Who has played steel for Elvis ?

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 24 Sep 2007 6:13 pm

I've been an Elvis fan most of my life. From books I have on the subject, the following steel guiitarists have backed Elvis at recording sessions:-

30Apr55 Jimmy Day
21-23Mar61 Alvino Rey
26-27Jul68 Bernal Lewis
2-4Aug68 Bernal Lewis
25-28May66 Pete Drake
10-12Jun66 Pete Drake
28030Jun66 Pete Drake
21-23Fec67 Pete Drake
20Mar67 Pete Drake
20-21Jun67 Pete Drake
10-11Sep67 Pete Drake
15-17Jan68 Pete Drake
9Aug68 Jerry Byrd
13-16Jan69 John Hughey
20-23Jan69 John Hughey
4-8Jun70 Weldon Myrick
27-29Mar72 ?
10-12Mar75 Weldon Myrick
29-30Oct76 Weldon Myrick

This information comes from the recording logs, extracted for the book by Ernst Jorgensen. Who played on 27-29 March 1972 is missing, but it was probably Weldon Myrick.

That just leaves the Louisiana Hayride tour. On that tour there was a lot of sharing of musicians and there are steel guitarists heard on what is left of the pirate recordings made live.

Does anyone have any more information, insight, or just anecdotes on the subject ?

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 24 Sep 2007 6:26 pm

Alan, I did not know this info. I figured that he used a steel on maybe his Hawaiian stuff, and I knew that he used Jimmy Day and Pete a couple of times, but this is way more then I realized. Do you have the list of songs or lps that these dates go along with? Thanks Duane Becker

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 24 Sep 2007 9:39 pm

Did'nt Bobbe also record with him,just wondering,don't you know.

Ben Lawson · Post by **Ben Lawson** » 25 Sep 2007 2:52 am

Jimmie Crawford told me he did a session with Elvis also. Jimmie said he walked in with equipment in both hands and almost bumped into Elvis in the hallway. He said the first thing he said to Elvis was "d#%*" you're pretty". Sounds like Jimmie. It might have been those unknown dates in March around when Papa John also recorded with E.P.

John Lockney · Post by **John Lockney** » 25 Sep 2007 3:11 am

In the liner notes of the Bear Family Records CD release of "Golden Steel Guitar Hits and Steel and Strings" it says Jimmy Day played "all of Elvis Presley's gigs from October 1955 to December 1955." It also has a picture of them playing together "autographed" from Longview, TX 1955.

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 25 Sep 2007 5:12 am

Here's something, Faye Beck Milsap, told me that her husband the late Zane Beck played with a real young Elvis on the Louisiana Hayride, this was prior to Jimmy Day playing with Elvis.

I do know that Zane played with alot of those early Hayride people at Shrevepirt and was playing on the Hayride early 1950s because he told me himself that he had been offered a job by Hank Williams Sr. shortly before the young Hank Sr. passed away.

Terry Wood

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 25 Sep 2007 5:28 am

That's really interesting and I think it's more than possible. Both Zane and Elvis were regular on the Hayride and it's been said that he was anxious to hear how he would sound with a bigger band. Also in that BF cd is mentioned that Zane added a knee lever on Jimmy's non pedal Fender. That must have happened when they all were working for Hayride.

Dave Burr · Post by **Dave Burr** » 25 Sep 2007 7:59 am

I believe Bobbe Seymour has stated he provided the string section with his steel on Kentucky Rain among a few other songs he recorded with Elvis.

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 25 Sep 2007 9:20 am

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 25 Sep 2007 9:42 am

Yep, strings, no credit, no card, just money. Thanks Felton Jarvis,

Many folks say I put Elvis where he is today,

P Gleespen · Post by **P Gleespen** » 25 Sep 2007 9:46 am

BobbeSeymour wrote:Many folks say I put Elvis where he is today

Nice one!

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 25 Sep 2007 12:19 pm

Elvis Presley is the King,
Buddie, I'm tellin' you,
'Cause if you don't think he's Number 1,
You're full of number 2.

Mike Gross · Post by **Mike Gross** » 25 Sep 2007 1:17 pm

Jay Riley also played steel for Elvis during his Louisiana Hayride days. In fact, Jay and Jimmy Day were both in his band for a time.

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 25 Sep 2007 1:48 pm

Too bad he couldn't get any name players...

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 25 Sep 2007 5:23 pm

Alvino Rey and Freddie Tavares were the Hawaiian guys, stikes me that some of the fills were Freddie.

see :-
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum15/HTML/003629.html

http://www.elvisrecordings.com/s610321.htm#61_2_song6

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 25 Sep 2007 7:38 pm

Duane Becker wrote:...Do you have the list of songs or lps that these dates go along with?

Yes, I have a complete list. The book that I used for the information runs to several hundred pages and lists every recording session Elvis ever did, with notes from those who were there. To extract all the personnel facts would take a long time !

