The Steel Guitar Forum

Cal Smith.. The lord knows I'm drinking... I wonder who the steel player was on that original recording. I can't even guess. Thanks, Tommy.....

Pretty sure it's John Hughey on the original. Produced by Walter Haynes, another legendary steel player.

I can't find the session list but it sounds like Charleton to me.

John Hughey...

Great tune; the one I can point to that really got me interested in the pedal steel way back when. Clem Schmitz (who oughta know) once told me it was John Hughey on his Emmons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6voAw66Bxko

John told me it was him.

Great tune, super steel picking. Thanks for identifying the player!

Cal was a very good Country singer.Saw him with Ernest Tubb's band ,at that time was Jack Drake on Bass Bud Charleton on Steel, Jack Green on Drums, and Leon Rhodes on Lead Guitar. I saw Tubb a year or so earlier and Jimmie Johnson fronted the Troubadours.Also got a gig to back Cal at Reinholds Pa. soon after he went out as a single.
Finny thing happened shortly before the gig happened Cal' Country Bunpkin went to number 1. Another great tune Cal
did was I'll have Another Cup of Coffee. I feel lucky
to have been at the age when Ray Price, Ernest Tubb,
Faron Young, Geo Jones Merle Haggard, Connie Smith, etc
would play in your area and at break you could talk and mingle with the Stars and the players in their band including Buddy, Jimmy Day John Hughey,Leon Rhodes, Buck Trent, on and on.

Oddly enough most of the sessions listed for Cal on Praguefranks discographies are missing musician info. On that particular session it does list Bob Moore on bass and the producer as Walter Haynes.

That being said I too have often heard it was John Hughey.

Sounds like Hughey to me as well.
Take a listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMvyM3iReZA

The link I think is of the Porter Waggoner Show. Sounds like Mac on fiddle and the style of Porter's steel player Don.

As a 4 year member of Cal's band I the 70s I can tell you it's Jihn Hughey.