My favorite Curly solo

Randy Mason · Post by **Randy Mason** » 19 Mar 2008 10:12 pm

Few things make me laugh out loud, but this great Chalker solo sure does, it is so good. It's on youtube under The Wilburn Brothers Blue Blue Day. The solo on that song Blue Blue Day is a must. sorry i don't know how to directly give it to you. Help me

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 19 Mar 2008 10:22 pm

HI RANDY,

This link should do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=580HRxtAI7A

Roger

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 19 Mar 2008 11:56 pm

Classic Chalker, as only he could do it. Thanks for posting it.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 20 Mar 2008 4:47 am

Jim, Yes unmistakable Curly style on C6.
I don't know which one is my favorite because they are all so great.
One of my favorites is this one. The break he plays in Making Plans. Notice the sustain! He plays 7 or 8 chords without picking, just moving bar and pedals. What a sound!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDH38bEKbws

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 20 Mar 2008 7:41 am

I like all of Curly's breaks, but I think my favorite is on "Danny Boy" on Charlie McCoys album.

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 20 Mar 2008 8:37 am

He was such a stylist and just like Julian Tharpe, nobody sounds like them.

Also notice some of these cuts are on the Sho-Bud and others on MSA steels. He's got the C6th on top and he's the only steel player that I have ever saw with their double neck like that. Of course, he was the Chord King of C6th. In my opinion only Emmons, Reece Anderson and Doug Jernigan come close to his C6th stuff.

I saw Curly play at Scotty's Steel Show at St. Louis one year and Buddy Emmons setup right beside him and played bass. What a treat that turned out to be!

Terry Wood

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 20 Mar 2008 8:52 am

We should all be grateful to the Wilburn Brothers for allowing Curly to play his own style, instead of the more conventional E9 style.

RFD TV is not available in Los Angeles from my cable company. (Time Warner.) Perhaps they feel there is not a large enough audience for it out here. Whatever their reasons, I wish they would change their mind.

BTW I still have about 600 copies of the Curly Chalker DVD sitting in my garage, in case anybody wants one.

Randy Mason · Post by **Randy Mason** » 20 Mar 2008 10:47 am

Thank you Roger for the direct link!
Curly gets such a cool sound on the low bass end, what amp is it...or is it a low string? I'm not a steel player, so forgive me.

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 20 Mar 2008 12:15 pm

I vote for Curly's ride on Charlie McCoy's "Danny Boy" but they're all great.

Curly's low string is an "A" which he uses to great effect to accompany his chord melodies or to just thump on it like you hear on "Blue Blue Day." He also used the low bass sting to slide down into his chords like Johnny Smith. His amps on the Wilburn Brothers show are at various times a Twin Reverb, a Sho-Bud Dual Channel and an amp called a Gibson SG. He also uses an Echoplex.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 20 Mar 2008 2:14 pm

Some of my favorites...

"The Shadow Of Your Smile", by Stan Hitchcock. Stan even introduces Curly on the ride in this one - easily Curly's most famous ride, and certainly one of his most memorable.

"The Tennessee Waltz", by Red Stewart. Done back in the early '60s, and Curly did it on E9th! It's my opinion that this ride inspired a lot of the stuff that John Hughey did later on. I have a RTR tape of this TV performance...possibly the only one in existence.

"Wildwood Flower", by Merle Travis. Another great E9th romp by Curly, the guy who was only recognized for his C6th work.

"Walkin', Runnin', Stumblin' Through My Mind" by Stan Hitchcock. Another great ride, seldom heard, from his "Dixie Belle" album.

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 20 Mar 2008 4:43 pm

You would not know Curly was a "lefty" and I don't mean just because he played with Lefty. A Southpaw playing at this level. As for my favorite, Just about everything he did on the C6 neck was my fav. If you haven't gotten the DVD that Mike has, it's the last we'll ever see of this great player's work. As for the C6 on the front neck, I had MSA build me a D-12 Classic in the mid 70s and I miss it. There was also a great player in Texas that had a D10 or 12 ShoBud, C6 in front.

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 20 Mar 2008 8:47 pm

Thanks for the link. Love it.

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 20 Mar 2008 11:51 pm

Sorry to be boring, but I have to agree with the earlier posts of McCoy's Danny Boy. That solo is just breathtaking.

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 21 Mar 2008 12:16 am

I saw Curly Chalker play live for the first time in October of 1969 in Nashville. I only wish I'd had a tape recorder. $:\$

Roger

JERRY THURMOND · Post by **JERRY THURMOND** » 21 Mar 2008 4:50 am

Because I live pretty close to Scotty, I was able to see Curly many times, a few times with only a hand full people there. Curly will always be one of the best, he just never ran out of new things to play an always had a new lick to play for you. His live performances in a jam with other players was his best picking because he was always out to play for the people. Curly an Bobby Caldwell would just rip it up, them was some great times thanks to Scotty.

Jerry

Peter Freiberger · Post by **Peter Freiberger** » 21 Mar 2008 3:29 pm

If anyone could email me an MP3 of that Charlie McCoy/Curly Chalker version of "Danny Boy" I'd love to hear it.

Peter Freiberger
PFrei900@sbcglobal.net

Michael Weaver · Post by **Michael Weaver** » 22 Mar 2008 11:04 am

I would also like to get a copy of that version of Danny Boy if possible. Another great recording featuring Curly is a Dick Curless LP recorded live at the Wheeling jamboree. I used to have the LP, but I do not know what I did with it. I do not remember the exact title, but if anyone has a copy on cd, I would sure love to get that also. There is one cut on there in which Curly's playing causes Dick to lose his place. And I also bought that Stan Hitchcock cd a few years ago just to have that cut of The Shadow of Your Smile.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 22 Mar 2008 11:38 am

Les Green · Post by **Les Green** » 22 Mar 2008 11:40 am

I also go with the break on "Danny Boy" and "Shadow of Your Smile" by Hitchcock. They both bring tears to my eyes.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 22 Mar 2008 1:02 pm

Donny Hinson wrote:Some of my favorites...

"Wildwood Flower", by Merle Travis. Another great E9th romp by Curly, the guy who was only recognized for his C6th work.

what album is this on???

the Wilburn clips are great.

hard to pick a favorite, but his version of "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" from the LA show in '86 is tough to beat.

other personal favorites:
Tippy Toeing, Paper Cups, Mercy Mercy Mercy...

Peter Dollard · Post by **Peter Dollard** » 22 Mar 2008 1:21 pm

There is a live recording where Curly plays such a great break that Dick totally loses his place but in the spirit of the moment left it on the recording for all of us to enjoy...I don't know whether that is on cd or not....Peter

John McGlothlin · Post by **John McGlothlin** » 22 Mar 2008 2:04 pm

Peter I don't have the Charlie McCoy version but I have Curly on an LP playing Danny Boy if you would like an MP3 of that one.

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 22 Mar 2008 2:10 pm

scott murray wrote:

hard to pick a favorite, but his version of "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" from the LA show in '86 is tough to beat.

I agree. That's my favorite song on the DVD too.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 22 Mar 2008 3:07 pm

Mike Perlowin wrote: BTW I still have about 600 copies of the Curly Chalker DVD sitting in my garage, in case anybody wants one.

A plug for Mike's efforts. Get your billfolds out. I can tell you all you won't be disappointed. This DVD with Curly is a 'must have' for all us Curly fans...a true collectors item.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 22 Mar 2008 5:30 pm

That DVD should be in every library and music school in the world.

The Steel Guitar Forum

My favorite Curly solo

My favorite Curly solo

Danny Boy

Curly With Dick Curless At Wheeling Truck Jamboree