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Topic: Rolling Country-Texas. Steeler??? |
Egil Skjelnes
From:
Meland,Frekhaug
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Posted 31 Jan 2005 4:22 am |
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Hello
I have a 45 record with a band from Texas called "Rolling Country",playing "Mansion on the hill/Lovesick blues on Texas Records label.
Maybe from the 70`s-early 80`s.
Any idea who the steeler might be??
Best regards,
Egil. |
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Dyke Corson
From:
Fairmount, IL USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2005 10:06 am
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| If it's the same Rolling Country I knew about, the guitar player was Glenn Fleming, Drummer Marshal Bray and Bass was Steve Thompson - these guys were all from here in Champaign, IL. The moved out there in the early 70s. I have a 45 from them about the same era that had an original "Sippin' on a Cool One" and "Close Up the Honky Tonks". They also had a part in the movie "Tender Mercies" and were on several episodes of "Dallas". Glenn was on the road with Pam Tillis, then LeAnne Rhimes...I think he and Steve Thompson are still in the Dallas area...when I went to see them in the late 70s the steel player subbing that night was a big guy with the nickname of "Hambone"?? The Herbster would probably know fer sure... |
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James Pennebaker
From:
Mt. Juliet, TN
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Posted 31 Jan 2005 11:49 am
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| I used to play fiddle and guitar in Dallas with these guys in the early to mid '80s. Glen Flemming on guitar, Larry Hamshell on drums, Steve Funchess on bass and James Aaron on steel. This was the nucleus of the band (minus myself) that was featured in the "Tender Mercies" film. The line up would change from time to time depending on who was available. I was on the road with Delbert McClinton in those days but I would gig with them a lot when I was in town. I know Glen is still active playing around the Dallas area. It is correct that he played for Pam Tillis in the mid 90s and then later with LeeAnn Rhimes."Hambone" was likely subbing for James Aaron as James was the regular steel player in those days. James used to play a custom made "pink" MSA D10. [This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 31 January 2005 at 11:51 AM.] |
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Bobby Bowman
From:
Cypress, Texas, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 31 Jan 2005 12:34 pm
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"Hambone" was none other than Jerry Cunningham. I havn't heard from or about Jerry in a long, long time.
BB
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If you play 'em, play 'em good!
If you build 'em, build 'em good!
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Dyke Corson
From:
Fairmount, IL USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2005 12:53 pm
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| I forgot that Glenn was also playing for Gary Stewart up until his death. James - did you ever play any gigs with the drummer and bass player I mentioned? Them three guys played in a little kids band when they were all real young called "The Reverbs" I'm talking 12- 13 years old! They stayed together for a long time...I used to jam with Glenn quite a bit before he moved to Texas, a monster player! |
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James Pennebaker
From:
Mt. Juliet, TN
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Posted 31 Jan 2005 2:18 pm
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Dyke,
The name Marshall Bray sure rings a bell. He very well may have done some gigs with them when I did. I was on two "Dallas" TV episodes with the Rollin' Country guys. My guess is that that was around '82 or '83. A little fuzzy on the exact time period. We were young and crazy back then, don't you know!
JP[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 31 January 2005 at 02:19 PM.] |
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James Pennebaker
From:
Mt. Juliet, TN
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Posted 31 Jan 2005 2:23 pm
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Bobby,
I remember "Hambone" but haven't heard his name in years. Probably 15 years at least. I remember whenever a waitress would ask him what he'd like to drink, his reply was "A c-c-c-case of Bud!" |
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Joe Shelby
From:
Walnut Creek, California, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2005 7:10 pm
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Rolling Country had gone through a number of
steel players before and after I worked with
them, which was March through August, 1980. I
replaced Tommy Morrell, and I know they had a
few other guys before him. The single was done in the late '70's and I'm not sure if it was Hambone or somebody else on there.
Whoever it was did a nice job on "Mansion."
The band makeup when I was there was--Kenney
Bruce, fiddle, guitar and vocals; Glen Flemming guitar,vocals; Marshal Bray, drums;
Jack Begley, bass and vocals.
We toured all over--Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Wyoming, and New York City.
