The Steel Guitar Forum

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My good friend and early mentor, Gordon Huntley, used to talk about Roger Blythe (at least, I assumed that was his name, it may have been Blye) as a fine steel player who was at that time (1959-ish) based at Greenham Common USAF airbase, near Newbury, in England. Gordon said he often spoke to Roger, who had played with Hank Thompson in the early '50s.

Roger also gave Gordon a lot of information about "pedals" and how they functioned and showed Gordon a great deal about "modern" (a là 1959) steel playing. I never had the privilege of meeting Roger, who was posted away from Greenham in 1959, I believe. Unfortunately for me, I didn't meet Gordon until May 1959 and then school and a dream 10-week holiday trip to the U.S. between July and September that year, meant I was unable to keep up with the "action" back home!

From all that I heard back then, Roger was an experienced steel player,and came from Texas, I think.

There was a Roger Blythe in San Antonio who played a single neck Emmons in the late 60's. He was a nice guy and very good player. He left San Antonio when we moved back to Ohio. The last I heard he had moved to New Mexico.

I knew Roger for a while in about 1986. At that time he lived in Midland, TX. Lost contact with him after that. Fine gentleman and picker. Used to play at the Texas Tumbleweed steak house in Midland regularly.

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His name was Blythe and he lived in Midland when I did. We all called him "Pappy" and he was quite a character, as well as one of the best hands on a PSG that I've ever heard.

Sonbone, you're right about Roger's gig at the steakhouse; my band also played there a few times. Roger later was in Pepper Martin's band and played at the Stardust in Midland every weekend.

One weekend Pepper took the band to a gig in Arizona and Pappy stayed behind, on a weekend that my band was booked to play there. I left my MSA at home and played guitar & fiddle and set up right next to him, hoping to absorb some of his steel magic by osmosis (it didn't work, so I invited him over to the house a couple of times.)

Some time in the early 90's, guitarist Rick Vickery told me that he & the other guys in Pepper's band had helped get Pappy a gig and a house in Abilene, Texas. He lived there until he passed away.

One of many favorite memories of Roger is the night when he was playing with a young band which featured a loud, cocky lead player. He made the mistake of lording it over Pappy, challenging him to keep up with him on "Johnny B. Goode"...I could have warned the kid but I thought he deserved what I knew was about to happen...

When time for the instrumental break came around, the guitarist took the first half, and I watched his smirk melt into gape-mouthed awe when Pappy smiled his friendly smile and proceeded to blast the kid outta the water on C6th.

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I think he may have, but I don't remember any specific mention of Hank Thompson. He mentioned several big names that he had worked with, including Ray Price. I wish I had a better answer (and/or memory).

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I played bass at the Officers' Club at Blytheville Arkansas Air Force Base for Roger from late 1959 until I left for college in September of 1962. He was a Sgt., and had a jazz group that played there or the NCO club every Saturday night. He was playing vibes, with a clarinet player, piano, bass and drums. My first night there he asked if I had my guitar (I'd had a rock 'n roll band for several years), so I got it out of the car and he played some of the best jazz guitar you'd ever want to hear. Played good piano, too. I was just learning the upright bass when he hired me, and in self defense he asked if I'd let him teach me some songs. LET him teach me! I learned more in the first two months I worked for him than I had learned in eight years of piano teachers. I was learning from someone who really could PLAY jazz. When I got to his house the first time, there was a steel set up in the corner. I made him drag it out and got to play and learn some of the songs I'd been hearing on KVOO in Tulsa, and WBAP in Ft. Worth late at night.
I've run across a lot of musicians who've known him over the years, and they will all tell you he was one of the very best. As for whether he worked for Hank Thompson, I do know that Billy Walker knew him, and Billy played bass for Hank in the early 50s. But I don't know if that's where they met. If there are recordings of Roger Blythe anywhere, they should be made available, if possible.
Thanks for bringing him up! Ben
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I Also knew Roger Blythe, from my West Texas days. He was great person, and a great steel Picker. Pepper Martins band just didnt sound the same without him.

Now that Ben mentions it, Roger could play about anything he got near...he could probably have played "Stardust" with a hammer & dishpan.

Once, at an American Legion gig we had hired him for, there was an old upright piano on the floor next to the stage. We wouldn't let Pappy load his own gear, so while we were loading out he sat down and started playing some old-time boogie-woogie piano, followed by snippets of different old songs, just amazing us.

I'm surprised I even had the nerve to start learning to play steel, listening to the likes of Roger, Ron Kirby, and Jerry Fox right there in a 20 mile radius...

