The Steel Guitar Forum

A while back I heard about someone working on a book of Bob Dunn solo transcriptions. Has anyone else heard of this, or does anyone know of something like this that already exists?

Johhny

I haven't heard of this, nor do I know of anyone working on such a thing. I'd definitely be interested, though.

Jeremy Wakefield does an excellent "Taking Off" on his CD "Steel Guitar Caviar." I wonder if he tabbed it.

Pete Blakeslee

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I case you haven`t see it, Stacy Phillips` first Dobro book (called, oddly enough, The Dobro Book) has a tab of Takin` Off. It`s based of Stacy`s version rather than an exact transcription but most of what Dunn played is there. If anybody else has any, I love to see them.

What tuning is the Phillips book in? I'm fascinated by Dunn's ability to pull off such sophisticated improvisations just using an open-A tuning. I would love to see the Phillips transcription if it's in A or G (or really any other tuning, but preferably those).

Hey Mike,
Been there, done that. Some great memories

Johnny Rojas wrote:What tuning is the Phillips book in? I'm fascinated by Dunn's ability to pull off such sophisticated improvisations just using an open-A tuning. I would love to see the Phillips transcription if it's in A or G (or really any other tuning, but preferably those).

I believe...G.....fantastic version BTW......

I was contacted by Bob Dunn's great-nephew who told me that a compilation CD is in the works and will contain the Vagabonds stuff, as well as some others.

BTW, Jeremy Wakefield plays a nice version of Taking Off on his Steel Guitar Caviar CD.

Bob Dunn Rules!!!!!!

The Western Swing on 78 web site has a collection of Bob Dunn and the Vagabonds available for download.

Here's a cool 1/2 hour podcast show put together you can download. Just found this today. It's pretty neat, focusing on Bob Dunn for a while, then tracing the history of steel guitar with music samples. Definitely worth the time to download. Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for the link to the Vegabonds' stuff, Brad. What great music!

Matt

Oops, forgot the link scroll about 1/2 way down, look for the picture of Dunn. It's titled "Episode 4: Steel Guitar Blues": http://www.highwatereverywhere.com/

Hey Brad, thanks for that link to Western Swing on 78. I can't for the life of me, though, figure out how to download the file. If I click on "Begin Download", the page just sits there saying "Done." Any tips?

Thanks Brad for the heads up. Love that old stuff.

Great stuff! Thanks for the tip, Brad.

I some time trying to nail some of Bob Dunn's solos. It is a real workout !

I use the Amazing Slow Downer to help transcibe them.

I love his playing.

If you can't download it directly try right clicking the link and saving it. If that doesn't work your browser settings might be screwy.

Johnny, I don't know anything about anyone that is planning to tab out the Bob Dunn tunes but I do know the wording that is on his Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame plaque.

BOB DUNN---PREMIER WESTERN SWING MUSICIAN, STRONG INFLUENCE ON PLAYERS OF HIS ERA, PIONEER USING ELECTRIC STEEL SOUNDS ON RECORDINGS. THE FIRST STEEL GUITARIST TO INTRODUCE JAZZ LICKS INTO COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC.
BORN: FEBURARY 8, 1908 (or Feb 5th?) INDUCTED: 1992
BRAGGS, OKLAHOMA DIED: MAY 27, 1971
As to the exact tuning used by Stacy Phillips maybe you should contact him directly. The last email address I have on him is archduke@stacyphillips.com
Scotty

I got in touch with Cary Ginell of Origin Jazz Library, which has been working for most of this year on a 2-CD re-issue project featuring Bob Dunn. He says they've been "tracking down as clean copies of the original 78s as possible....We're still a few sides short, but are about 95% there. After that, there is the matter of settling on format, liner notes, illustrations, marketing etc. When you're a two-man company, and each partner has a full-time job outside of OJL, we grab whatever minutes we can get. So it looks like we won't see the set until early '08....this project should be one of the most important CD issues on the steel guitar's early history that has been released".

These guys are dedicated, do great work, and are real excited about the forthcoming Bob Dunn CDs.

www.originjazz.com