Marshall was my roommate and had come from a family of Bluegrass musicians. Glen was a monster player indeed and he had a ZB D-10/11
that I would set up next to the MSA I had at the time (Tommy Morrell also played one then).
The ZB had great tone and projection, but I
didn't know enough about tweaking it to keep it playing in tune...
Rolling Country was a crazy bunch, but then so was I.
Dallas was just full of steel players then and any night we had off it would be down to Harry Hines Blvd. to check it all out. That
was where I met Gary Hogue (he was working at
the "Belle Starr" with Donnie McDuff and those guys just killed). Gary, as everybody knows, was the sweetest guy and he and I would talk about his experiences with Jay Dee
Maness, and that took some of the sick out of homesick.
As to the mystery steel on "Mansion," I wish
I could remember, but time has erased...
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James Pennebaker
From:
Mt. Juliet, TN
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Posted 31 Jan 2005 11:55 pm
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Joe,
How long did you live and work in the Dallas area? We may have crossed paths but, if so, I can't remember. I was one of those "crazy" guys back then. As long as I played with Glen, I never knew about his ZB. I played fiddle and guitar in the house band at The Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas from '76-79 with Gary Hogue and Junior Knight on steel at various times. Both of them on twin steels some of the time. Anyway, I made all the Harry Hines haunts like the Belle Star, The Old Top Rail, The Palms Danceland, The Steak Pit and many other places I can't remember the names of.
Interesting that I just got an e-mail tonight from an old friend back in Dallas (Joe Degelia). He mentioned that he has "Hambone's" old MSA U12. I told him that Hambone's name came up here and he advised that Hambone passed away 3 or 4 years ago. Sad, too that Hogue and Donnie McDuff are both gone now. Dallas was a goldmine of great steel players and all sorts of musicians back in those days. Some great times to live in Texas! I may try to contact Glen and ask him just who it is playing steel on that old 45.
JP[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 31 January 2005 at 11:58 PM.] |
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Jeff Agnew
From:
Dallas, TX
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Posted 1 Feb 2005 5:35 am
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James,
Speaking of the c-c-c-c-case of Bud, did you ever hear the one about Jerry and Pearl Harbor?
Belle Star (actually on Central Expwy.) and the others you mentioned are gone but last time I passed by on Northwest Hwy the Top Rail was still alive. |
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James Pennebaker
From:
Mt. Juliet, TN
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Posted 1 Feb 2005 7:09 am
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Jerry,
Well, I said I was a little fuzzy about some things and that would include locations of some of those places! And no, I never heard the one about Hambone (Jerry) and Pearl Harbor......[This message was edited by James Pennebaker on 01 February 2005 at 07:10 AM.] |
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Joe Shelby
From:
Walnut Creek, California, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2005 4:51 pm
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James: I was in Dallas just for the months I
played with Rolling Country (March to August,
1980). Glen, Jack Begley and I shacked up together in Glen's apartment in Garland.
It is entirely possible that we did cross paths if you were in Dallas at that time.
We had many nights out on the town and every club we went into had a steel player in the band. Almost every one was a fine player, it
was scary.
I rode a Greyhound from Oakland to Dallas with all my gear. It was awful and lasted two days. Glen and Jack picked me up at the depot. We immediately went to a couple hour photo shoot, got dinner and went to the Rose,
where Rolling Country was the house band. Tommy Morrell and I both played that night, and the next morning (like 6:00 a.m.) we piled into a van and headed for New York to play at The City Limits in Greenwich Village.
One night at the Rose, we opened for Freddie Weller's band. Their steel player had a rosewood Emmons D-10 set up on some kind of riser. Back then, if we opened for another
band, I would use the headlining band's steel
players' gear (almost always it was fine with
the guy). Anyway, I was just getting the feel of this fellow's Emmons when Glen hit a footswich positioned near his mic stand. All of the sudden the whole riser rocked up and down, back and forth (somewhere between a "magic fingers" bed massager and a mechanical bull). I held on to my bar for dear life, trying stay anchored in whatever song we were playing at the time. Damn Glen
kept doing it throughout the set and everybody on and off stage got a good laugh out of that...
About the "Belle Starr," that is correct about the club's location. The weeknight band
had Billy Braddy on steel (first an MSA SS D-10, and later a ZB D-10 that was a beautiful blue).