I've had the previlege of knowing 'Pappy' Blythe and spending numerous hours 'jamming' with him. In 1964 and 1965 Roger was playing at a club in Carlsbad, N.Mex. called the "Downtowner". I had a band at the 'other' club in town, the "Melody Club". Roger was playing with some other greats like Murrell Counts on fiddle and Charlie Hughes on bass. We both were playing 6 nights a week, and after every night we would meet at our favorite restaurant for breakfast and then procede to a 'jam house' and jam until 7 or 8 in the morning. We did this religiously 6 nights a week. Many of the musicians in both bands played several instruments and the combinations were almost infinate. I was a guitar player and vocalist at the time, but Rogers' steel playing convinced me to become a steel player, with a homemade six string pedal steel which I learned to play on stage at my club. Roger helped me figure out the tuning and setup. I later aquired a 8 string, 4 pedal guitar.
Needless to say, I obsorbed an enormous amount from Roger.
The last time I saw Roger was when I was with Ray Price in '68-'69 in Odessa at the Stardust. Roger was recovering from a heart attack, but was looking real good. I haven't seen or heard of him since then until I saw this post. I sure would like to know how he is and how to contact him, so if anyone can help with this I would greatly appreciate the info.
He did the best version of 'Sweet Georgia Brown' I've ever heard. His tone on those kind of songs was a lot like a jazz clarinet.
His 'catch phrase' back then was "Ultimate"....that's just what he was to me.

Cal, Roger passed away a few years ago. It happened during a very busy part of my life, but I still kick myself for not staying in touch with him after he moved to Abilene.

I agree with "ultimate" being a good word to describe him. He could make that battle-scarred black Emmons P/P jump through musical hoops.

There is a two CD set out on West Texas Country Records of Bill Morris and his All-Stars recorded from live dates in Odessa in the early 1970s with the late Roger Blythe on steel. I use it often on my "Swingin' West" radio program.

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From all that I have read here about Roger, I really wish that I had had the privilege of knowing him when he was based in England, at Greenham Common (2 miles from where I lived in the late 1950s - I now live a different 2 miles from where the base used to be) rather than just hearing about him. I'm sorry to read that he has passed away. It seems that he was a remarkable all round musician.

Gerry

Mike,

I e-mailed Howard Higgens at West Texas Country Music for Cal who was also looking for the 2 CD set. Howard e-mailed me that he e-mailed Cal already that he has a few sets left. Do send me an e-mail and I will send you Howard's e-mail address.

Mike
www.swinginwest.com

While we're at it, Roger used to tell me stories about when he worked for Bobby Lord. Maybe he showed up on some of Lord's records too...

I've hesitated in posting on this thread until I could get all the dates approximately right. I called Pepper Martin in Odessa Texas and just got off the phone with him. Pappy played about 5 years with Pepper in the Odessa Midland Texas area, and Pepper and some of the guys moved him to Abilene Texas sometime in the late 80's. Roger went to work in the old Ponderosa Ballroom there and subsequently had a stroke, and later died with a tremendous heart attack, all according to Pepper.

I first met Roger in 1957 in Lakenheath-Mildenhall Air Base in England. He and I played in a 4 piece band in the Newmarket/Cambridge area, the Rex ballroom I can remember specifically. I came back to the States in late '57 and Roger 'shipped over' and went to Greenham Common until '58 or '59 and came back to the States, to Arkansas I believe.

There's a blank in time but he didn't retire from the Air Force and the next time I met him he was in Roswell New Mexico, and playing all over Southeastern New Mexico, including Carlsbad, Artesia and Hobbs.

I know he played the old State Line 'get together' about the same time Tommy Morrell and his group were in there. Bobbe Seymour can probably add to this part of the time frame. He later moved to the Odessa and Midland area where he played with Pepper Martin and his group.

BTW Pepper Martin is alive and kicking. He's the Talent Buyer for Graham Central Station in Odessa, and for what it's worth I recently talked to Billie Morris, one more super fiddler, who was playing a senior's dance here in Big Spring. Emmett may be able to add a little more now that I've brought this up.

Mike, hope this helps.


Phred

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Pepper was partners with Herb Graham in the Midland Stardust Club and played there every weekend, except when they got an occasional gig somewhere else; those were the weekends when us local guys got to play there.

The core of the band was Roger, Rick Vickery on guitar and Dan Ferguson on keyboards...I've forgotten who the rhythm section were, but that was one hot band.

Fred, how is Bill? Did y'all talk about Roger?

Mike, the Pepper Martin band was a gas. Nothing but excellent musicians and he was real country, but as in most west Texas areas, western swing was the name of the game. Pepper didn't make the big name as the Nix brothers did out here, but too, Hoyle and Ben Nix had Bob Wills and his entire gang behind them. Hard to overcome that foundation.

Emmett, I didn't get to talk to Billie directly. I talked to Monroe Casey and he told me he hired Billie to fill in for his steel player, Rich Dell who was poorly at the time. Casey said Billie was smooth as ever and still knows every song in the book. I also talked to Mr Potts lately and he's still in the spirit and still loves Jerry Byrd music as always. He even played me a couple of Byrd's best. As you know he can't stand peddle steels.
Shoot me an email and tell me what you're doing now.

Phred

I got my Bill Morris CD set in the mail today, thank you Howard Higgens and Mike Gross.

It's kind of hard to describe how it felt hearing Roger play again, after about 20 years...he had such a huge vocabulary of licks on both necks, it still amazes me.

Emmett,

It was my pleasure to lead you to the source to obtain this CD. I have been playing cuts from it on my "Swingin' West" radio shows for years and listeners world wide have enjoyed this band and Roger's steel.