The Steel Guitar Forum

With the passing of John Hughey, the steel guitar community is still in a state of shock. He was not only a great player but his playing has left many of us searching for his unique style and sound. I would like to tell about one of my favorite memories while visiting with John. At the Texas show I was asking him about his sound while playing for Conway Twitty. I asked him what effects he used while playing on those records. His reply was "There were no effects". That statement just showed me how great he really was to achieve such a sound just with the steel and an amp. As far as a favorite memory of John playing, I will have to say I was never disappointed any time I saw him perform. The loss of John Hughey just proves to me once again how blessed we as steel players are to have such a man as John play pedal steel. I am sure the angels in heaven are enjoying his playing just as much as we did here in this life.

Paul, I agree with you one hundred percent. John was a hero to so many steel players. I first met him in 2000 in Saluda, South Carolina and we became friends. I first heard him on Vince Gill's records. When I was a kid, I'd come home from school and listen to Vince Gill's "I Still Believe In You" record and I was amazed by John's playin' on that record and also the other records he played on with Vince. Just before I started playin' steel, I went to a Vince Gill concert and John was on steel and I told my mom that John Hughey was playin' steel and she asked me how I knew it was him and I told her I'd read it on Vince's record credits. I later learned after I started playin' steel that he played for Conway Twitty and also on George Strait's song "Amarillo By Mornin'. He also was featured in Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt's video, "This One's Gonna Hurt You". I played "Look At Us" while he listened the first time I played in Nashville and he said he wanted to hear me play it. After I finished, he told me he loved it!

Brett

Brett

For some reason I reflect back on John as just an overall good guy first before the Music. He was just so layed back that he always impressed me with his calm.

Each time we saw each other, not all that many by the way, he called me Tom...which in the scheme of things is no big deal. He remembered me when I saw him and we spoke very briefly each time.

When not on stage, he was always found sitting with or not very far away from Miss Jean, and that to me tells a bigger story.

Other players perhaps had lines of folks waiting to talk with them, John and Jean were sitting eating a sandwich that they brought with them.

I am thinking that to Johns friends and family his loss is profound , it is to me and I hardly knew him.

t

Two or three years ago at the St. Louis Convention I walked by the Hughey booth around 4 in the afternoon (think it was Saturday afternoon). I wanted to buy some of John's CDs and some of the courses. Nobody else was standing there (which almost never happened). John and Jean were sitting there, both eating a sandwich. John saw me and stood up and mentioned that they both didn't have a bite to eat since breakfast. I said "please have your late lunch, I'll stop by later", but he insisted on me staying and getting what I wanted (of course he also signed every piece which I bought!). In the meantime several other people stopped by and that was the end of his late lunch, but he didn't really seem to care, he always enjoyed the company of others so much...


I miss him a lot!


Kind Regards, Walter

All of my memories with John are treasures which I'll hold dear to my heart forever.
I guess my favorite would be the very first time I met him. He made me feel so comfortable and at ease,like he had known me for ever. I'm gonna miss him so much.

A few years back in Norwalk, Ct, I was talking to my wife on my cell phone. John was walking down the hall towards me and I asked him if he'd mind saying hello to her. He took the phone from me and spoke to her for quite a while. They finally met in St. Louis and John was as interested in speaking with her again as he was that first time. Since then he always had a hug for her when we saw John and his wonderful wife at shows. Needless to say, as with everyone else in the music community, we are heartbroken at his passing. We are confident, however, that he is a much better place.

A few years back at the indy gospel show i was sitting at my guitar working on a few tunes when John and Jean came walking by. I looked up and said to John here is a little John Hughey and started to play the waltz i saved for you. As i started to play he said wait a minute. I stopped playing and he said I dont want to hear John Hughey I want to hear you. And gave me the famous John Hughey smile. What a wonderful man!

Ill tell you the kind of person John was. He played with Conway when my Dad Gary Boggs played with George Jones, they were friends, but the first time I met John, I knew him by name only, I went to Camden Park in WV to see Vince before he made it huge, recognized the steel player and after the show I met with him, told him who I was, and since then he treated me like I was the best friend he had, we had John play on our sessions, and when we would do a showcase he and Jean came to them, whenever Vince came to Charleston, I would go backstage and John would get me in and let me hang out like one of the guys. I told Jean one time, "I hope John dont get tired of seeing me everytime he comes to Charleston" and Jean said Billy, he loves it when they are in WV because everyone else in the band has people come see them but not many come to see John, that made me feel wonderful, also with all the greats in music John has played with, on his website there is listed everyone he ever played with on sessions or live, and he included a nobody like me, THATS the kind of gentleman John was, Ill always remember him and my father forever, just great players and people, and very much missed.
BB

Two meetings with John stick out for me. The first was about 4 years ago at Silver Springs Park in Ocala Florida. We were the opening act for a Marty Martel "Opry Legends" show. John was with the Legends Show band and we got to talk and even clown around a little bit. I didn't know it until after the show but Donny and Sandy Colf (a duo) planned on singing "Look at Us" because John was there and then they planned on having John come out and stand in front of me when I did the break on the song. Fortunately they couldn't find John so I got through it unscathed (but still shakey knowing John was around). I still owe them for that stunt.

