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Barbara Mandell's crutch/lap steel
Posted: 5 Jan 2006 3:35 pm
by Brad Bechtel
In 1984, Barbara Mandrell was in a car crash that left her severely injured. Semie Moseley, Mandrell’s close friend, devised a creative get-well gift; an electric lap-steel guitar built as a functional
crutch and finished in a bright blue metallic lacquer. When Moseley delivered the instrument, he fitted the instrument to her height in Mandrell’s husband’s basement workshop. On the back, Moseley dedicated it to her with an inscription, Barbara! With God / You Will Make it / Jesus Loves You / and I Love You / Semie 1984. Not only was she touched by the gift, but she also wrote that "It plays great, too!"
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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Brad Bechtel on 05 January 2006 at 03:36 PM.]</p></FONT>
Posted: 5 Jan 2006 4:04 pm
by Ben Jones
Brad that is cool beyond belief! Thank you for posting that!
Posted: 5 Jan 2006 4:17 pm
by Mark Eaton
That's some good weird knowledge, Brad.
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Mark
Posted: 5 Jan 2006 4:27 pm
by Russ Young
Hopefully the National Music Museum has room next to the crutch/lap for Ben Harper's
Sk8Lap. <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Russ Young on 05 January 2006 at 04:29 PM.]</p></FONT>
Posted: 5 Jan 2006 4:59 pm
by Rick Aiello
Aluminum too ...
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<font size=1> Aiello's Cast Steel Guitars</font>
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My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield</font>
Posted: 6 Jan 2006 5:45 am
by basilh
Oops-.. Misread the title !!
Baz (Disappointed somewhat)
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<SMALL>Steel players do it without fretting</SMALL>
Posted: 6 Jan 2006 7:37 am
by Charlie McDonald
Good heavens! I'd break my leg to have one of those.
Posted: 6 Jan 2006 8:50 am
by Jim Hinton
Speaking of Barbara, what ever happened to her the 'sisters'? I haven't heard anything out of them in years!
Man, I sure had a crush on her in the 70's!!
Posted: 6 Jan 2006 11:43 am
by Chuck Fisher
Semmie Mosley was a great luthier, and a pretty cool guy, made great cutting edge stuff.
Posted: 6 Jan 2006 5:28 pm
by oj hicks
"Whatever happened to the sisters?"
I don't know about the younger sister, and I can't recall her name at the moment, but Louise had a thriving theater in Dollywood in east Tennessee, or so I've been told. I don't know if she is still there. Few people are as talented as these gals! Barbara can whip the strings off a pedal steel and sing like a nightengale...and the other girls were also very talented musicians.
Sure do miss 'em.
oj hicks
Posted: 9 Jan 2006 6:13 am
by Randy Reeves
Ive fallen and cant get up!!!
get me one of those crutches.
thanks for the pic Brad.