The Steel Guitar Forum

Who played Pedal Steel on Ira Louvin's '65 solo recording?

the Title sez it all...

I listened to the record. There's one title that sounds a lot like Ralph Mooney:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmIYPdjBOrY
The other titles sound somehow different, maybe another steeler was playing.

No idea but cool recordings.

Complete album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtV6d2v ... MQeqvYZCOE

can't find any info but my first guess is Jimmy Day.

RIP IRA. he didn't live much longer after recording it

I don't know, though there are some of Mooney's idioms in the playing, I think it's too smooth to be Mooney. (Though he did play really smooth on rare occasions in that period.) I'd sooner believe it was someone like Emmons, Charleton, or Rugg because that's really fine playing for something recorded in February of 1964!

That's Shot Jackson on all Dobro playing.
Ricky

Found this CD used on ebay and brought it. Received today and no info in case. Just song titles. But it is a very good CD. Great country music. Lots of steel but I think different players on different songs. Sounds of Mooney, Pete Drake, Lloyd Green & others I cannot tell.
But a very good CD for it's time. Good recording. Ira sounds good but not so well on a couple songs. But I like it. This was just before Buck Owens and Tom Brumley. That is what turned me and many others on to Pedal Steel Guitar. What an era that was. But I will recommend to you old timers that this will take you down memory lane. Give it a try. J.R. Rose

Could it be Fuzzy Owen or Jay McDonald? I agree with Donny about Mooney. I’m not that familiar with Fuzzy or Jay, but I can’t think of anyone else playing the west coast sound back then. The only other person that I remember that played like that was Frank Arnette but I’m sure it wasn’t him.

No band info but in case anyone wants the dates of the recordings if that might better help identify who it was. I can remember when this collection came out, I was super excited. Ira had a sound in a world all its own.

21 February 1964 [no 11233]Columbia Recording Studio, 804 16th Ave. South, Nashville 3, TN – Ira Louvin (Producer: Marvin Hughes)
001 51416 WHO THROW DAT ROCK 5190/ST-2413 King KMCD-5120
002 51417 MAKE BELIEVE IT˘S ME 5190/ST-2413 King KMCD-5120
003 51418 SOMETHING HAS JUST GOT TO GIVE ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
004 51419 THESE TWO EYES AIN'T FUNNY ENOUGH ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
19 February 1965 [no 11883] Columbia Recording Studio, 804 16th Ave. South, Nashville 3, TN – Ira Louvin (Producer: Marvin Hughes)
005 51574 AN EMPTY VALLET AND A BROKEN HEART ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
006 51575 YOU˘RE LOOKING FOR AN ANGEL 5428/ ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
007 51576 IT AIN˘T FUNNY ENOUGH ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
008 51577-7 YODEL, SWEET MOLLY 5428/ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
008A 51577-12 YODEL, SWEET MOLLY ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
4 March 1965 [no 13008] Nashville, TN – Ira Louvin [purchased masters, mastered August 30 ]
009 52055 THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
010 52056 LIFE IS TOO SHORT ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
011 52057 THE BOTTOM OF THE BOTTLE ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
012 52058 THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE ST 2413 King KMCD-5120
1965 [no 13030] Nashville, TN – Ira Louvin [purchased masters, mastered November 23]
013 52070 I WISH I COULD SAY I WONDER unissued/King KMCD-5120
014 52071 WELCOME AS THE FLOWERS IN MAY unissued/King KMCD-5120
015 52072 THIS IS THE DOOR unissued/King KMCD-5120

Can't really nail it down, but to my ear there are definitely two different steel players on the album, evident by two different volume pedal techniques and tones. The Mooney sounding player doesn't pump the volume pedal, but the other one with the Sho-Bud like tone Squeezes a lot of his phrases with the volume pedal, leading me to believe the album was done in two or more sessions. On several of the songs there is a markedly Buck Owens influence in Ira's vocals. The steel speculation is interesting.

It occurs to me now that the non Mooney sounding player could very well be Big Ben Keith. The time period, tone and volume pedal squeezes are right.

I read on Ira's biography that he recorded material for two albums for Capitol after the split of the LB. The "Unforgettable" album is a compilation of these two albums, therefore, it could well be that there are different steel player on the tracks.

Kind Regards, Walter

I am gonna guess it is Ralph Mooney and Pete Drake. I am not that knowledgeable but I think Pete Drake was doing a lot of work during that time. I just wish we had more info on it. J.R. Rose

Someone on another thread reminded us that Jeff Newman could do a good job on Mooney style. Not sure if this was cur before his arrival in Nashville or not. And he was a protege of Pete Drake.