The Steel Guitar Forum

You're right Jody. MOST people here have probably never heard of Slim Idaho, but he was a great player. Yes, he was killed in a cycle accident...1949, I believe. And yes, I was referring to Homer Haynes (of Homer and Jethro fame) who was a fantastic rhythm man. He could play a chord for every note in a song, and never miss a lick. Also, Texas Ruby probably isn't well known, either. Suffice it to say that she was sort of a forerunner of Patsy Cline.

Gram Parsons, Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant
Forgot to mention Don Rich...<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Geoff Brown on 06 July 2001 at 08:46 PM.]</p></FONT>

Donny,,,unbeknown to many ,,,Homer Haynes was a great guitarist,,,I did many sessions with him,,he played great rythm guitar and knew all the chord changes and then some.He was a legit guitarist who could play with the best of them,,,ditto Jethro and his tremendous mandolin playing.

I remember that great sounding "Stromberg guitar he played,,,I had a great recording of Slim Idaho playing a hot solo with Cowboy Copas on King records I somehow lost it over the years,,I think the title was Cowboy Jubilee,,,Slim was a great player....

It's great to hear somebody mention Slim Idaho. My dad and uncle knew him years ago. Around 1946-'47 he was in Roanoke Va. working at W.D.B.J. radio with I believe my dad said Tommy Magness. They said that musicians would fill the studio up just to hear Slim play. He said there was nothing like him at the time he was that far ahead of his time. He left Roanoke and went to W.R.V.A. in Richmond, Va. to work for Sunshine Sue on the Old Dominion Barn Dance. It was there he got killed in a motorcycle accident. Dad told me he knew they played a song called "The Silent Steel Guitar" on the "Barndance" to honor Slim after his death. If anyone knows about this let me know. Mike Sweeney

Jody...reference your comments about Homer & Jethro. I was on a Package Show tour once with them and others, and spent a great three-weeks listening to them "jam" in the hotel rooms after the shows. Jethro's jazz (and his custom mandolin case with the compartment for the "good" scotch he couldn't get on the road), and Homers chord work (and his irreverant dry wit) kept everyone entertained. www.genejones.com

I hope I am not wrong, but I believe Speedy is still with us here on earth. I spoke to him and patted him on the shoulder in Tulsa a couple months ago.
Jerry

Jerry, A point well made..I thought maybe I was hallucinaten in Tulsa.
Any one remember Jenks carmen??

Doh!! No, I'm the one hallucinating. My apologies to Speedy

Hi Gene, Jerry, & Mike,
I will address your comments,,,Mike,,yes I have heard much about Slim Idaho not only about how great he played,,,as i have heard some of his playing on recordings,,but I too worked for Sunshine Sue(Wortman) in an off broadway show back in 1954.

I was called in to play steel,,,it was there I got to know many of the members of Sue's group,,,the show was called "Hayride" it featured Sue,as well as Mary Klick a great gal singer,,,a great guitar player by thr name of Gene Jenkins,,,,and a comic believe his name was "Zag" The Ozark Mountain Boy
I would have to look at the program for the correct spelling of his name,,,I have the original program here.

The show also had Joe Maphis & Rose Lee two wonderful people,,,also featured Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain boys,,,the show didnt last but 6 weeks,,,the New York crowd was "too sophisticated" for that kind of entertaiment,,,they were stuffed shirts,,
hate to say what they were "stuffed with"

I learned much about Slim from Sue & I was told of the special rememberance tribute paid to Slim as your dad told you.

I know I have been told that I have long stories,,& they are right,,,,but it just so happens that it takes me a long time to tell a story. For my memories I have kept the original program from that show I did with Sue and it is part of my memories of a nice time in my life,,,I had much fun with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs,,,and to this day I still hear that Earl asks about me as he thought I was a crazy guy,

Im taking up too much space here now,,,I will get back to Gene as well as Jerry a little later on....Jody "The Long Story Specialist" had to edit for correcting the name for "Zag" The Ozark mountain boy also had "fiddlin Irving" Quincy Snodgrass, Zeb Robinson, & The "Coon Creek Girls" just the kind of music and entertainment that these New York people didnt appreciate,,,will tell you this,,,Joe Maphis woke em up with his
Mosrite double neck guitar & his Standel amp
when he played his guitar and sang" Dont Make Love In A Buggy, cause "horses carry tails,,,great show,,,,wrong city,,,,<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 07 July 2001 at 07:56 AM.]</p></FONT>

Then add Noel Boggs, Mr Murphey,Leon,Spade on fiddle,Red Rhodes,put Cliffie Stone on bass,Harold Hensley might show up with his fiddle,would they let cousin Immy play banjo?? and the list goes oooonnnnn....
Such great memories of such great players..they gave us so much...

