The Steel Guitar Forum

Ronnie Stoneman --? is that last name right ? from Hee Haw fame ? and her husband showed up at a family dance in a club in Iowa and of coarse they got her to get up and do a few numbers. She kept referring to me as Buddy Emmons on the turnarounds ---made me feel like crawling under the steel ---glad he wasn't there to hear it !!

Lefty Frizzell,Freddie Hart,Johnny&Joni Mosby,Johnny Western,Gordon Terry,Bill Monroe,Rusty&Doug Kershaw,George Morgan,Jim Dickens,George Hamilton IV,Bobby Bare,Wynn Stewart,String Bean,Lone Ranger&Silver,June Carter,Joe&RoseLee Maphis,Ken Maynard,Stella Parton,Leona Williams,Ray Pillow,Merle Haggard,Norm Owens,Bobby Austin,etc. Also, some well known pickers: Ralph Mooney,Sneaky Pete,Roy Nichols,Don Helms,Bobby Caldwell,Frank Arnett,etc.

Wow! What a list of stars! Since I have played gospel music exclusively, my experiences include all gospel individuals and groups, but I'll name some of them:
The Hinsons, Ronnie Hinson, The Dixie Echoes, The Gospel Echoes, Squire Parsons, The Bailes Brothers, The Lesters etc....

I have played steel on recordings with Darrell Freeman of the Freemans (huge Mike Johnson fan) Brian Carter (formerly of Jeff and Sheri Easter Band) Karen Peck and New River (they were singing back up)

I guess some of my favorite times are sitting in Dad's music room playing with him! Truly blessed, I say!

There's a list on my website with some of the ones I remember: http://www.markvanallen.com/about.html
Funny thing for me, many of my favorite and most memorable gigs have been with relative unknowns rather than "Stars"...

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

I played for several years in the Clint Miller band at North County Baptist Church, and we had many great entertainers come thru there. Tom Paul Glaser, Billy Walker, George Hamilton IV, John Carter Cash, Marty Hagard, Del McCury, Freddy Hart. Freddy Hart was realy nice he showed me that in his guitar case was hundreds of songs he has written and not recorded. I asked about his guitar because it looked to me to be a real classic. He said "they gave me that in 1958, then he asked me what kind is it ? " I was very lucky to be on stage when they performed. I can not say I backed them up, it was more like I stayed out of the way.

I just remembered Kevin Ryan recorded with Freddy Hart on that trip. It was alot of fun being in the studio that day, a legend performer and some incredible steel playing.

I guess that I would have to answer that question with a question....
What famous artist could you have backed up if you weren't afraid to?
In the sixties, sitting in Linebaughs Restaurant in Nashville talking to Darrel McCall, Darrel asked me if I was interested in leaving that morning to play drums with Ray Price. They were in need of a drummer......Naturally, being a very poor drummer, I declined so I could save face by not being fired. I was offered the job, though.
In the early seventies, Kurt Hunter, a country promoter fried, called me on a Saturday morning telling me to get to Kokomo, Indiana right away so that he could fly me to Detroit. Merle Haggard needed a fiddle player and Kurt, having a dead ear, offered my services. Naturally, I declined again just to save face, not wanting to be fired during the first song. <G> I did have the offere, though.
In the mid-sixties, being a very novice pedal steel guitar player, I got a call from a friend in Nashville, Tenn. wanting me to my Fender 400 to back up, with him, a Grand Ole Opry troup in South Haven, Michigan.
I took that job and sure enough, I left after the concert with a lot of egg on my face.
Jean Shepard, Jumping Bill Carlisle Delores Smiley.
Dang I was bad. Weldon Myrick was there backing up another artist and here I am trying to back up a couple Grand Ole Opry legends.
Jean did relagate me to the drums, snare only, and I did get my pay and a thanks from Jean for helping out on the drums. She never said a thing about my steel playing, just told me, after we rehearsed a couple numbers, that she would rather have the drums than the steel. <G>
Later on in my career, though, I did have the opportunity to play with some of the heavy weights. No drums, no fiddle, no pedal steel.....Just electric and accoustic bass and some guitar with several of the Opry stars.
Oh what terrible memories sandwiched in between the good ones.
Thanks,
Dave A. Burley

anyone I ever backed up is either dead or hates steel now!!!!!!!!!!!! go figure!!!