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 25 Sep 2007 7:59 pm

So who is Bernal Lewis?

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 25 Sep 2007 11:48 pm

I was very busy in Abbey Road Studios during the period when Pete Drake and Jerry Byrd recorded with him, so he had to make do with what was available !!
(I don't think he liked the 'Brit Rock' movement anyway)

Mitch Drumm · Post by **Mitch Drumm** » 26 Sep 2007 2:59 am

Jim:

I am guessing maybe Bernal Lewis is aka Bernie Kaii Lewis, a highly regarded Hawaiian player who dates back to the 40s at least. Just a guess. I don't know if "Bernal Lewis" is an alias, his true name, or simply a clerical error of some type. I think "Bernal" played on the Elvis "Paradise Hawaiian Style" sessions.

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 26 Sep 2007 4:43 am

Mitch, Indeed Bernie did as the link in my previous post would confirm.

Bernie Kaii's real name was Bernie Lewis and he was one of the few Jewish Hawaiian steel guitarists.

So the following is an obvious typo !

Musicians:

Guitar :

Scotty Moore

Guitar :

Barney Kessel

Guitar :

Charlie McCoy

Bass :

Ray Siegel

Bass :

Keith Mitchell

Drums :

D.J. Fontana

Drums :

Hal Blaine

Drums :

Milton Holland

Piano :

Larry Muhoberac

Steel Guitar :

Bernal Lewis

Backup Vocals :

The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker, Hoyt Hawkins, Neal Matthews and Ray Walker (AO, FO ,GO, & HO)

Guide Vocal :

Neal Matthews: Queenie Wahine's Papaya (JO)

R.C. Vick · Post by **R.C. Vick** » 26 Sep 2007 7:43 am

I believe our own Bill Stafford took care of the steel duties on occasion when Elvis came to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and performed years ago. Im sure Bill can enlighten us on that.

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 26 Sep 2007 7:54 am

That book that Alan mentioned is a great book and one that most of you would enjoy. I had a copy of it and loaned it out, never got it back.

Elvis was a jewel in my books. I miss the guy and have since introduced his music, CDs, DVDs, movies to my wife and kids and they dig him too.

Elvis may be called the King of Rock n Roll, but he loved Country Music and I bet he really loved steel guitar too!

I have went to his birth place at Tupelo, MS and also to Graceland at Memphis and that is really neat. You can see how a poor country boy made it to world status.

Elvis can be classified a real American hero in my books! He served his country faithfully in the US Army, shared with poor people and about everybody and was successful with about all areas in the entertainment business. I would say it done well. He never forgot his humble beginnings and he was a Christian too.

Again, I don't think that anyone will ever fill his niche.

Terry Wood

Bill Brummett · Post by **Bill Brummett** » 26 Sep 2007 1:13 pm

Here's a little bit of trivia from Elvis' time on the Louisiana Hayride in the 50's. I grew up in Shreveport and hung out at the Hayride as much as I could get away with.

In my tweens and teens I played steel with several kids bands around Shreveport. One of my best friends also happened to be a "pretty fair" lead guitarist and he and I played with some of these groups and haunted the backstage at the Hayride. Oh yeah, his name happened to be James Burton, one of the greatest lead players of all time. James was far more talented than me and sometimes helped me "figure out" stuff on my steel.

James and I played one Sunday afternoon every month at the large Veteran's Hospital along with a few other buddies as sort of a "staff band" for whatever singer happened to perform. Sometimes it was a guest from the Hayride. When Elvis found out about this, he would sometimes stay over in Shreveport for that Sunday and he would come out and do a few songs. Our group would back him up. And as I recall, the stuff he did at the hospital was mostly pure country.

Even at that time Elvis was very impressed with young James Burton's guitar work. I suspect thats what got James in the door to eventually take over the role to become Elvis lead man for many years.

So I sometimes get a kick out of telling my grandkids that I once "played" with Elvis.

PS..... Since I spent so much time in those days at the Hayride, a lot of it backstage trying to pick up pointers, etc. I recall most (I'm sure I missed some) of the steel players that were regulars on the Hayride. The regulars I remember were Jimmy Day, Shot Jackson, Felton Pruett, Hoot Rains, Ed Turner.

Roland Buras · Post by **Roland Buras** » 26 Sep 2007 3:16 pm

I have seen the clippings from our Mississippi Gulf Coast Newspaper the Sun Hearald Entertainment section, Elvis in Biloxi, with Bill staffords steel on stage and Bill standing in the Back ground in the late fifties. An article came out with the picture on stage and was asking the public who is this mysterious person with Elvis. I immediatly identified it as Bill, I called the paper and told them the player is still residing in Long beach Mississippi. they were rushed to do a interview with Our own Mr Bill Stafford, which they did. better known as Mr Smooth.

Sincerely

R J Buras

Kiln Ms.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 10 Aug 2009 1:44 pm

yes, it's a shame how many celebrities have died from drug abuse like elvis and his ex son in law, michael.

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