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Topic: We've lost another former steel player.................... |
Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 21 Aug 2012 4:46 pm |
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Just rec'd word that my long-time friend and former fellow steel guitarist Willy "BUDDY" Simmons.... of Portland, Oregon, passed earlier this date.
Buddy played bass in Tommy Kizziah's West Coast Ramblers for many years. Earlier on, he played steel guitar in and around the Nashville, TN., area.
He was a great mentor for me, always urging me to play more and to think 'positively' which at that time I didn't know how to do. I spent many an hour riding back and forth with him to weekly band practices down in Salem, Oregon.
Buddy will be missed............... |
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Jim Robbins
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 22 Aug 2012 7:03 pm
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Very sorry to hear that, Ray. There's some youtubes of Tommy Kizziah and his West Coast Ramblers -- that must have been a fun band. "Long Tom Boogie" and "Two timing kind" are both great. Definitely positive thinking there.
I found a site with some info -- http://countrydiscography.blogspot.ca/2010/09/tommy-kizziah.html -- that suggests you followed Evelyn Martin in the steel chair, & there's a reference to the "Two Timing King" (?Two timing kind) and a bunch of other songs that has you and Evelyn Kinnee on steel. Did you ever actually have 2 steels in the band at the same time? & is Evelyn Kinnee and Evelyn Martin the same person? What happened to her (or them)?
Any links you can post to his steel recordings would be appreciated. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 22 Aug 2012 10:16 pm TOMMY KIZZIAH & His West Coast Ramblers...............
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Hey JIM.......thanx for the post.
I had the pleasure of playing in Tommy's band for about three years.......primarily at the regionally popular Division Street Corral, located in Southeast Portland. We also did live radio shows over Portland's NBC affiliate, KGW-AM, from the bandstand. Heck Harper began hosting the KGW RADIO show and before long, he garnered the Corral contract.
After leaving the Corral, Tommy played alot at the Lebanon, Oregon, Cottonwoods Ballroom and at the Armory in Salem, Oregon, as well as radio stations in both Salem and Lebanon.
It was one of the greatest bands I've ever had the opportunity to play with. We did lots of fiddle, guitar and steel guitar harmony arrangements and always did a bunch of instrumentals.
At one point I was age 19 while with the band.....
I did follow Evelyn Kinney when she left following her engagement and ultimate marriage to 'Martin'. She had been on all of Tommy's 4-Star records while I was on none of them. I was with the band when Tommy leased an expensive tape recorder and we laid down about a dozen tunes for ultimate submission to 4-Star records. Tommy's daughter recently discovered those master tapes following her mother's recent death. I've not been succussful in getting her to get these songs on CD however, which I very much regret. I hope they don't get ruined and lost forever.
Back to Evelyn........She lives in Salem, Oregon. My wife and I visited her a couple of years back when she gave me six Jerry Byrd 'Mercury' records she'd had all these years.
Tommy did NOT have two steels at any time of which I'm aware. Aside from me, the rest of his band lived in the Salem, Oregon, area, with the exception of Glenn Smith who lived in Sweet Home, Oregon.
I have a cassette tape of one of our KGW Radio shows with about ten songs on it. |
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Eddie D.Bollinger
From:
Calhoun City, Mississippi
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Posted 30 Oct 2012 8:33 pm "Uncle" Buddy
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Hey Mr. Ray,
Several years ago, I met you here on the forum and we chatted about my Uncle, Buddy Simmons. Thank you for sharing about his life and his passing. I relish the few conversations I had with him. He spoke of my favorite artist, Buck Owens, as any close friend would. He knew EVERYBODY, or it seemed that way to me. He visited here in Mississippi a few years back. Goodbye, Uncle Buddy.
_________________
Eddie Bollinger
Mullen RP D-10 w/ Max-Tone
Nash 1000, Peavey PowerSlide |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 30 Oct 2012 9:15 pm There was a time.....................
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At one point, BUDDY SIMMONS moved to Portland, after having worked for a time in the Oregon State Peneteniary. He worked for a local laundry and in time, I started riding to our weekly band pratices at Tommy's home in Salem.
He used to encourage me to try harder to play different kinds of music aside from Jerry Byrd. He lectured me hour after hour about "Positive THINKING" which I did not understand at all. It was years later before I discovered the secret when I chanced to find a paperback "THINK and GROW RICH" by Napoleon Hill.
One night returning from a dance gig somewhere down in the valley, Eddie Zunck started running up and banging into Buddie's back bumper while both cars were doing 50-60 mph. That was a ride to remember. |
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Bill Nevins
From:
st.charles,Missouri, USA
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 31 Oct 2012 12:59 pm Wasn't aware of its existance....................
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THANKS Bill........
I was not aware of that site. Appreciate the heads-up! |
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