Two of my faves were...Dolly Parton and Johnny Gimble. Dolly stood two feet in front of me for the entire show and sang like an angel. Something I won't forget. My band backed up Johnny Gimble for three days at The University of Chicago Folk Festival. We were supposed to rehearse in the afternoon of the first day and play the show that night. Johnny's plane was delayed and he literally walked on stage, plugged in and away we went. Well, we had been woodshedding for weeks preparing and had nailed every tune he had ever recorded on one of his albums (thanks Reece for the awesome inspiration). It was going just great. So Johnny thinks we are the best band in the world that can play anything and decides to pull out an obscure Texas waltz...medly!!! Not realizing that we had memorized his recorded stuff, in Johnny's mind, I am sure we went from best band in the world to worst band in the world in about eight bars. We all laughed about it later.

TC

I have stood on stage behind some folks that once had record deals with major labels, but for no better than I knew most of their songs, I couldn't honestly say I backed them up. However, if wishes could come true I would wish to be a member of anyone of the following bands: Ernest Tubb's Troubadours, Bill Anderson's, Poor Folks, Merle Haggard's Strangers, Mel Tillis' Statesiders or Mr. Price's Cherokee Cowboys. I always admired quality of the bands these folks carry when they perform or in Mr. Tubb's case performed.

Jan Howard Muskegon High school Auditorium,Muskegon Michigan, fun..but i wouldn't want to do it again, Grandpa Jones Shelby high school auditorium, i remember grandpa wore two hearing aides..everytime he would jump up and down with the banjo, or turn his head just right..they would feed back and squeal..drove our sound man crazy..funnier then all get out...and Bobby G. Rice Shelby high school auditorium. as i remember he was a super guy..did you know he also plays steel? he did a nice job on my old Sho Bud of "Rose City Chimes" after the show...i don't know the years sorry..but i have a picture of Bobby G. Rice holding my daughter...she was just a toddler at the time..and she is 22 years old now..and in her second year of college! It was a nice experience...but i have just as much fun, and enjoyment playing with our local guys..i would much rather "Jam" then "Perform"....a keg of beer and a bunch of musicians...make for a great evening anytime......

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Whitney Single 12 8FL & 5 KN,keyless, dual changers Extended C6th, Webb Amp, Line6 Pod...i was keyless...when keyless wasn't cool....

I don't think I want to mention our county fair gig with Freddy Fender, so I won't. Suffice it to say, we discovered in the middle of the show that we knew the material better than he did....

I play Dobro for Austin Stewart!!
Jerry

I play for JESUS, and NEVER have I had such a Wonderful BOSS to play for. The PAY & BENEFITS is ALWAYS MUCH MORE than I ever expected. And, to top it all off, It seemed that if I played a Phrase or a note WRONG, or, if the tempo wasn't just right, or, if I was a tad "Sharp or Flat, To HIM, it didn't MATTER, but, Rather he would give me ENDLESS LOVEING ENCOURAGEMENT, the KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM, & the ABILITY to play it the BEST that I POSSIBILY can From the very DEPTHS of my HEART & SOUL.......For HIM. And for that ALONE, I THANK HIM EVERY DAY for this "GIFT" that only HE can give, and by allowing ME to PLAY & SHARE this WONDERFUL TALENT with my fellow Man in THIS Life.

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Emmons S-10 4 & 5
Evans FET 500, Session 400 LTD, ProFex 11

I played for a guy who beat up Hank Thompson's bass player. How many degrees seperation does that put me from Kevin Bacon?

Box Car Willie< Johnny Rodriguez> David Frizzel< Clifton Jansky> Eddie Raven< Johnny Lyons> Barbara Fairchild< Frenchie Burke> Tony Booth .

