The Steel Guitar Forum

Do you know these names and what they did for the Steel guitar players & Musicians in California? Jack Downes,Marge Crist,Geri Jones,Ray Nelson,Cindy Delmore,Billy Michell,Charlie Williams,Squeakin Deacon,Lee Ross,Hugh Cherry,Biff Collie,Chuck Sullivan,Jay Lawrence,Art Nelson,Harry Newman,Dick Haynes,Larry Scott,Lynn Marie Isaak,Thom Barry & Steve Hathway.These people once was the power of California Country Music Scene.Good Luck in your Memory!. . . Leo J.Eiffert,Jr. & Pigeons Band

I'm know some of the names but only through magazines and records. I have a KFOX ad in a magazine that has a some of those guys in it.
Larry Scott is mentioned in the old "Country Music Life" quite a bit.

Hello Brother Scott,you have it right with these names.I can't wait to see who puts them in order of who they are & what they did for the Musicians. Leo

Hey Leo, here's the ones I remember from your list:

Jack Downs...Drummer and sometimes producer. My ex wife Dotty played bass with him on some gigs the last few years before we left California.

Charlie Williams..KFOX DeeJay and song writer. Wrote a few things with Bobby Bare and did pretty well at that.

Squeakin' Deacon...was the morning man at KFOX and hosted the live show at the Southgate Eagles Lodge for a long time. I met a lot of pickers there including Clarence White when he was with the Kentucky Colonels.

Lee Ross...KFOX DeeJay "Ross's Roundhouse". Lee was a song writer with some well know tunes to his credit such as "Heart to Heart Talk", "My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You" and others. He did a stint as a vocalist with Bob Wills. I played guitar for him for a short while at a club in Westminster but I can't remembere the name, maybe the "Amber Room"?

Hugh Cherry...KFOX DeeJay and music historian.

Biff Collie...KFOX Deejay. Willie Nelson stole his wife Shirley from him and he eventually dumped her.

Dick Haynes...."Haynes at the Reins", KFOX DeeJay who replaced the Squeakin' Deacon on the morning show. He had some alter egos such as "Sir Chester Drawers" & "Wilhema Mildew"......

Larry Scott....DeeJay in Bakersfield then on to the LA area. He was a real musician's friend...JH in Va.

Jerry,you are right on again! Do you know who any of the others are? Also,how bout these names! Jack Reeves,Rose Vegas,Jeannie King,Lynda Peace,Kathy Robertson,Sue Smart,George Highfill,Jan Browne.These names are Neighborhood History makers Just like Gene Edwards,Eddie Sacks,Jim Seals,Paul Bowman,Amil Presson,Dave Karp,Billy Webb,Dawn Miracle,Shorty Robins,Arlene McEwan,Ron Still,Geary Hanley,Dale Neste & Don Richie from The Holiday Two Club in South El Monte,Calif. > > Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.

Well, FWIW, I have a George Highfill album that Pete Anderson produced in about 1988. I've also heard a song of his called something like, "A Town Called Bakersfield" or something close to that.

Being a middle-aged middle-westerner it is interesting to read these discussions about the folks that made it happen in another place and time. Thanks, Mr. Eiffert, for the education.

Hello Buddy Carter,most of all the Country Artist-Musicians -songwriters that have made it in Bakersfield and or Southern California in these days (60,70,80,& 1/2 90s I speak of are like me,a transplant from others somewhere.Thanks for the kind words about educating. sincerely in music,Leo J.Eiffert,jr.

Yo Leo, more memories you're bringing up........

Jack Reeves....Last time I saw him he was playing in that place where Larry Scott had his radio broadcast that we mentioned in another thread.....

Jeannie King.....The first female lead guitarist I ever met. One of my ex wives (Marie Laswell) played in a band with Jeannie...

Linda Peace........Beautiful girl & good singer. Tommie Goble "knew" her better than we did......

Kathy Robertson....She's still out there performing and a fellow Forumite (Earnest Bovine) holds down the steel guitar chair. I backed her a little when I was playing steel for Eddie Drake. She was working on the road with Red Simpson at the time....

Sue Smart....She worked all over the area with her husband Dell or was it Dale. They used to do "Cal's Corral" a lot and other venues in the old days...

