The Steel Guitar Forum

I was up on UTUBE a moment ago and ran across an old Hank Snow song called "Crying Seel Guitar" Who is playing on steel and is it a Lap Steel. There was just a black and white still picture, no video. His later videos his steel player is on a PSG.

Wayne D. Clark
Melbert 8 console
Peavy110
Goodrich Pedal

Hank Snow had a couple of lap steel players. One was Kayton Roberts, I'm not much for identity by sound but I'll try to find the song and take a guess.

Sure sounds like Kayton, he is a great harmonic player, but then Hank hired Kayton on later in his career because he could play like Hanks old steel player, but his name escapes me at the moment. Someone else may be more positive.

Thanks Mark. Checked your [34] web sight Nice. listened to Big River, nice sound. I grew up in Madison, Went to East. Get down that way to do a little shopping now and then. When I was in Highschool a friend of mine played rhythm and sang and I had an National New Yorker lap steel. We did a lot of H. Snow Tunes, He had the voice for it, and I loved the steel players licks. Success to you.

w

Thanks Wayne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHeUth2w ... re=related

Here is a clip that shows a guy playing a Fender single neck. It is on the last bit of the song for about 5 seconds. It isn't Kayton Roberts but it is that sound.

Wayne, do you gig around much?

Joe Talbot III?

Joe Talbot is the guy I was trying to remember. Joe and Kayton have similar styles. Don't know what years they played with Hank, do you?

I don't know who it was playing the Fender there on You Tube.......

But there is a recording of "Crying Steel Guitar" with Hank Snow vocal......

The steel you hear is JERRY BYRD playing in his C-Diatonic Tuning....

Good Morning Mark, Thanks for that link, Boy did that bring back a memory. From the Stage of Madison East High School's talent night. In answer to your question, no, play at church once in a while with my wife. Other than that it is at home for my own entertainment. Trying to get my brain around [C6th]. By the way are you affiliated with the music store on Johnson Street? don't know the address but only the location. It's been a while since I was there.

Ray that clip Snow did on the Tube may have been the one I ran across last night.

Have a good day and thanks for the info. If your going to Steel best to do it on a Guitar.

w

Sounds like Jerry Byrd to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMBFkXbx1QE

ray can you talk a little about the C Diatonic tuning? I want to give it a try.

Was Jerry Byrd on the recording as a studio player or did he have a regular gig with Hank Snow for a while?

Jerry wasn't a touring musician--he was a studio player doing radio and TV shows and record dates. They were 2 distinct sets of musicians, as I remember Frankie Kay telling me in my interview with him. In many of the cases (particularly in Nashville) the studio musicians were used for the recordings. That's why so many guys like Frankie are not heard on recordings from those days.

i'd like to know also - this sounds like the kind of backing JB did later on in the mid-50's when he "had to" adapt a more pedalistic sound, so it might be C dia.
of course, Ray is #1 Jerry Byrd historian, so I trust his ears.
- this was a pretty popular tune also, I've heard it covered by a few artists

someone has posted on the comments it was Kayton, but I think this was before his tenure (seems like he joined Snow in the mid-60's)

I remember reading a Kayton Roberts interview in Andy Volks book that he got hired on because his style was very much like Joe Talberts, Hanks old player from the non pedal days. It would appear Hank prefered that nonpedal style of player to the pedal style. Having Jerry Byrd on some of his recordings seems to indicate that too.

As most of you know, JERRY BYRD did several albums with Hank Snow as a studio musician only. At one time, Jerry was the busiest steel player in all of Nashville.

In answer to your question Mark, JERRY BYRD was a studio musician only while there in Nashville. He left the Ernest Tubb band after only about three months during 1948-49 as the road work was simply too much for Jerry since he was running on only one lung and he tired easily. Jerry did participate in Tubbs' movie "Hollywood Barn Dance". Leaving Tubb, he opted for the less stressful Grand Old Opry spot with Red Foley's Prince Albert Show.

Mike...about the C-Diatonic Tuning.... Details about it can be found on www.JerryByrd-FanClub.com site. Jerry has stated that his first 'commercial' use of that new tuning was on Ferlin Husky's "NEXT to JIMMY" Capitol release. Thereafter, that tuning was easily identifiable on nearly all of Jerry's records and his playing on the records of hundreds of major artists as well as radio/television shows of Bobby Lord, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Ernie Lee and others.

That tuning holds on to many of his original C6th signature sounds but ads an entirely new and expanded dimension to his playing. A sharp ear can easily identify this tuning when it is strummed. Jerry produced prior to his death, tabs for about a dozen tunes using that new tuning. Scotty has these plus a list of more than one hundred other songs in various tunings/tabs used by Jerry Byrd. This is the real stuff, not someone else's interpretation.

Thank you for your insight Ray, looking forward to hearing you at the TSGA.

Your kind words are appreciated Mark, I assure you.

However, I will not be able to attend this years annucal event which has come as a big disappointment.
I was so looking forward to it.

Please, enjoy it for my benefit. THANKS again.

I met Hank snow at "The Jimmy Rodgers Festival" in Meridian Miss in 1953 and there was a guy standing by him who he introduced as "Bruce Gentry" he said he played steel for him,he may have just done that one road show with him...not sure.....
Tom Harris..

I don't mean to hijack this post but I have "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz" tabbed out for E9th.
Look at my listing for Country Classics.

That sounded like Jerry to me also......

I believe that it is Jerry Byrd also because of the way the harmonics are played with the violin effect. It is just like Jerry does it.

Aloha,
Don