The Steel Guitar Forum

Son of Paul Simon and 1st wife Peggy Harper.

The guy is doing a lot for Steel Guitar.

Click here and listen to "Shooting Star"
http://www.myspace.com/harpersimon

"With a steel guitar and a microphone
I hope that you will find your way
Someday you’ll find out who you are
Someday you’ll be more than just a shooting star..."

-- “Shooting Star” by Harper Simon

I don't know who the Steeler is...anybody?

Tim

Wikipedia claims it's some cat by the name of "Lloyd Green."

Is it just me or does his voice sound like a 50/50 mix of his Dad's voice and Art Garfunkle's...? He manages to sound like both of them at the same time!

I listened to all three songs at this site, no steel on the other two but I like it...

The sons and daughters of R. Thompson, L. Wainright and Paul Simon are great.

That whole album (just called Harper Simon) is great. Tons of great steel from Lloyd Green and Greg Leisz, according to allmusic. His voice really does sound like his dad's, and it works great for the Americana sound. He just released a new album last week that is very different - not really Americana at all, more rock/indie.

It was tickling my brain that Jon Graboff might have recorded with Harper but I am also looking at All Music and not seeing his name.

Bought it a couple of years ago when it came out for Lloyd. They did something very weird with one of the songs, "All I Have is Memories" by former Byrds drummer and cousin of Chris Hillman the late Kevin Kelley. The song was released on one of the later versions of Sweetheart of the Rodeo as an instrumental with Lloyd and Clarence White (very good!) Another version surfaced with Kevin Kelley singing his own lyrics (very bad!). Lloyd rerecorded the song with Harper Simon but Harper Simon completely rewrote the lyrics! On the album notes they credited the song to Harper Simon, Adam Green, Clarence White, Lloyd Green. On the Sweetheart of the Rodeo Legacy edition (double CDs with extensive notes) the song is credited to K. Kelley (and has been accepted for years as his composition). But Kevin Kelley is dead and gone...pretty bad form.

Interesting information, Ronald. I too do wonder why he's not credited as the songwriter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXADQUPuZIQ
Great playing by Lloyd!

The mystery deepens: when the 1997 expanded Sweetheart of The Rodeo CD was released the instrumental was credited to "E.D Hewitt/R.J Ledford". Kelley got credit on the 2003 Legacy edition with his vocal overdub version on disc one and also the two instrumental takes on disc two.

My guess is that Lloyd and Clarence were jamming, came up with the instrumental which they tracked as "All I Have Are Memories". There were at least 21 takes so it's reasonable to assume the Byrds initially intended to use it or add vocals later. Subsequently Kevin Kelley put the words to it using this title. Most of the material seems to have been recorded with live vocals which points to it not being Kevin's song to start of with. Lloyd and Harper may have had no knowledge of this version or even the 1997 release. Alternatively they may have found a clever way of getting Lloyd and Clarence some of the overdue credit for their co-composition - either way I don't think it's necessarily "bad form".

The tune is credited as written by Clarence White, Lloyd Green and Harper Simon - crafty move Mr. Green (and a very cool song)!

Harper's new album, although a complete departure - no PSG and virtually no "country" on it, is absolutely awesome. He's tapped into the Tame Impalas and such of the world and this record is first rate.
If you don't need PSG to be satisfied and don't mind it loud, buy it. Now!

As to the authorship, from Wikipedia: "During the recording sessions for the album, the band attempted one of Kelley's own compositions titled "All I Have Are Memories",[14] but ultimately the song was not included on the album and remained unreleased at the time.[15] "All I Have Are Memories" was finally issued in an instrumental configuration as a bonus track on the 1997 expanded reissue of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, although it was erroneously credited to E. D. Hewitt and R. J. Ledford on that particular release.[15] This error was corrected for the 2003 Legacy Edition of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, which presented the song with Kelley's lead vocal intact for the first time."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Kelley_(musician)
In regard to "bad form", the least they could have done was add Kelley's name. One man's supposition is as good as another's in regard to whether it was a jam or a unique composition. Lloyd and Clarence's playing unquestionably made the song. But it may well have been the only song of Kevin Kelley that ever made it to a release. I don't like seeing forgotten musicians lose credits. Just pulled out my trusty copy of "So You Want To Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star-The Byrds Day by Day 1965-1973". Entry for May 1, Wednesday, 1968: "RECORDING, Columbia Recording Studios, Sunset and El Centro, Hollywood, CA. Producer Gary Usher and engineer Roy Halee. McGuinn and Hillman may not have written anything especially for the country project, but Kelley has. Sung by the drummer, ""All I Have Are Memores' is augumented by Lloyd Green (flown to Los Angeles for the occasion) on steel and Clarence White's electric guitar. The backing track is rehearsed by a trimmed down quartet of White, Green, Hillman, and Kelley, while an additional acoustic guitar-perhaps McGuinn's-and Kelley's lead vocal is heard on the master track." One for the lawyers.