Jan Brown....A very unique voice. She had a couple of things that did well nationally.....

Amil Presson....(and the Presstones) I've known Amil about as long as any other musician on the "left" coast. I always enjoyed the harmony between him and his ex-wife Hallie. They did the best version of the Buck Owens/Red Simpson waltz "Don't Ever Tell Me Goodbye". Anytime I was at one of their gigs they'd do it for me....Whatever happened to Hallie? She was one nice little singin' girl drummer..........

Billy Webb......How can you mention him without his partner Donnie Rohrs? Are they both still alive? They played a lot of clubs out there.......

Arlene McEwan.......Excellent Fiddler, I did quite a few gigs with her over the years. I always thought Jeannie Kendall looked like Arlene......

.............JH in Va...................

Hey Brother Jerry thanks for the right answers to most of the names. Here is a few more who have been good to the Steel Guitarist & Musicians. Beth Bleiberg,Joella McNutt,Judy Fox,Suzi Canti,Lucky Keliiholokai,Don Jeffrey,Janice Guerrero,Chris Burke,Carl Green,Darryl Harrelson,Jerri Arnold,Robin freed & Kim McAbee. Here are a few Clubs to the mix of the fix! Chateau Basque,The Forge,Pappy & Harriet's Saloon,Now Cowboy,Rawhide Ranch.This is fun to see how many know the back yard history of their own Neighborhood in California. Sincerely in Country Music with respect to all Musicians & the real representative to our world in these Topic days. > > Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.

Hey, Leo.

I was talking with Larry Scott a couple years ago about all those KFOX DJs you mentioned. Larry seems to think there was something environmental going on at the KFOX building because all those jocks died of lung cancer or some such thing.

Ah, The Forge in Glendale... on that little sidestreet there. Played there with The Amazing Mel West ('cause he had 9 kids ), with Boomer Castleman on guitar.

Anybody remember Eddie's Playtime up on Sherman Way?

And the Cajun Country (just up the street from the Palomino, and the mortal enemy of the Thomas Bros.)?

Ron Still was a dear, dear pal of mine. We worked together frequently with Boomer Castleman (hey, Boom ), the late and great Garland Frady, and Charlie Call. One of the best bass players, singers, generally good guys, and with a really entertaining line of BS. Ron later relocated to Brawley CA (where we used to work the Brawley Inn) to become a Musicians' Union executive there. I've lost touch with him over the decades.

Whatever became of Charlie Call (frontguy)?

How about Ted Lessler (drummer)?

Marvin Cave (bassist)?

Danny Holder (great guitarist who played Spanish guitar like Chalker)?

Danny Lane (drummer)?

Richard Trees (bassist)?

I worked at the Holiday II in El Monte for quite a spell just before I moved to TX in 1972, when I was on Jimmy Lawton's band, The Lawmen. Personnel was JL, myself, and Richard Trees, with drummers Eddie Ponder, Monte Paul, and Wade Wilson (deceased). I'm still in touch with Jimmy, Eddie, and Monte all the time.

Interesting juxtaposition of jobs: I would go back and forth between Jimmy Lawton and the Lawmen, and Garland Frady and the Outlaws.

Garland went to Nashville, then went back home to GA, where he passed on a few years ago. Jimmy Lawton moved to Belgium decades ago and is still picking. Eddie worked with Bobbie Gentry, the Burritos, and others before getting into Special Education, and is now retired. Monte Paul never gave up drumming and is still working the clubs, what few there are remaining.

One more picker that should be remembered: ROBERT HARDY. He was a great guitarist who could play ANYTHING Jr. Brown could conceive of. We worked at the Checkers Club on Lankershim with Dave and Lu Spencer's band. Robert was from San Antonio and played with all of (Sir) Doug Sahm's crowd, and was the first guy to tell me I should move to Texas . He moved back to TX himself a few years later and sadly died of a drug overdose in Corpus Christi in the 70's.

More reminiscing...

I really dug Shorty Bacon. I understand that Shorty moved to Houston Texas, got into gospel, and passed away a few years ago.

I ran into Gene O'Quinn at Kerrville TX in 1977. He said he was moving from California back to TX. On the way, he got killed in a car wreck. Sad song.

Whatever became of Cecil Bays?