About Glen's ZB, all I know is he bought it off
somebody (maybe one of the band's past steel
players) and had Tom Brumley get it into shape for him, as at that time ZB was based in (Austin?) Texas. I gamely tore down some of the E9th neck's undercarraige and tried to make it play in tune better, with only this past advice; "the ZB requires slop in the pull rods in order to work properly." I
was otherwise lost and (as mentioned earlier) never did get it to stay/play in tune. But it sounded so good (especially compared to my MSA, just MHO), that I put it up on stage anywhere there was room enough for the two. [This message was edited by Joe Shelby on 01 February 2005 at 05:06 PM.] |
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Egil Skjelnes
From:
Meland,Frekhaug
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Posted 1 Feb 2005 11:53 pm
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Hello.
Thanks alot all of you so far.I really know a whole lot about the band,and lots of interesting stories too,keep going!But still I don`t know for sure who the steeler was on this record.It would have been nice to know,and to add the correct info to the steel guitar discography.Maybe some of you who played in the band,or who know Hambone can pass the question on down the line?
Still hope the answer can be solved.
Best from Egil. |
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Ken Bruce
From:
New York, USA
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Posted 24 Sep 2013 6:03 am
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Rolling Country was a family band when we first came to Dallas. and consisted of Johhny Mac Smith (Lead vocal & Rythem), Larry Dalbach(Bass and vocal) and was soon replaced by Steve Thompson (Bass and Vocal), Marshall Bray (Drums), Glynn Fleming (Lead guitar and vocal)and myself (Fiddle, guitar and vocal)Johnny Mac and I were 1st cousins, Glynn is Jonny Mac's nephew, Marshall is married to Glynns sister, We hired Tommy Pyle when our steel player got a job on the strip in Grand Praire and Tommy was the steel player on both of those 45's. Glynn Fleming, Johhny Mac Smith and I wrote "Sippin on a Cool One" Tommy played for Joe Stampley before joining us and sadly passed away of a brain tumor. He is still greatly missed by many. Tommy Morrell, Hambone, Joe Shelby and Tommy Spurlock were the steel players we used on a regular basis while I was in the band. The Harry Hines experience for us was the Country Club and the Palace we went there after Bobby Smith and would ususally hook up with Donny McDuffs band Moonshine which consisted of Donny, Wayne Mulligan and James Arron after playing the night for a few more. After I left the band they replaced Rick Hooper at the Belle Star. Hope this helps
Regards
Kenny Bruce |
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Mike Cass
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Posted 24 Sep 2013 8:32 am
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fwiw...Glynn has spent the last 6-7 years playing guitar for The Chief...electric and gut string....a real pleasure to travel and work with.
MC |
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frank rogers
From:
usa
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Posted 24 Sep 2013 3:59 pm
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"James Pennebaker"
How long did you live and work in the Dallas area? We may have crossed paths but, if so, I can't remember. I was one of those "crazy" guys back then. As long as I played with Glen, I never knew about his ZB. I played fiddle and guitar in the house band at The Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas from '76-79 with Gary Hogue and Junior Knight on steel at various times. Both of them on twin steels some of the time. Anyway, I made all the Harry Hines haunts like the Belle Star, The Old Top Rail, The Palms Danceland, The Steak Pit and many other places I can't remember the names of.
James thank's for the memories, I worked the Longhorn a few times in '77 and '78 with Dave and Sugar and I always really enjoyed getting a chance to hear Junior and the House band, always GREAT pickin'. |
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joe long
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 24 Sep 2013 6:08 pm
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| This thread brought back memories for me. I subbed on steel with this band at a joint on Harry Hines Blvd in Dallas. At the time there was a solo singer who did some Mary Robbins songs who would do a set with this group. I don't recall his name but believe he was friends with the owner of the club. He was a great singer. I don't believe they had a regular steel player because I worked with them several times. This would have been in the late 70's and Harry Hines could be a interesting place to work. |
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Jerry Jones
From:
Franklin, Tenn.
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Craig Baker
From:
Eatonton, Georgia, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 24 Sep 2013 7:32 pm Tender Mercies
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Didn't Buddy Hrabal play steel in the movie Tender Mercies?
Sincerely,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792
cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com
C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024 |
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