The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello Steel Guitar Forum members,

I am obsessed with the playing of the pedal steel player in this old performance of Ian Tyson's 'One Jump Ahead Of The Devil'. Who is he? It's a vast improvement over the album version from 1978.

Cheers from snowy T.O.,


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WagjOg0y6U8

Stan Stewart?

Sounds so good.

Tommy Spurlock played on the studio version as I recall but that's not him in the video. I'll consult with some Tyson alumni.

Wow, Bob. You probably know a lot of these Canadian players.
I’d love to know more the history of PSG in Canada.

Hi Allan, yes which makes me irritated that I don't recognize this player. On reflection I actually think I know who it might have been but I'm going to try to confirm! Tommy Spurlock, who I mentioned played on some tunes on that album, isn't Canadian - he was working with Tyson for a bit in around 76/77 as I recall.

Shame on you Bob!...LOL!! that’s the one & only Ron Dann! He played with everybody who’s anybody in Canada including Jesse Winchester.. You can’t say enough great things about Ron musically or otherwise, his playing, arranging and humor were off the charts!! Ron Passed of lung cancer some years ago, his grave is in row E9 and his tombstone has the first 5 notes of Steel Guitar Rag carved in it! He taught me everything I know about anything!.. Miss him!..Amazing human being!

Hahaha!!... I enlarged it and now think I’m mistaken about my answer... sincere apologies!! I owe you one Bob!... lol!!

No worries Mike! I wondered if it was Ron at some phase of his life I hadn't seen him in but couldn't quite make it work!! He was a hero of mine, and of course played with Tyson a fair bit over the years.

I saw the old Sho-Bud then the fold up chair and the stature of this musician was similar to Ron, but the close up revealed it wasn’t. Who ever it is he plays great!! Glad you’re doing well Bob!

Hey Mike, still clinging to the face of the planet unlike too many folks that we knew! The way the guy in the video plays reminds me of how a western Canadian guy named Dick Kreuger sounded on the radio on some Opry North sessions recorded in Calgary, but I never saw Dick in person and wouldn't recognize him. I have a few more queries out. Stan Stewart doesn't recognize him.....

I hear you there, maybe Redd V. Will see this... he’s know!

Good idea.....

Perhaps Danny Marshall from Calgary - that's Redd's suggestion. It would make sense that this was out west.

You might ask Wayne Link, he used to hold the Mid Canada Steel Guitar Convention in Winnipeg, Steelers from all over Canada and some of us from the “states” would play it or just atted it.
Geo

I spent a week with Ron Dann at Jeffran College C6 Seminar with Buddy Emmons back in the mid-‘80’s. He was a helluva steel player and one of the funniest SOBs I’ve ever met.

RIP, Ron.

Well I've had a great time running this past a veritable Who's Who of the Canadian music scene and beyond and although it seems clear now that it was not Danny Marshall no one knows who this guy was. Or any of the musicians in the band for that matter.

Perhaps this 'downloaded' picture would help some one ID this player.

Two other players who might be able to help are Al Brisco or Bob Tallifer, both super pickers.

If it’s any help I believe that that’s Brian Barron on fiddle so the band is probably Toronto based.

With the help of Al Brisco, who connected with the keyboard player in the clip, the steel player has been identified as Bill Herchuck. Al says the video was from a Hamilton-based TV show originally called Jamboree, which eventually became the George Hamilton IV Show. Apparently Bill Herchucck was a guitarist who would handle steel duties on that show if Bob Lucier was not available - Al isn't sure he even knew he played steel.

Thank you, Bob Blair (and Al Brisco). I saw Ian Tyson play several times at Hugh's Room here in Toronto, but only with "The Two Gords" playing acoustic beside him. Global TV used to air Ian's 'Sun Country' show, that featured Stan Stewart on steel, so Bill Herchuck is a new name to me.

I cannot find any information about Bill Herchuck anywhere online, so I’m really intrigued to learn more.

The steeler's using an envelope-follower to get that unique sound. Kinda like an auto-wah pedal, with the circuitry doing the "wah" automatically. I use an old MuTron made by Musitronics to do it, but MXR and Boss made them too.

This just in. While the steel player in the video was indeed Bill Herchuck, it has been conveyed from Bob Lucier through a couple of other prominent Ontario steel players that the steel track was pre-recorded and Bob (who usually handled the steel chores on that show) played it.

Explains why it sounded so great!!...