If I'm not mistaken, weren't there TWO guys named Ron Coleman? One was a bassist, the other played piano. Ron the Piano Picker moved back to Tulsa, where he passed on a few years back.

The Playtime (on Sherman Way - near the Little Nashville) became a strip joint.

When I think of The Forge, Jerry Freeman comes to mind...or was that the Landmark?

Dave Karp passed away a few years ago. I saw Eddie Ponder last year at Sneaky's memorial in Joshua Tree.

Anybody remember a guitarist named Gene Hoover? Used to play with Lynn Anderson?

Hey Leo!.
In case I might have missed it, don't forget JACK TUCKER. Just about every musician that worked for Jack got hired and fired a couple of times. During the 60's I worked with Jack at the Pioneer Room in Norwalk and on Saturday nights at the Harmony Park Ballroom in Anaheim. Jack also worked at the Imperial Inn in Norwalk which had a Saturday all night jam session. You never knew who would show up. Also during this era, if you were looking for a job, just to to the Cals Corral telivision show on Sunday afternoon at the Huntington Park Ballroom. Someone was always looking for a musician.

Hello Herb,The old Cajun Country Club and Palomino I've performed in many time.The old Cajun Country with " Yar & Sharon Kamar " and even with " Nudie " the rodeo Taylor. Old " Boomer Castleman " is still doing things with " Don Sessions " and Ol'Glory,America's Best Energy Drink. I was told by " Larry Settle " that " Cecil Bays " lives near San Diego,California. As you know Herb,most of the Musicians we knew out here never did use their real name as a Musician or Artist in public while performing in clubs on stage. Just like " Jack Tucker " that " Billy Tonnesen " asked if I mention his name. I picked with Jack Tucker for 7 years off and on at the Pioneer Room in Norwalk,California. Sincerely in Music,Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.

Leo
Yeah, I'm still in contact with Boomer AND Don Sessions! I used to do publishing demos for Don back in LA.

The memories are returning. Ron COLEMAN was the bass player, Ron CHANDLER was the piano picker that passed on in Tulsa.

Hey, to Boomer!:)

Does anyone remember a 6 string player named Jerry Maness, no relation to JayDee. He was very rotund. He came to my house a few years back to do an appraisal and I ended up buying some equipment from him as he had retired as a musician. He did some time on the road with Johnny Paycheck.

Leo, I know you remember these guys.......

Hank Cockram....5 string fiddle, bass, & sax player. Did a stint with Tex'Williams Western Caravan. Remember the benefits we did for him before he died of Cancer.......

Gino Ciriano....One of the best "hillbilly" trumpet players I ever heard. Did a stint with The Blue Baron Orchestra & Spike Jones and his City Slickers. Remember our days at the DJ Ranch and how Gino kept us in stitches? I still have a big nick on the back of the neck of my Tele where he knocked a cymbal stand over on it.

Ron Katt........bass/vocals, because of him I had to learn "Lost in the Feeling" in the key of C which was really in the "Hughey Zone". I never did get it right.........

Jimmy John (Martin or FumbleFinger)....guitar/vocals did a long stint at the old Time Out in Santa Ana.

Jimmy Hill....Steel player, loved to play that C6th when it wasn't appropriate but did a good job anyway!

Al Meyers......A Johnny Davis clone if there ever was one. Played guitar like him and even played an 8 string Fender 400 in Johnny's tuning. He did a stint with us at the Swizzle Stik in HB on steel and played everything thrown at him very well.........

Johnny McKnight (the Orange County Heavy) He could really do those Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash tunes. I worked with John a lot and got to spend a couple of days at his house in Oklahoma last August.

Clarke Rohn....He's still pickin' a couple shifts a week at the Bellflower Eagles Lodge, go to work a Friday night with him last August when I was in SoCal.

Roy Dee......Man, I wish I could find ol' Roy. We were very tight in the old days and rivals in the Orange County area. He had his trio of him, Vern Costner, & Chuck Rauscher and ours was me, Bobby Ray & Buddy Banks on drums!

Speaking of Buddy Banks, he was probably the best drummer I ever worked with in my life (except for you Leo) on any bandstand anywhere. A pretty fair vocalist and a great harmony singer. We used to ride him about prounouncing every word to every song right "on the beat".........