The second time was this past September in Madison (Nashville). We stopped in Nashville on the way to Kansas City and the last night we were there, we went to a steak house in Madison. As we were eating a man passed our table and I told my wife "that looks like John Hughey". When he came back I saw that it was John and said Hello. John told me, "You looked familiar too when I walked by". We had a nice visit that evening.

In the early years of Chubby Howard’s now well-established Steel Guitar Jamboree—when it was still in Middletown, OH—John was in town to do that show for the first time. This was very soon after John and Jean started doing the shows. I was unable to attend that year, as we had to be at my daughter’s college on that day. The night before the show my wife and I happened to go a little out of our way for dinner at the Cracker Barrel in Middletown. We waited awhile for to be seated and when I glanced over my wife’s shoulder there were John and Jean having dinner. I waited until I couldn’t stand it anymore—I hope they’d at least gotten to dessert— before I strolled over and introduced myself as a big John Hughey fan. John was surprised to be recognized and humble as I would come to know he always was. When I told him I was sorry I wouldn't be able to make the show, he said, "Oh, I'm sure you'll be better off where you're going than listening to me play."

I’m sure Chubby would agree that John Hughey help take his steel show to the next level. I think John was there every year thereafter, and now there are always several big name players on Chubby's show.

Thirty plus years ago, John came to play in Atlanta – at the old City Auditorium – with Conway. Their bus was parked on the side of the auditorium – close to the parking lot where I worked. A friend of mine – a budding steel player – recognized John. He went up to John and asked what he was playing. John took his case out of the bus and showed us both his Black Emmons. He went on to talk a bit with us.

I have said many times what a great fraternity Steel Guitar player are. I don’t know of any other group of musicians that would take the time to strangers regarding the instrument they play.

Everytime you talked with John had to be a favorite. It is so difficult to select a time, one from another. Another obstacle in this decision making is how do you remove Jean from the consideration. The two of them were so close and inseparable that it is impossible for me.
I've talked to John and Jean at many shows and was thoroughly thrilled each time.
Having John and Jean come to the studio and sitting so close to John as he cut his track on my CD was amazing to witness. Laughing and joking all the time.
My favorite would have to be the dinner afterwards, where my wife and I and John and Jean, along with our fried Al Bruno, sat and talked for about three hours.
It's been said by many, but when you first met John, it was like making a new best friend.

Talking with John many years ago when he was selling records at a Conway Twitty show. Seeing and hearing John play through my pedal each year at the International Steel Guitar Convention.

I stopped by to visit with John back stage one evening when he rolled into town with Vince Gill to play a show at the Allentown fair. We had a good time as usual. He played great as always. At the end of the night, I noticed a small crowed congregating around Vince's bus. I asked John: What do you think that's all about? He said: "Well, our goldfish died on the way here today and the crew is having a funeral for it".Sure enough, there was a little shrine set up with candles and the whole nine yards.

John excused himself for a moment. He went over to pay his last respects to this little fish and returned to continue our visit. Very telling about the kind of guy John was.

I'll think of him every time I hear a steel guitar cry.

Robbie Bossert

One of my favorite memories just happened to be the last time that I ever saw John. It was at Wal Mart in Hendersonville and my little girl and I were in there looking at watches at the jewerly counter and I saw John walk in the door and he headed straight over to us and said, "What are you doin' in here?" in a voice that was trying to make me think I was in trouble or something. But then came the famous Hughey smile that I'll always miss. After talking in length about the Time Jumpers new DVD and the business in general he headed off to do his shopping, but before he walked off he looked at my daughter and said..."Make your daddy buy you something nice!" He walked away and she said "Wow he sure is a nice man". Quite an understatement for a 9 year old. I told Miss Jean this story at John's visitation and it will always be one of my favorite memories.

My favorite John Hughey memory would be at the Northwest Georgia Steel Show at the Shrine Temple in February of this year. I fish the American Bass Anglers Tournament Trail. Since I was coming to the show, I had asked Jerry Braswell if he would have a problem with me raffling off a rod, reel and tackle bag and giving the proceeds to him for the Children's Hospital. Jerry told me to come on. The morning of the show, I put on my fishing attire and headed to the Shrine Temple. Jerry had me a table. Just so happens my table was next to the one that had been reserved for John. After John got his things unloaded, he bought a couple of tickets. We started talking about fishing. I learned that John was also a bass fisherman and he was friends with Gary Yamamoto maker of the Senko. I forgot to mention that John was wearing a Gary Yamamoto jacket. I had my picture made with him and I asked him if he would autograph my American Bass Anglers banner. He smiled and said sure. I have a picture in my scrapbook of John signing my banner alongwith the one of he and I. Like a lot of people I will miss seeing and talking to John, but I will be able to always hear him play because I have a lot of Conway and Vince CD's and cassettes. One of my favorites of John playing is the intro to Last Date.