The Steel Guitar Forum

I've posted this question to just about every country-music releted group I can, and I thought I'd try here. Here's all I know about this artist, and it's not much:

1. He was originally from Texas and apparently died in an auto accident in 1964;

2. He either wrote and/or recorded "I Gotta Get Drunk and I Shore Do Dread it" which I associate with Willie Nelson;

3. Liberty put out a posthumous album called "In Memoriam" which is one of my all time favorites; it includes "Helpless" which is one of the greatest tunes I've ever heard;

4. I also have a discography somewhere on my PC at home which lists a lot singles from the 50's, on Mercury and some other labels.

My band did a compilation last year where we recorded Carson's "I Done It (And I'm Glad)".
I'd like to know some more about him and his work.

I always wondered who Joe Carson was. I obtained a few of his singles including Gotta Get Drunk. I can't help with more info, but now I know more than I did before.

I was and still remain a big Little Joe Carson fan. He lived all over Texas but came out to California a lot in the early 60's. I used to watch him on Cal's Corral (TV show in LA... see any number of Jason Odd threads), and he was a great performer. He got a big start in Lawton OK where he worked at the Southern Club and was a member of the very famous and influential Souternaires Band that featured Chuck Caldwell on steel, Bob Wommack on trumpet, Tommy Canfield on fiddle, and more great musicians.

Everything that was said in the previous two posts was correct, and I'll add that Tommy Allsup was the producer of his great records on Liberty, and Billy Mize was the wonderful steel player on "Helpless" and the rest of the "In Memoriam" album. The album also has his great song "Double Life."

Joe played on the Big D Jamboree in Dallas and had Chuck Caldwell on steel, Jerry Case on guitar, and Johnny Case on piano.

Joe's son, Randy Carson, lives here in Austin and is one of my closest friends. He's a steel player, incidentally. Joe's widow Janice also lives in Austin and is still a very beautiful woman.

They don't make country singers like Little Joe Carson anymore, IMHO.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Homesite

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 08 June 2000 at 11:49 AM.]</p></FONT>

Herb: Is this the same Joe Carson who wore a toupee? I worked 3 or 4 gigs with him back in the 60's. If so, I agree: He was one of the best hard core country singers I ever heard. Great phrasing, feeling and right on pitch. I miss that kind of music.
"Still play it every chance I get."

Was waiting for you to come in on this one Herb, you mentioned him back in early '99 on one of the early Cal's topics.

Spot on about Tommy producing at Liberty, he was the house guitarist and producer for a time, even cut a 'twist' Lp while he was there.
It is a damn good Lp from memory.

Hey Herb,
While I was working at the Foothill Club in Signal Hill (Long Beach) California, our bass player wanted to do this song so we did it one night and Billy Mize who at that time was the frontman/singer told me after the set that he'd played steel on it. After the gig he showed me how he did it on my guitar. I'm glad you mentioned Billy, a lot of people have heard of him but don't realize what a great steel player he was. He also served a stint as the resident steelman on Town Hall Party in Compton. Thanks again for the mention of this great entertainer and fine musician!

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Have a good 'un! JH U-12

Jerry, I got a magazine with a picture of Billy Mize in the group 'Johnny McAtee & his Sons Of The San Joaquin', the group includes Bill Woods and {Cousin}Herb Henson.
It's dated 1949 and it's from the clover Club.

Cousin Herb, Bill Woods and Billy all worked the clubs, led their own groups and even all had their own TV shows and did DJ work.

Gentleman:

Thanks for posting all this good information!
On his WAMU-FM Saturday show, Eddie Stubbs just played "Who'll Buy My Memories," another Willie Nelson song that Joe Carson recorded, and mentioned that Carson got started at like the age of 12 or 13. It's neat to think that thee are enough recordings available where you could hear someone's sound grow and develop over a span of some 10 years, from, say, age 12 to 25. I don't know of another performer today where you can do that, at least not one who is still at it.

BTW, you know if you ever find yourself needing a Classic Country Music fix between 12 pm and 3pm EST, just log on to http://www.wamu.org and you can catch Eddie Stubbs' whole show live in RealAudio simulcast. Highly recommended.