Dee Ford......lead guitar, fiddle, bass, vocals, or anything else she wanted to play. We had a great time playing at the Foothill. Dee was wonderful on the bandstand and as a person.......

Jim Bob Sedgwick....lead guitar, vocal, steel guitar, bass, or whatever. Jim Bob's on the Forum and in case any of you have never heard him on guitar, he's right up there near the top. He can handle any tune in any style that's needed. He might have been the West Coast's answer to Bobby Caldwell. He's also the bass player on the west coast part of Curley Chalker's DVD.......

That's enough for now, maybe more later.....JH in Va.

Okay Jerry, Them memories are coming. Bill Norman on Bass guitar,Guy Mineo on drums,Mike Addington on Guitar,Mike Paul on Steel & Guitar,Todd Ross on Guitar,Carol Randolph on Bass guitar,Chuck Isom on Steel Guitar,Johnny Etue on guitar,Proctor Rogers on Paino,Bill Aronld on Guitar,Norman A.Norman on Paino,Rick Roche on Steel,Mel Linton on Guitar & the one and only Gene Bear on Guitar.How many of these Musicians you know Jerry? > > Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.

Norman A. Norman...
Now there's a name I haven't heard in long time...

Hey Skip,what about these names? Johnny Vee,Judy Rose,Ramsey Royce,Garth Phillips,Judy Lee,Bill Erickson,Brenda Cole,Duke Davis,Lindy Rasmusson,Larry Parks,Tom Vicson. > Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.

Leo, you mentioned Proctor Rogers who worked with us at the Foothill Club on Piano. I talk to him about once a month. He moved back to his hometown of Pennington Gap, Virginia way out in the western part of the state about 12 or so years ago. I have a friend from here who was also from Pennington Gap originally and he was sitting in a Hardees one morning having coffee and talking to this guy who mentioned he'd once played music in California and he told him he had a buddy who used to work out there named Jerry Hayes. He said ol' Proctor stood up and said my name very loud and told him about our days at the Foothill and other venues. I'll tell Proctor you said hey the next time I talk to him. I haven't seen him in person yet but he's supposed to come by and stay a couple of days with us and we can catch up on old times..........

Carol Randolph...I have a CD of us playing together with the old Carl Cody Band with Carol on bass and Bruce MacLachlan on drums.

Judy Lee.........I've known her since she was 17 years old. Remember her mother who had that big old Gibson Super 400? Judy got it when her mom died...JH in Va.

Hey Jerry,we had some great times out here in Southern California Country Music Scene. My goal is to spill all those beans of stories of these bars and after hours and recording studios sessions we did from the 60's/70's/80's & 1/2 of the 90's. I will take it one step at a time.The Bars/Clubs as to who was playing where & the names of who works with who in them days. I have a full lay out from point A to point Z. To think I'm still alive to talk about it. That's why I need to do it now while some of you older brothers can seriously verify. It's like the time I was on a ship just off the coast of South Africa,and you know the story. Sincerely In Music,Leo J.Eiffert,Jr.

Leo, here's some shots of some of the "old" people. The first is a pix of Judy Lee with one of the best lookin' guitar pickers LA ever saw! The rest of 'em you can guess. The last shot is our old buddy who won a whopping $25 on Deal or No Deal. This was about 150 lbs. ago........JH in Va.

Wow... there's a few blasts from the past. Let's see....
I believe Ramsey Royce is still around...I used to back him up at the Talent Night at the Pal (did that gig for years - a real blast)
I did a session for Garth Phillips awhile back - a few years - but haven't heard anything about him since.
Larry Park (Ray's son) lives in Montana, and I see him sometimes. Did a gig with him a year or so ago.
I ran into Bill Erickson right before this past New Years Eve. I was doing a gig at the Calico Ghost Town out by Palm Springs, and he was there doing a single. Hasn't changed a bit...even did the same songs he did when I last saw him about 20 years ago...
Lindy still plays with the Doo-Wah Riders, I believe. They've carved out a niche doing the corporate casual circuit.
Duke Davis, who I worked with alot in the '80's, moved to New Mexico and then to Colorado, and has been doing well for himself in the western music and cowboy poetry world.

Anyone remember Barbara Perry? Or Cathy York? And I still wonder what became of Gene Hoover.