New Association forming

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 10 May 2002 4:54 am

Greetings: First of all, thanks to b0b and his Forum for this opportunity of posting this announcement.
The Deep South Steel Guitar & Musicians Association is taking shape. Hal Higgins asked me to post this notice about our first meeting.
Our first official meeting will be held on June 1st, 2002 @ the VFW Post on Dedeaux Road in Gulfport, Mississippi. Location is easy from all directions. At the Highway 49 and the I-10 intersection just go north on 49 to the first major intersection. That is Dedeauz Road. Go east and just past the first red light, the club is on the left.
The time is from 10 AM until----?
Everyone with a love of the steel guitar and all other musicians and friends and fans are invited to attend and join.
Music will be provided and a special guest will be announced later.
The VFW will sponsor a crawfish boil during the afternoon and evening. After all this is The Deep South!!
Come one, come all. See you there.

Respectfully submitted by Bill Stafford per Hal Higgins.

(Hopefully Hal will be our first President)
We will vote for club officers and advisory panel members during the beginning of this meeting. Then on with the music.)

Contact either myself or Hal. You can reach Hal at: hsteeler2002@yahoo.com

Thanks again b0b.

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 10 May 2002 11:27 am

Hi Bill, I wish you and hal great success in the new Assn. See you down the road, Jody.

Jerry Brightman · Post by **Jerry Brightman** » 10 May 2002 2:56 pm

Congradulations Bill, and all involved in this new venture. My best to you and wishing you a great success...

Looking forward to hearing more!

Jerry http://www.slidestion.com [This message was edited by Jerry Brightman on 10 May 2002 at 03:57 PM.]

Ben Jack · Post by **Ben Jack** » 10 May 2002 2:58 pm

Hi Bill, I vote for JERRY JAYE for something, maybe janitor ? Just kidding, good luck with the club.

Ben Jack

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 10 May 2002 3:25 pm

On behalf of Jan Jones,& the N.T.S.G.A.,let me wish the D.S.S.G.M.A., succss & good luck on your venture.

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Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 10 May 2002 5:50 pm

Thanks guys. And I am hoping that Jerry Jaye will be our featured artist at this first meeting. Jerry was at the local benefit jam we had a few weeks ago for one of our steel players here on the coast and won the acoustic guitar that was raffled off. Jerry said that finally he is on his way to stardom. lol
Folks, if you have not heard of Jerry Jay, he is one of the finest all around musicians I have ever had the pleasure to work for and with. He will be a great asset to this fledgling organization as will another chartem member named Jerry Brightman. Wonder how many more Jerrys we can get? I am doing my best to get that other Jerry in, but for now these two will do fine.
I will have more information later next week about our plans, etc.
Thanks again for the nice comments.

Bill Stafford

Buck Grantham · Post by **Buck Grantham** » 10 May 2002 7:22 pm

Bill , Mitzi and I hope you and Hal have wonderful success with the club. We won't be able to come to this meeting coming up due to a prior commitment,but we will surely do our best to make the next one, and we will support it as best we can. I am definitaly going to join the club. Take care, Buck & Mitzi

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 11 May 2002 3:39 am

Thanks Buck & Mitzi. And speaking of "Z's", Dedeaux is spelled with an X and pronounced "DEE-DOUGH". That is just the early French coming out. With the early French influence here on the coast, we are going to really have a great time in this endeavour. See you all.

Bill Staford

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 11 May 2002 6:59 am

I have to say that Bill Stafford is a wonderful man. Any one dealing with him will love him.

Good luck and God richly bless you in this endeavor Bill,

carl

Jimmie Brown · Post by **Jimmie Brown** » 11 May 2002 9:19 am

Hi Bill, good luck with your assoc,hope it goes as well as ours did.the MASGA in Fay,NC plan to see you next Sunday in Saluda.

Jimmie Brown

Jimmie Brown · Post by **Jimmie Brown** » 11 May 2002 9:20 am

Hi Bill, good luck with your assoc,hope it goes as well as ours did.the MASGA in Fay,NC plan to see you next Sunday in Saluda.

Jimmie Brown

Danny Hullihen · Post by **Danny Hullihen** » 11 May 2002 2:37 pm

Hi Bill.

I'm lookng forward to the developments with this, and best of luck to you.

George Duncan Sypert · Post by **George Duncan Sypert** » 12 May 2002 10:07 am

Hi Bill,

Hope your new venture works out great. Wish I could be there to hear you play and all the others.

The gig in Woodland Park last week went great. First gig with a band I put together in two years. Had a great young drummer that did not miss a beat nor blow everyone off the stage with over playing. Can't wait for the next one.

Come see me. George

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 18 May 2002 3:56 am

Thanks guys. We will keep all informed as to the progress. And this time of year, the crawfish are so good. (The river crawfish are in season now. Ate my fill last night at a neighbor's "boil-in" and all are in for a treat now).
George, glad you found a drummer that knows how to play. Yes, I miss that part of the country too. Hope to see all of you soon.