George: When I played for Bobby G. Rice it was when he had a song out called "You Lay So Easy On My Mind. And I remember him as being the nicest guy. He came into town and the band had about 2 weeks to get familiar with his set list. When I did the harmonics on that song he turned around and smiled. When he was interviewed both on the radio and the local newspapers he praised the band up big time. In fact the night after that gig he showed up at our house gig and did a set with us just for fun.
John

Oh I forgot something. Smiley if you see this I did the Bobby G. Rice gig at the Newton Inn.
John

I noticed that several posts metioned Hank Thompson. One of the highlights of my career was to back him up on a Caribbean cruise. The cruise had a country western theme.Our band played throughout the week, but one show was to back Hank. Being the legend that he is to me, I worked right up to show time to get my parts as close to the recordings as possible. I practiced right through dinner and even a spontanious
birthday party for my wife. Something she will never let me forget. He put on a great show, I was as thrilled as a kid at Christmas.

Nice to see Bobby G. Rice get some mention. One of the nicest guys in the business.When I started playing the summer Concerts at Mountain Park Holyoke Mass. We got to back up Bobby G. Bobby and I became pretty good friends and booked him many times in New England. When he would come near our area myself and "Doc" Peters would find ourselves doing Harmony for him at places like Lake Compounce,Bristol CT.The home of "Slim Coxx" and his Country Caravan. Slim Helped launch a promising teenage Steel Player by the name of Smiley something or other....Bobby wrote some great songs including his Countrys #1 song in "62" "You lay so easy on my mind" along with Charley Fields. We kept in touch for many years and every now and then I get a phone call.Mountain Park was a great summer gig that lasted 15 years. My first major artist back up was Webb Pierce and there were many more at least 5-6 a summer. My favorite however will always remain the late great Dick Curless.

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Smiley 15-4 Crank&pull pro model Deluxe with auto string changer.200 ft. roll.

Hey guys. I finally got a round to signing up for this thing. Here are some folks I've backed up the last couple of years.

Bryan White
Shannon Brown
Kevin Denney (Lead Guitar)
Josh Turner (Dobro)
Steve Wariner
Vince Gill
Alison Krauss (Dobro)
LeeAnn Womack
Jamie O'Neal
Jedd Hughes
Patty Loveless
Rascal Flatts<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Travis Toy on 29 April 2005 at 01:25 PM.]</p></FONT>

Yes..Bobby is a swell guy, always treated me well. And Ron Preston..i to am employed by
your boss...The Best front Man in the WORLD!
I recall one night, after a gig..the weather was so bad, i didn't want to ride home alone, he tapped me on the shoulder and said he would ride home with me...he now goes along with me to every gig i do..no matter where it's at!

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Whitney Single 12 8FL & 5 KN,keyless, dual changers Extended C6th, Webb Amp, Line6 PodXT, Goodrich Curly Chalker Volume Pedal, Match Bro, BJS Bar..I was keyless....when keyless wasn't cool....

Thought I would relight this old thread

Heres Mine

Hal Ketchum
Doug Stone
Rick Trevino
Darayle Singletary
Dale Watson
Georgette Jones
Billy Yates
Leona Williams
Daniel O'Donell
Billie Jo Spears
Wesley Dennis
Ken Mellons

All on Steel, fun times !

I was disappointed to never have made it to the BIG LIGHTS of Nashville, the Ryman Auditorium, Scotty's St.Louis International Steel Guitar Convention nor even the Texas Steel Guitar Show.

I have enjoyed some simple pleasures down thro' these many years of playing music........ I'll mention a few here, not to brag, but to be recorded as fact. They are, as follows:

CARL SMITH
Ferlin Husky
Left Frizell
The Hager Twins
Tommy Cash
Tex Williams
Rusty Draper
Spade Cooley
T. Texas Tyler
Hoot Gibson
Anne Jones
Willy Nelson (w/short hair)
and others to far back in time to remember.........

Rusty Draper, now there's a name I haven't heard in years and years. I was a kid but I thought he was just pretty darn good.