Tom and I.
After our job at the Army base we had been told there was a good band playing close to the Army base…….so after the job we all packed our gear and went to the club to hear the band.

That was the first time I had ever saw Bud Carter. They had a good band and Bud was playing steel. Our band leader for that night went to the stage and introduced himself, told him we had been playing nearby, so consequently during their next intermission all the guys came over and we introduced ourselves.

As we sat there talking, Bud said, whose the steel player in this band, and of course everyone said Billy Braddy. Bud then asked Billy if he would sit in with the band for a few songs. Billy agreed, and when the band started playing, Billy began wailing away and of course knocked everyone out. After he played a few, Billy then said to Bud, the drummer also plays steel, so Bud said let’s get him up here. Billy motioned to Tom, Tom sat in and proceeded to blow the walls down and Bud’s jaw hit the floor. After Tom played a few songs, he leaned over to Bud and said, the bass player plays steel too. He then motioned me to the stage and I played a few songs. Bud must have thought everyone from Dallas Texas played steel guitar.

After we returned, it was only a few days later when a slick looking Pontiac drives up, and it’s Bud Carter. He had driven to Dallas with the intentions of buying an MSA guitar. We were just getting started at the time. Tom was playing 6 nights a week with a rock band working late, I was traveling with Bob Wills, and at that time, guitar building had to take second place so we could take care of our families.

Bud told Tom and I he had some time off and asked if he could buy the parts and make himself a guitar using our facility. We of course agreed. In a short time Bud had a guitar up on legs and playing. Tom and I were blown away with everything about Bud’s guitar. When it was finished we asked Bud if he would join MSA and build guitars, and he agreed.

He then left to go back to Missouri, packed his belongings and moved to Dallas. Bud’s contribution to MSA is immeasurable, as was his loyalty. He was faithfully with MSA for 19 years and left with me in 1983 when I closed the old MSA doors. Bud is truly the best of the best, both as a person and a master craftsman. I’m proud to say that to this day we still remain dear friends.

Dick W……Thank you for the story. I hope the “Sidekick” was in the case and not fully assembled when you drove away on your tour Yamaha 150 motorcycle. That would stop traffic for sure.
I appreciate your kind words. It’s always my pleasure to revisit the past and share memories with others who may be interested.

[Brad Issendorf]

Thanks Reece and everyone for sharing this all with us. I find it very interesting finding out about the story of the company that built my guitars.

[Dave Grothusen]

Your story about seting in with Bud's band is just too funny. Thanks again

[Ga McDonnell]

Quote by Mr Anderson: "Chuck Wright ... moved to Dallas and built the MSA Imperial guitar"

This is my first time to ever see the term "MSA Imperial".

Maybe that's what I have. It's a giant 36 inches in length with wide legs (3/4" threads). No name on the body, but has a clear acrylic covered neck which has cursive-style MSA on it. The changer is the cylinder type. Undercarriage is really primitive and home made. Lots of play.

The knee levers are permanent. They don't fold. They have to be disconnected from the bellcranks to fold down. Would have to assume there was a case made for it, but so far haven't come close to finding one that will fit.

Body isn't heavy for the size. Has a black mica finish.

I was told that Chuck Wright was involved in building this guitar. To what extent I don't know.

[Ken Byng]

When I visited Bobbe Seymour's store last March, he showed me a very early MSA that he owned. Must have been one of the first.