The Steel Guitar Forum

Nm

I'm not sure which era that would be, but wild man Eddie Gossien played pedal steel in Mel's band in the late 80s and 90s I believe.

Well, wild is not really correct, more like animated. Great player and fit Mel's band perfectly.

I was playing in Clovis, NM in 1975 and our band met another band down the road from where we were playing. They told us they had been Mel's band before going out on their own. Pretty good players. I forgot their names but I remember the steel player was really good. All I remember is he had an unusual physical trait.

By the way, Clovis was about the craziest place I've ever played in my life.

Wayne Cox played with Mel McDaniel but I am not sure of the years.

I think Russ Wever was with Mel for a while.

Eddie Gossien was playing steel with Mel in the eighties and appears in two of Mel's music videos, "Stand Up", and "Real Good, Feel Good Song". In the "Stand Up" video, Eddie is playing a red Marrs D-10, and in the "Real Good Feel Good Song" video, Eddie is playing an Emmons D-10. He might've stayed in Mel's band until Wade Hayes came onto the scene in '95 or '96, because he started playing steel with Darryl Worley in 2000, when Darryl first signed to DreamWorks Records. Eddie had played steel in Darryl's band, The Krew until '05.

In the 80's, my local band opened for Mel once. His steeler played a red Marrs D-10 with the C6th neck fretboard removed (but the strings intact), and introduced himself to us as "Rusty".

Maybe my old-timers disease is kicking in, but I believe Ron Hogan was with him for a while, too.

Jack Stanton wrote:Maybe my old-timers disease is kicking in, but I believe Ron Hogan was with him for a while, too.

Jack is correct. In the early 80's after I left Faron Young I went to work for Mel. He had a number of top 10s back then including "Big Ole Brew and little ole you". I was there for a year before I went on to something else.

We had a really great band.
Phil Gazzell harmonica (Formally with Paycheck)
Jimmy Olander on Guitar ( now part of Diamond Rio)
Bill Cook on Bass (Formally with Randy Travis)
Shelby Eicher on fiddle (Did a 20 year stint with Roy Clark).

I have lots of road stories from this one!

I played a dance with Mel in Okmulgee, OK before he was a star. Only one couple showed up. We played one song, gave them their money back and went home. What a gig!!

Rick

Emmett Roch wrote:In the 80's, my local band opened for Mel once. His steeler played a red Marrs D-10 with the C6th neck fretboard removed (but the strings intact), and introduced himself to us as "Rusty".

Would that be him about 1:12 on here? I think that's a Marrs, altho he has both fretboards on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJqHs6LVWEs

Well, that's not Eddie Gossien. I don't recognize the face but the video is poor quality.

The only Rusty I can think of right off is Rusty Danmeyer but I don't know if he ever played Marrs, or for Mel and I've forgotten what he looks like.

I guess that still wouldn't answer the OP question.

Thanks guys. I’m sure it is Gossein. He was an act himself on stage with his animated movements.

Jack Stanton wrote:Maybe my old-timers disease is kicking in, but I believe Ron Hogan was with him for a while, too.

Pretty sure I once heard Ron say that he played some with Mel.

I was playing Steel in the house band at "The Hitchin' Post Club," Springfield Missouri 1986 and 1987. They booked Mel in for a Big Show and Eddie was his Steel Guitarist then. Eddie was all over that Steel Guitar and was quite a Showman himself. We opened for them, and it was a Great Show and Music from the entire Band and Mel was Great! I remember Eddie really Rocked that Steel Guitar! Awesome!

Sometime in the early 80’s when I was still in Tulsa I met with Mel and considered the job. This was when he was first putting together a band based out of Oklahoma. The first steel player in that band was Charlie Davis. The next guy after that was a great guitar player that had taken up steel a few years before. His last name escapes me now but it was Wally ? and he was there for several years. Wally was also an amp tech at Sheilds Music and kept my old Peavey LTD going.

Randy Beavers wrote:Sometime in the early 80’s when I was still in Tulsa I met with Mel and that had taken up steel a few years . His last name escapes me now but it was Wally ? and he was there for several years. Wally was also an amp tech at Sheilds Music and kept my old Peavey LTD going.

That had to have been Waddy Pass...a good friend of mine...he and I taught guitar at Pruitt Music Studio in Ponca city, Ok...I was 18, Waddy was 13 ! He had taken steel from Bill since he was 8 and switched to guitar at 12 and took off like a rocket...he was an amazing guitarist even at 13-played Chet stuff, had a Gretsch George Van Epps 7 string guitar...he could do it all...I see Waddy from time to time, he still lives in tulsa and recently retired from American Airlines from something to do with electronics-he was a whiz at that stuff as well !