The Steel Guitar Forum

There are certain albums which, upon first hearing, so impressed me that it defined for me the style of the player I was listening to and opened the door to discover more. Chuck Back and I were discussing recently at TSGA that, for both of us, "Mr. Nashville Sound" was the Lloyd Green album that opened that portal and beckoned us to follow.

Surfing YT just this morning, I came across this posting that plays the entire "Big Hits On Big Steel," Curly Chalker's 1966 Columbia album of popular country tunes that Curly turned into a jazz album. This was the album that did it for me with Chalker. It also still remains my favorite of his though I have most of his other recorded and video stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkiJlzmQux4

On this album is where I first became really aware of steel guitar played in a very pianistic style, block chordally a la George Shearing. Curly also never met a diminished chord, a major 9th, an augmented, or a #11th he didn't like He was also, as I learned years later, an excellent blues guitarist.

While we were working on the last couple of Glen Campbell records, even though his battle with Alzheimer’s was getting worse, he always got excited when he’d see the steel and ask me if I knew who Curly Chalker was. He would light up every time he said Curly's name.

For me Curly's best stuff was before he got pedals.

Thanks for this Herb. Chalker "does it" for me too. I also noticed recently the Big Hits album is now available on iTunes. I've had the LP for years. This makes it convenient to listen to Curly all the time now. I remain in discovery mode while listening to Curly. He seems to never run out of stuff. I would like to have known the man.

~Bill~

Thanks Herb - this is great. an old friend of mine, Frankie Morrell, who played steel in the 60's & 70's told me that Chalker had more music in his little finger than most others.

Ditto on Chalker....he felt it for sure.

"Gentle On My Mind" by Chalker was the song that really hooked me on steel, especially on C6th. I was listening to WBAP on night just before the Bill Mack show came on and they played this song as a bumper. I don't think I slept a wink the rest of the night, trying to figure how the heck he did that. They didn't say who was playing and it took me a few years to find out. This was over 40 years ago and I still listen "Big Hits" and "Counterpoint" regularly.

When I was 7-8 years old, and that many years before I even thought of getting a steel guitar, I heard the album "Travis" and loved that playing better than anything I had heard. I had no idea who Curly was! I had already heard Hank Thompson albums (maybe with Curly), ET Presents The Texas Troubadors, and Pete Drake's "Forever" album. But Curly's playing on that one is still my favorite.

"Travis" is a great album!

I really like Chalker's "Nashville Sundown" album (ca 1973), though it's rumored he didn't enjoy recording it. IMHO, E9th country does not get much better than "Second cup of coffee" or "Alberta bound". Every single track on that album sounds extremely fluid and almost effortless.

I am a fan of anything he played....

Bill Cunningham wrote:When I was 7-8 years old, and that many years before I even thought of getting a steel guitar, I heard the album "Travis" and loved that playing better than anything I had heard. I had no idea who Curly was! I had already heard Hank Thompson albums (maybe with Curly), ET Presents The Texas Troubadors, and Pete Drake's "Forever" album. But Curly's playing on that one is still my favorite.

I agree, Bill. My favorite Chalker is the aforementioned Big Hits On Steel, followed by Travis and Carl Smith's I Love You Because.

Per, I also really like the "Nashville Sundown" album too and still listen to it regularly. I heard that Curly had only been playing E9th for a few years when he recorded it, but he played some great stuff.

I've heard that Lloyd Green didn't particularly care for his "Shades of Steel" album either, but it is and always has been one of my favorites.

Per Berner wrote:E9th country does not get much better than "Second cup of coffee" or "Alberta bound".

Totally agree. Alberta Bound still totally blows me away. And I never really dug Gordon Lightfoot.

"I am a fan of anything he played...." however the combination of Chalker and Fender is very, very special:

Merle Travis "Travis" Capitol ST-1664 (1962) Fender 1000

Curly Chalker “Big Hits On Big Steel” Columbia CS 9396 (1965) Fender 2000

"Travis" is my favorite stuff with Curly as well.

He also has a couple of good rides on Roy Clark's first album from about the same time.

Anybody know if Travis is available on CD? I see a few vinyl copies available on the web.

I don't know if "Travis!" ever made it to CD. The album was re-recordings of Travis' famous songs and may not have not qualified as "historical" enough for a reissue company. However, it's a great record with or without Chalker. Here is the "Travis!" Capitol LP with the songs in the order they were cut August 14-15, 1961:

Fat Gal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2O0r-YxX8w

Kinfolks in Carolina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHM2f-qml6c

Cincinnati Lou

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLsRt069Rks

Divorce Me C.O.D.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ulCIhrXxbc

Sweet Temptation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pmTUlPQvM0

Three Times Seven

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mMe3o2_aPk

So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRiV9CXMUtI

No Vacancy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIDJDCaDbt4

Kentucky Means Paradise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omQ2qDdfiVw

Lawdy, What a Gal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-5zmTTM6VU

I Like My Chicken Frying Size

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYTHXanj3kY

I'm taking up more than my share of acreage here - but this is Chalker we're talking about - so here are the "The Lightning Fingers of Roy Clark" cuts which I never knew about until Dave Zirbel tipped on in. (OK - enough of me)

Drifter’s Polka

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ND4zU_9wvk

In The Mood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYm-Kcb ... VszgdbTZbO

Texas Twist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz7DH6IlbCQ

(sneaking in one more)

"The Kind of Love I Can't Forget" Jimmy C. Newman / Shannon S-808 / ca. 1972 w/ Rufus Thibodeaux and Johnny Gimble on fiddles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj_fP427KEU

This is the side that was nicknamed "Bulldozer"

This is said to be Curley doing "Caravan" circa 1965.

It was done as part of a Ferlin Husky session and was not released until 2000 or later.

Not sure who the other pickers are. Maybe the Hushpuppies of that era or maybe A team guys? Did Curley ever tour with Ferlin or was he otherwise known to have recorded with him?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vkPSV_Cgp4

Darvin Willhoite wrote:I've heard that Lloyd Green didn't particularly care for his "Shades of Steel" album either, but it is and always has been one of my favorites.

Amen to that. That album mixes traditional sounds with modern flavors very nicely, like "Killing me softly". And "Summer clouds" is one of the few steel instrumentals that I can play all the way through – and sound almost as good as the record.

"I Can See Clearly Now" and "Morning Has Broken" are probably my favorites from the "Shades Of Steel" album, but I like everything on it.

"I Can See Clearly Now" and "Morning Has Broken" are probably my favorites from the "Shades Of Steel" album, but I like everything on it.

Ditto, Darvin. This is the first I've heard of Lloyd's apathy regarding this album - can't say I really understand it. As for Roy Clark's "Lightning Fingers," well....

For me it was Lloyd's "Steel Rides" album and Buddy's "Emmons Guitar Co." (black) album. Also Jerry's "Byrd of Paradise" and "Satin Strings of Steel". It's all good.