Lets not forget Joe, the bass player for Conway for so many years and Randy, the Drummer who worked with Chet.

Wow,,,I love all those name mentioned,,Noel,
Harold Hensley etc etc,,,,and Jenks Carmen.
Fred I had a coouple of Jenk's old recording done many many years ago,& I remember jsut as a kid listening to his "unique" style of steel playing. You guys are too much,,,this is a great thread and many thanks to John for starting it,,,its better than topice that cause dis-agreements etc,,but I guess, it is all part of the type of thing it's meant to be,for people to "vent" themselves.

Jerry,,,Speedy is fine,,,I speak to him about once a month(telephone) & we e mail each other at least once or twice a week,,,he sends me "dirty old man jokes" he;s a great guy,,,he is feeling fine in spite of his health problems that he had a few years back.

Gene,,,,you are right again,,(what else is new)?? Homer Haynes was a great guitarist as well as Jethroe being the best I have ever heard on mandolin,,I told Jethro that,,and he told me his favorite was a man I beleive by the name of Dave Appolon or something like that.

One day before a session with H&J the two of them were "messing around" doing the corn pone singing things they were known for,,,I was sitting there listening to them warm up,
Tony Mottola & Bucky Pizzerelli two of the top studio guitarists were on the date as well,,,all at once Jethroe broke out into a tune" Beyond The Blue Horizon" a great old tune,,and what happened next is anybodys guess,,

The studio of musicians went wild listening to Jethro's improvising at "break neck speed" and the rhythm and chord changes of Homers Stromberg guitar ,,,just blew everyone away,,,I never heard anything as great as this ,,,Mottola,,,Pizzerelli, Homer Jethro,,,they were all jamming like the devil
I was able to get into it too..

All at once the A&R man Steve Sholes at RCA Victor said,,,,okay boys,,,"play time is over" lets do the session,,,I was proud to have been at the right place at the right time many times in my life,,,I have been on the other side as well,,,Gene No ,,I didnt see inside Jethro's case,,but if he was having a "taste of Honey" give me some of that stuff,,,so I could get the energy they had...I have a story bout Speedy,,,but bOb will get after me if I dont shorten up here.

I will get it to you again sometime,,its just a quickie but a "goodie" Seems like all, the great ones are laeving us or have already left.
Smiley called me (phone) last night to tell me Johnny Russell passed away,,,we lost three great one's in a matter of days....CU later,,,if Im still here,,,if not,,,,well I hope Iam with all of them,,if they let me in.
Thanks John for the GREAT THREAD ...I re -read some of your posts fellows,,you really bring back many memories,,,this is a great thread...Oh I said that before,,,,but like John says if its country DO IT TWICE,,,,I did it THREE TIMES ,,,,

Yes, "Big Joe" Lewis has been gone many years, (auto wreck), and Tommy "Pork Chop/baseball bats" Marcum, the drummer with Conway for many years, also died a few years back following a leg amputation for diabetes....that diabetes is tuff-stuff, seems like it gets more than it's share of musicians...wonder why. www.genejones.com

I'd like to hear Steve Goodman sing and play a few tunes. He left us way too young.

Also John Hartford's unique fiddle, voice, and Dry Wit would be appreciated. He could MC.

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<img align=right src="http://pedalsteel.tv/img/joey.jpg" width="80" height="100">
-j0e-

Ok if were going to mention Slims let me bring up the Name of Slim Coxx. One of the very best Fiddle players and people I have ever met. Slim also had four sons who followed in his footsteps as a Steel, Lead,Rythm player and singer and outright great pickers.Dave,Paul, Larry, and Bob.Also Dick Curless one of the best Voices ever in the Business a Legend from Bangor Maine and a good friend thanks to Smiley Roberts who is still with us .(I think).Webb Pierce, Patsy Cline and Marty Robbins on Vocals. And if he behaved they might let ole #1 sit in Elvis Presley. Kieth Whitley,Lefty Frizell. But lets not forget old Skull who would be sitting by the door outside welcoming everyone and on his lap would be Lenny Breault and His Dad Hal Lonepine.Phill Baugh still would be trying to make his guitar sound like a million other things and Pete and Shot and Little Roy and Jimmy would anchor the great Country sounds. We could go on forever, what a great thread.And Hattie Bess (Tootsie)would be making sure all the pickers got fed. And my very #1 favorite Faron Young would be Just plain Faron and having a ball. Hope I never wake up from this great dream.

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CJC

God be with those Forum members we've lost now and in the past.....I will pray for those and their family and loved ones......God rest the soul of my friend

The late Rick Alexander, who was so kind to make a website for me and to his widow Cathe who has kept the website going....

God be with all of you now and always and Forever

Goodnight.