Bill Stafford

Hal Higgins · Post by **Hal Higgins** » 19 May 2002 7:33 pm

I want to thank my good friend and co-founder of this new club, Mr. Bill Stafford for his hard work in getting some of the gound work going. He is, indeed, a great player and a very good friend. Mr. b0b deserves a big "thank-you" as well for such a great forum, and the opportunity that we have to make announcements of things happening in our area when it comes to the furtherance of the steel guitar. We do want quality people involved in this association. Mr. Jerry Brightman, it's an honor to have you as a charter member in this association, and we look forward to having you come and be a blessing to us with your playing at some later show. Jerry Jaye is one of the finest steelers that we have on the Gulf-Coast and YES. he has consented to be our featured artist on this first of what we hope will be many years of shows. We also want to put a hugh thank-you to Mr. Doug Ball for the VFW Post on Dedeaux Rd in Gulfport for opening up the post for this first meeting. To echo Mr. Bill's words...we extend an invitation to ALL musicians and steelers and/or just fans of the steel guitar, to become an active part of this association.........HAL HIGGINS

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 19 May 2002 10:59 pm

I encore Carl's remarks! Never a nicer man you'll ever meet than Bill Stafford. He might be searching for more "Jerry's", but for me, Bill Stafford is everything anyone would ever desire in a fine steel player and a great gentleman. Wish I could get down your way someday Bill. We could blow up a storm together! You'd do the stormin' on that great steel and I'd back you up on r/guitar. Lots of luck in this new venture.

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 21 May 2002 3:44 am

Thanks to all for the nice words. God bless you and yours Carl for all you are and have done for our instrument. Your friendship is valued.
Keoki, I will be really personally awarded should you be able to play with us. Keoki is one of the best around, and his Hawaiian steel playing leaves nothing to be desired. Wish you were closer. Never will I forget the hotel room jam we had in Illinois with you, Barney Isasacs and all the others. That was a treat and treatment for me. Thanks.
And for ole Colorado George, I am grateful for your friendship you gave when I was in your fair city. And if anyone out there has been "searching" for a "lick" or chord that one of the top session players has played on a session, just ask George. He is amazing in that he can just hear it once and then knows exactly where to find the sound. So just keep him busy.
Thanks again for the great support and hope to see all of you down the road.
Bill Stafford

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 22 May 2002 10:14 pm

Mahalo Bill. You are too kind! Luv ya !

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 3 Jun 2002 4:16 am

DSSGAMA has been born and IN A BIG WAY!!!

This past Saturday was the day, and in the future every other month on the first Saturday will be our celebration dates. So make plans for the 3rd of August. Doug Ball, CDR VFW, informed me that he has a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn just down the street. More details on this later.

After the business meeting we were all very pleasantly surprised when Autry Rutledge drove down from North Mississippi. He gave us some very tasty and excellent steel guitar music and then added to the band with his great lead guitar styling. Ben Odell and his wife Mickey came over from Mobile, Alabama. Ben played bass and there is no finer vocalist anywhere. Wayne Goff, also from Mobile was our "studio" drummer all afternoon and then for the dance that night. Had to say "studio" because it is just hard to find the right words for his musicianship.
Susan Rutledge was there on bass for a lot of the players and her playing is the best also.

One of our own, R.J. Buras, who has only been playing steel for a year and a half, will be our "lucky to have in this club" person.Plays very well and gave us lots of support with equipment etc. His playing is much more advanced than most year and a half players. R.J. also gave us help on the lead guitar when releif was needed, etc.

Our headliner-Jerry Jaye was up to his standard, if not a little higher. He is an entertainer superb. Jerry received the first standing ovation with his rendition of his own song - "When Morning Comes To Memphis." A prettier ballad has never been written. And in my opinion, it was written especially for the steel guitar. Beautiful and deep meaning words and divine melody. Jerry played steel for us for almost an hour and sang on just about all of them. Great talent here.

More on the association later.

Every one left at the end of the show with a contented and full belly.

Bill Stafford

Hal Higgins · Post by **Hal Higgins** » 3 Jun 2002 9:45 pm

Let me add a little something to what Bill just wrote.....Mr. Bill Stafford did an incredible set as well, and played flawlessly as only he can do.....and there were some other fine steelers there as well that played incredibly well...He had a couple of musicians, Ed Clark on standup bass and Dave Brown, a great "swing" drummer". Mr. Steve Plumbley did an outstanding job on Lead and Rhythm guitar, too......More later....HAL

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 4 Jun 2002 3:49 am

I have been trying to find the proper words for the performance of Hal Higgins. The proper accolades and adjectives elude me.

I always knew that our newly elected president could play steel guitar with the best of them. I did not know he could sing better than the famous singers we all know and love to hear. When Hal played ALL the correct parts and then sang "Look at US" with ALL the correct Hughey fill-ins, it just amazed the other players and brought Hal a standing ovation. But wait, after Hal played and sang "How Great Thou Art", the crowd is still in that VFW auditorium standing and applauding two days after this performance. What a talent, and with Hal being our first president it can only get better. Have to close now as I have to go over to the VFW and tell those people still there that they can go home now and be sure to come back on August 3 for our next gathering. (I do not know how it could get better, but I am sure it will).

Thanks,

Bill Stafford

Huey Moore · Post by **Huey Moore** » 4 Jun 2002 6:20 pm

Bill I second every thing you said about Hal
My drive was worth every mile,I bought one of Hal's CD's and played it all the way home and wanted to go to my music room and play even after that long drive.I enjoyed all the pickers and singers but Hal's singing and playing was a big suprise,and your playing was great as always.looking forward to aug.3rd.....Sam

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Sam