The Steel Guitar Forum

A celebration of the life and music of Tom Morrell will be held at Pearl's, on Exchange St. in the Fort Worth Stockyards on Sunday, April 15. I apologize for not having more information at this time, but I will post more about the time, address, etc. tomorrow when I have the information at hand.

There are sure to be incredible pickers there making incredible music. If anyone knows any more before I fill in the missing info, please feel free to chime in.

Okay, the event is from 6pm to 12 midnight, April 15 at Pearl's. The address is 302 W. Exchange, the phone number is 817-624-2800. There will be western swing at its finest.

I would love to be there. What a great way to say farewell and thanks.

I will be there in spirit-I was gonna make it, but I'm working the night before and after.

xzxzx

Joan and I plan to be there. Don't know who the band will be but I'm sure some Top Hands will be present.

I too will be there in spirit. We sure will miss the Wolf more and more as time goes by. Howdy to Leon. Have a good time ya all.

Sure would like to hear how this all went down...

Yeah me too Jimbo, anyone out there with more info on this. Great player, great tribute, will be sorely missed! Neal Yeagley

And me as well-played a few TWTH cds on Sunday and wished I was at Pearl's.

The Tom Morrell Function was just great. I had to work Sunday afternoon from 5pm to 10pm, at the Stagecoach Ballroom in Ft. Worth, and didn't get down to Pearls untill about 10:30pm, and the group was on break, but when they came back on stage, it was just great.

I'm sure some others could chime in about who all played, and sang, from the git-go, but I got there late, and still got to hear, Craig Chambers on vocals, and rythem Guitar, Greg Hardy on Drums, and vocals, Ronnie Ellis on Bass Fiddle, Twin Fiddles by Bobby Boatright, and Reggie Rueffer, Tommy Allsup on Guitar, Tim Alexander on Piano, and you should have heard JOHNNY COX playing Tommy Morrells "pedal-less" (Bixbe ?) Steel Guitar.!!

OUTSTANDING....!

Chuck, thanks a bunch buddy. It was an honor to play with The Time Warp Tophands and even more so to play Tom's guitar. Thanks to Mike Black who now owns the Bigsby for bringing and allowing me to play it. Everyone played great and the crowd was huge. I hope that maybe this turns into an annual event, Tommy Morrell Day or something. I also want to thank Burt Winston for giving me the coat off his back. At the end of the night Burt presented me with a Time Warp Tophands jacket. WOW, what an honor. The night was all about Tom though and I think he would have liked the way everyone payed tribute to him. Albert Talley and Craig Chambers did a great job putting this together. And let me thank Marie who ownes Pearls Dancehall for providing the perfect venue.

zxzzx

Johnny, that's a big honor to have one of those jackets, but you know that already. And it's such a cliche, but I can't resist: if that guitar could talk.......

xzx

Tom left us a legacy of music that is yet to be fully realized by the mainstream public. Tom was a musical genius who will be hailed as one of the most important artists of our time by future generations.
I knew Tom through his music and spoke with him only one time... yet, my life is richer from that.
God Bless and rest his soul...

Steve, your right, it is an honor. As Mike said one used to be able to buy those on the website. I asked Burt Winston about that and he told me there were no more, then at the end of the night he gave me his. I'm sure he will get himself another. Tom did leave a bit of himself on that old Bigsby. I could feel it when I played.

I have to smile each time I remember that Sunday night after the Show at Pearls. Johnny, his Lovely (and great steel playing ) wife, Joan, and Miss Dixie Hankins (Fantastic Drummer) and myself went to breakfast together. While we were setting and waiting on our food, Johnny had a very far away look in his eyes, as he stated "Man, I'd love to go play some more of that stuff!"

I could tell that he meant it. I sure enjoyed our time together. And I didn't tell Johnny, but I would have loved to listen to "some more of that stuff."
I always enjoy hearing Johnny play no matter what steel, or what kind of steel he sets behind....he's awesome.

Tom was one of those players that you'd go see and just shake your head wondering,how does he get all that with no pedals.

I was very lucky to be able to go see him whenever I wasn't playing somewhere.

Luckily, we have a local radio station that plays nothing but traditional country and they play a bunch of tunes he played on.

xzxzx

Anyone know how to get hold of Bobby Boatwright's CD's with Tom Morrell?

xzxz

Thanks, Mike!

Mike, before you donate it to a museum, talk with me or Smiley Roberts. We all learned a few things during the donation of Shot Jackson's Sho~Bro to the Country Music Hall of Fame that might be good lessons to keep in mind when you set up the terms of the donation.

Jimbeaux

zxxzxz