The Steel Guitar Forum

Do you have any stories about Little Roy Wiggins?We are trying to collect pictures,and stores about him for our local steelers club.

This is not necessarily for your agenda but something I hold very dear.

Back in the late sixties, I had to go to Nashville to represent a dealer who sold Ampeg amplifiers. It was during DJ week. Little Roy happened to be two things at the time:

1. He was National sales rep for Amgeg.

2. He was one of my 3 idols.

I had talked to him many times prior to that meeting. But never been formally introduced. Well needless to say when that happened and he so graciously talked with me half the night with my 27 zillion questions, I thought I had died and woke up in heaven.

This was a Friday nite. The next night after cocktails, he walked up to me and said, "Carl, want to go with me?". Does a kid want a new toy at christmas? Does a dog chase a bone? I would have gone anywhere.

As I sat in awe he drove me to the Ryman Auditorium and he and a policeman he knew hoarded us through that mob. The next thing I knew I was sitting 2 feet from Roy's guitar when all of a sudden the Willis Bros came out, the curtains went up and there I was on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. One thing you can take to the bank, 'ain't no other way this dude would ever get on the stage of that legendary place. Certainly not a result of my terrible playing anyway.

Back home in Ft Lauderdale a few weeks later, the postman delivered a manila envelope. In it was a picture of Littel Roy playing his steel on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry with a starry eyed man staring at that steel.

He wrote on the picture, "Carl, sorry I could not get you a better seat at the Grand Ole Opry!"

God bless you all,

carl

We need more stories about Little Roy Wiggins.Please help us.Any information will help us with our project for our local steel club.

I don't have any real stories to tell about Little Roy other than to say that when he had his music store on lower broad in the early 70s I bought everything I needed from him,picks,strings,gadgets you name it.He was a very sweet man and a good friend.

When I was a teenager trying to learn how to play my six string lap steel Roy Wiggins was my hero. I looked forward to hearing him play
with Eddie Arnold on the Opry. Near the end
of his time in the music store in Pigeon Forge I made a trip from Mississippi to visit
with him. Business was rather slow that day and I spent about one hour with him. As I walked away I told him how much I appreciated the time with him. He in turn said to me, "I appreciate your coming in and
the fact that you remember me and know so much about my music - if you are not George Washington or Abraham Lincoln folks soon forget you."

Roy also told me he was writing a book on his life and hoped to have it published. Does anyone know what happened to this project?

As a young soldier in basic training at Fort Ord, Ca. I heard the song "Anytime" on the jukebox one day. I had probably heard it 100 times before but on this day paid attention to the steel guitar for the first time. I was knocked out by the sound but had no idea who was playing. Later after being sent to Ft. Gordon, Ga. I was able to go to Nasville. I walked into Little Roy Wiggins Guitar shop and was looking at guitars when someone started playing a pedal steel. Sounded great, and after awhile they stopped. I noticed a guy playing a non-pedal steel and he was just tearing it up. It was just him and me and he would smile at me as he played and asked if I liked what he was playing. I said absolutely, do you play professionally? He said not so much anymore but I did play for 25 years for Eddie Arnold. It clicked for me at that time this was the guy on the jukebox. I told him the story and he seemed to get a kick out of it. That was the only time I met him as I was on my way to southeast asia right after that. The memory of his kindness and the time he shared with me that day, even as busy as it was in his shop, is still as fresh in my mind today as the day it happened....

Roy and I were having a conversation one time and an admirer/steeler approached us and said "Little Roy" I really enjoy your playing very very much". His reply was, "Thank you very much, but all I ever do is 'tin-a-ling' most of the time." To which the admirer replied, "Yes, I know, but no one can do it as good or with the feeling you do it with." True story...

He use to play the SG Rag and he would punctuate certain licks/phrases with the "Chew Tobaccy Rag" sound effects. It literally knocked me out when he would play it.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

In the late 60s & early 70s Roy was also the Emmons dealer in Nashville. His store was located conveniently across and down the street from Sho-Bud. I would spend half my day at Sho-Bud and the other half at Little Roy's. Roy always had time to pick or answer questions for me. During the DJ conventions then he always had jam sessions there. I remember seeing and hearing Paul Franklin for the first time there. I was also in several jams with Paul, Tommy White, Doug Jernigan and many other great players before some of us could play hardly at all. Roy was a true gentleman.

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Johnny Cox
Zumsteel
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Zumsteeler on 15 April 2000 at 12:17 AM.]</p></FONT>

I heard him say that once while in Texas that a disc jocky called the hotel and wanted to speak to him. He told the person that Eddie Arnold wasn't there but would be back later. The person replied, "If you would, we would like for you to come down to the station. We want to talk to you, not Eddie Arnold."
I attended the Little Roy Wiggins memoral service at the Nashville Musician' Union building. Guess who did not make an appearance? It was a very nice service. It seems that he was not only an exceptiona steel guitar player, he was an exceptional husband and human being.

This is a story that he told John Hughey and me while we were shooting the bull at my house one night. Little Roy was talking about how tight Eddy Arnold was with his money. The story he told us was that him and Eddy had been playing somwhere, down below Nashville years ago and were in Little Roys car on their way home, when Roy says Eddy we are running out of gas. Eddy say's Roy loan me 2 dollars and I will buy you some gas. Roy loans Eddy the 2 dollars, they pull over and buy the gas. About 20 miles on up the road. Roy looks at Eddy and say's now dont forget about my 2 dollars. Eddy say's Roy Pull over here at this country store I need to buy something. Eddy comes out and hands Little Roy 50 cents worth of bologna and says,ok Roy I always pay my debts. Yes he was one a joy to be around.
Jim R