Speedy West's 1948 Bigsby steel guitar has been found!!!

[John Billings]

"Cucuroo carucha (chevy '39)
Going to el monte legion stadium
Pick up on my weesa (she is so divine)
Helps me stealing hub caps
Wasted all the time"

[Michael Lee Allen]

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[Al Udeen]

Billy: I was working at a gas station about a block from what I remember was called, The El Monte Legion Stadium,On that show was, Cliffy Stone,Billy Strange,Tennesee Ernie Ford, Mollie Bee, & Joanie O;Brian,\How I ever became a steel player, boggles my mind,
Especially, when I worked with Wynn Stewart, & Buck Owens in 59/60 While living in Tucson, & met them both on a TV Show on KGUN CH 9 When I was with Cece White, Then Jimmy Johnson & the Arizona Playboys, At the time I had the only Sho-Bud in the western part of the Country,Old #3 that's been talked about recently here on the Forum!

[Andy DePaule]

I have a great picture that was given to me by Speedy about 1980.
That shows him when he was very young with that guitar looking like new.
We showed it in Steel Guitarist magazine in the "History of the Steel Guitar" column.

I will search for a good copy of that photo to scan and add to this.

Now please don't knock El Monte.
I went to Arroyo HS in El Monte (Would have been the class of 66) and dropped out later to get my GED in the Army.
On the weekends we went to the El Monte Legion Stadium or the La Puente handball courts for great Rock & Roll concerts.
Saw Ritchie Vallens, Chuck Berry and many others there, not to forget great looking Mexican American girls with 6 to 8 inches of hair ratted up above their heads as well as very tight red dresses.
That made quite an impression on this 14, 15 to 16 year old boy back then.
We put grease in our hair and didn't like surfers. Went to shop class and made plastic gear shift knobs for our chevy's..... That was the only "A" grade I remember getting in school back then.

[Andy DePaule]

I'd given this to my Brother so he scanned it for me and it is attached here.
Speedy gave me this when I visited with him at his home in Broken Arrow, OK about September 1979.
He was a real gentleman and so nice to my son and I.

Later when I'd found a couple of bootleg albums from Germany I'd sent him a copy on cassette.
The scanned letter is a response to my questions about the recording.

I hope you enjoy seeing these.
Andy

[Andy DePaule]

A little off the Speedy West subject;
Bay Area Steeler John Sala gave me this photo about 1978 or 79.
Anybody know who this fellow is?
Got to say I was looking at it trying to remember the last time I wore a Tux and Bow Tie playing steel..... Just slips my mind.
Now days I most often play my living room in PJ's and Flip Flops.

[Andy DePaule]

A little off the Speedy West subject;
Bay Area Steeler John Sala gave me this photo about 1978 or 79.
Anybody know who this fellow is?
Got to say I was looking at it trying to remember the last time I wore a Tux and Bow Tie playing steel..... Just slips my mind.
Now days I most often play my living room in PJ's and Flip Flops.

[Andy DePaule]

A quick search on the net found these also....

[Dave Zirbel]

Hey Andy. My mom went to Arroyo High School too. She was a year behind Country Joe MacDonald. (Gimmie an "F"!) I think she graduated in '60 or '61. I was born in '63. I grew up in Temple City, home of Standel Amplifiers, on the same street of the original location.

[Tracy Sheehan]

Billy: I was working at a gas station about a block from what I remember was called, The El Monte Legion Stadium,On that show was, Cliffy Stone,Billy Strange,Tennesee Ernie Ford, Mollie Bee, & Joanie O;Brian,\How I ever became a steel player, boggles my mind,
Especially, when I worked with Wynn Stewart, & Buck Owens in 59/60 While living in Tucson, & met them both on a TV Show on KGUN CH 9 When I was with Cece White, Then Jimmy Johnson & the Arizona Playboys, At the time I had the only Sho-Bud in the western part of the Country,Old #3 that's been talked about recently here on the Forum!

Al,i was also playing in Ca.in 52. Met Mollie Bee and Speedy at a radio or tv station. I don't recall what i was doing there but remember Speedy was a down to earth friendly guy. I was doing tv and radio work only as i was not old enough for club work.Did a lot of radio and tv shows which some were very funny as they were done live back then as i am sure you know. Wasn't funny at the time tho.lol.
I also had yet to take up steel. Was playing fiddle. Did you happen to know Doy Odell? (sp?)

Was a guest on his tv show on KTLA in Hollywood a few times. Those were the days my friend. Like a nut i quit and went back to Tx. A guy could get a job back then playing steel if he could hit a G chord.
Fiddle also. The pay was poor but Tx was my home and i was learning steel. Tracy

[Abe Levy]

The Guy in the tux at the Gibson Electra harp is perhaps Alvino Rey? It is my understanding that Rey worked with Gibson developing that guitar and at the time was heading up his own big band, which would explain the tux...

[Michael Lee Allen]

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[Michael Lee Allen]

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[Andy DePaule]

Hi Dave,
Did Country Joe go to Arroyo too?
I never knew that.

[Andy DePaule]

Hi Michael,
OK, I was not sure.
When I did a search for Sonny James a more famous singer comes up but not this guy.
Looks from that advert you have that is indeed his name.
He sure is a slick fellow!

[Andy DePaule]

Hi Abe,
I only ever saw pictures of Alveno Rey at a much older age so never thought of that.
But it looks like Michael has it right from that scan of the advert.
Best wishes,
Andy

[Herb Steiner]

Did you happen to know Doy Odell? (sp?)

Was a guest on his tv show on KTLA in Hollywood a few times. Those were the days my friend. Like a nut i quit and went back to Tx. A guy could get a job back then playing steel if he could hit a G chord.
Fiddle also. The pay was poor but Tx was my home and i was learning steel. Tracy

Tracy
I worked with Doye O'Dell many times, filling in for Noel Boggs when NB had to go up to Tahoe with Jimmy Wakely. This was around 1971-72, at the Mustang Club on Alvarado Blvd., near MacArthur Park in downtown LA.

I probably saw you on Doye's TV show back in the '50's. Doye also had a daytime western movie show about that time.

[Tracy Sheehan]

Did you happen to know Doy Odell? (sp?)

Was a guest on his tv show on KTLA in Hollywood a few times. Those were the days my friend. Like a nut i quit and went back to Tx. A guy could get a job back then playing steel if he could hit a G chord.
Fiddle also. The pay was poor but Tx was my home and i was learning steel. Tracy

Tracy
I worked with Doye O'Dell many times, filling in for Noel Boggs when NB had to go up to Tahoe with Jimmy Wakely. This was around 1971-72, at the Mustang Club on Alvarado Blvd., near MacArthur Park in downtown LA.

I probably saw you on Doye's TV show back in the '50's. Doye also had a daytime western movie show about that time.

Herb
Small world huh? If you saw the one show i did with Doye hope you forgot it.lol. As i am sure you know the shows were done live back then and the camers were large. There were some very large cables on the floor right behind me. The director or who ever he was had told me to ignore the camers as the guys knew what they were doing. Once the camera man came in over me for a close up of my fingers on the fiddle
and i begin to wonder if he was going to stop.

Any how i took a step back and tripped on the cables and fell on my butt. Some guy came right out and made it look like it was part of the show. I could laugh about it later but wasn't funny to me at the time. Tracy

[Jerry Kippola]

I sincerely hope hardware hank never gets the wild idea to refin it.