The Steel Guitar Forum

I have been trying to sort through the archives here to answer my questions. what instruments were used in those first recordings and who was playing them? Can anyone guide me to this information?

A lot was done on a Gibson D-8 non pedal console by Don Helms. Jerry Byrd played some as well as other. All no pedals.

Even though I think Jerry Byrd did some work for Hank, Don Helms was Hank main steel player. From what little I know, Don Helms started on a Doubleneck Fender in the early days and then he later traded it for his signature Gibson console grande which he played until his dying day. Of course he also played the psg too and had a few of those. He was pretty good on the pedal steel too but ironically most people wanted to just hear him play the Gibson console Grand since his "Hank" sound on the E6/E13 tuning is what he was known for.

If you want the inside scoop on Don Helms, he had a book written called Settin the Woods on fire. Also, an interview done by Joe Turner which is priceless to me. Plus it has some great music with Joe Turner and Don Helms playing at their best. All of this is on 1 cd.

Just my little 2 cents

It was [Mostly] Byrd through 1949. His last was "I just don't like this kind of living"

Don Helms can be seen playing his Gibson D-8 on "Legends of Steel Guitar" on YouTube.

Jerry's on a dozen or so, Don Davis a few, Helms on the lion's share with minor odd contributors prior to his hiring.

I found the book, but a little pricey. it will have to go on my wish list, but I find this all very interesting and again thanks for the information.

I saw Don's Gibson Console Grande up close and it is one awesome steel guitar. I was playin' a show in Nashville in October of '06, and before I went onstage, Don showed the guitar to me. It was great to be standin' near a steel guitar that had been played on so many Hank Williams records!

Brett

I wonder how many of those they even built. I think I will try to look that up.

Here's a good early video of Don and the Gibson at work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1TJmh1Pd6I

Here's a timeline of the life of Hiram King, complete with session logs. Interestingly, my favorite cuts are ALL Byrd. We use pedals because we lack Jerry's imagination.
http://leeharrisonline.tripod.com/hankwilliams/

I'm pretty sure no pedal steel was ever used on any of Hank's recordings. Here is Don Helms' tuning, in his own hand...

I believe forumite Don Davis also played on quite a few of Hank's recordings. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and others.

Are you sure about your statement that Don Davis recorded "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" with Hank Williams?

I always tho't that it was JERRY BYRD on that old MGM record.

According to the session notes, you're right, Ray. Recorded in the last Jerry Byrd session.
The one with "I Just Don't Like This Kind of Living."

Hank's recording of 'We Live in Two Different Worlds' back in the 50's sounds like the instrumental backing was added after Hank's vocal was recorded. It sounds neither like Jerry nor Don. It has been decades since I've heard that recording but my recollection is that I thought that it was a pedal steel. Anyone?

Possible. The label re-produced some of his stuff later. I don't recall hearing pedals in the steel, I was too busy gagging on the Anita Kerr Singers.

I just visited YOU TUBE and a video of the Grand Old Opry-1949 featuring Hank Williams.

JERRY BYRD is the steel player for Red Foley's opener, Hank Williams' "You're Gonna Change"; Foleys'hymn "Clense Me"; and Jimmy Dickens "Country Boy"......

How wonderful it is to have the opportunity to glimpse back in time and to be able to participate in a live show, one that I grew up listening to as a youngster, a show that set my on my way to playing steel guitar.

I HAVE A DVD OF WHAT I BELIEVE TO DONS LAST SHOW IN AL. PUT ON BY BARNEY MILLER.
DON TOLD THE STORY ABOUT HOW HE GOT THE GIBSON. HE WAS PLAYING THE FENDER AT A SHOW AND A NMAN WANTED TO TRADE. HE TOLD HOW HANK GOT HIS RECORDING CONTRAT, AND HIS LAST RECORDING WITH HANK.

ERNIE

Are there any recordings by Don Helms where he used the B13th tuning as piosted by Alan Brooks ? The E6th tuning is what my Ear always picked up on the HW recordings. It was easy to play Don's style but not that easy sometimes to duplicate his great tone.

Lane:
Boy do I relate to your comment concerning the Anita Kerr Singers. They replaced fiddles and steel on most all of the 'so-called country recordings' following Gone and 4-Walls in the late 50's and 60's. I am happy to say that I never bought any of them. I still haven't forgiven Chet, Owen, and the rest of the producers for what they did to country music.

I HAVE PLAYED WITH DON ON SEVERAL SHOWS, AND SET AT HIS FEET WHILE PLAYING. i HAVE HIS BOOK, IT IS
E13TH TUNNING. BUT HE DID NOT PLAY TH 7 OR 8TH STRINGS, ACCORDING TO HIS TAB.
LITLE ROY ALSO USED THIS TUNNING WITH EDDIE ARNOLD, BUT HE USED THE A MAJOR SIDE OF THE TUNING. ANOTHER MAJOR PLAYER YEARS AGO ALSO USED E 13TH, BUT HE USED THE C6 PART OF THE TUNING.
TJIS TUNING HAS 4 TUNINGS INSIDE OF IT.
YOU CAN PLAY SONG OF THE ISLAND IA
STEEL GUITAR RAG IN E
LITTLE COQUET UN C6TH.

ERNE

Agreed on those late overdub recordings. You can see from the session logs that a lot of studio time was booked for overdubs after Hank's death, presumably to adapt some of the recordings to the Nashville sound. So they added background singers, echo on Hank's vocals (the dead giveaway), and a lot of unnecessary instrumentation (If it ain't broke...). I had occasion to hear some of this recently, as a friend of mine had only one Hank Williams record in his collection and it was one of these non-MGM things. I imagine if you were previously unfamiliar with the original recordings, these would come off as generic at best, and they do a pretty good job squeezing the life out of the originals. To me, they're atrocious. If you DO hear honest-to-God pedal steel on a Hank song, it's on one of these.

A European record label called DOXY has re-issued all of the original recordings chronologically over several vinyl releases, some of which have the session/personnel details on the sleeve. From the records I own, I can tell you that Jerry Byrd played on sessions in 1947 & '48 (including the songs MANSION ON THE HILL, THERE'LL BE NO TEARDROPS TONIGHT, & LOVESICK BLUES), then Don Davis in March of 1949 (incl. LOST HIGHWAY, MAY YOU NEVER BE ALONE, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, WEDDING BELLS)...then Byrd comes back for a session in Aug. 1949 (incl. I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY). Then from the beginning of 1950 on, it's all Don Helms. In 1950, he played on some of the "Luke the Drifter" tracks, and songs including WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME, NOBODY'S LONESOME FOR ME, & COLD, COLD HEART. And not a pedal steel in the bunch.

Not to beat a dead horse, but here's a chronology/discography I found on line. This on has all the overdub stuff. Some of it is real good and doesn't exist on sessions HW did while alive. Angel of Death and Rockin' Chair Money are rockin'.

http://www.hankwilliamsdiscography.com/p/HWSession.html

Don Helms also played on the recording of Patsy Cline's walking after midnight.