The Steel Guitar Forum

I finally heard him on CKUA radio today, playing and singing The Thrill is Gone. He is very origanal and intense.I found it very inspiring.
All the best,-Andy

Freddie Roulette is an amazing player.
I believe he plays a National "Newyorker" (?) 8 string steel tuned to A7.
Can be a little "off the wall" rather than a clean "technician" but for me, his willingness to push forward is a bit plus.

I discovered an album from a little while ago where he was part of the "Psychedelic Guitar Circus". His version of the Beatles tune "Norwegian Wood" is one of my favourite "slidytunes".
Look out for a couple of solo albums around too -- excellent entertainment.

Think I'll go hunt my CD collection and put one on now.

I could find reference numbers if you wanted.

Nice to see Mr R. get a mention on the forum again.

Keep Slidin'


Bill

Freddie Roulette is a unique guitarist to be sure. I've been lucky enough to see him a couple times now; nobody plays like he does.

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Brad's Page of Steel:
www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

His CD "Back In Chicago" shows him playing an 8 string National Dynamic.Interesting version of "Sleepwalk" on this recording.
There are actually a couple of these Nationals on Ebay at this time.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by HowardR on 29 July 2000 at 07:39 AM.]</p></FONT>

He brought the house down in St. Louis 2 years ago. I was there - he was great!

Vestapol video 1306 "World of Slide Guitar Volume Two; Stompin' at the Savoy" features high-quality clips of Roulette's playing recorded live at the Freight & Salvage, in San Francisco. The tunes are Sleep Walk, End of the Blues, Norwegian Wood, and Blueberry Hill. He's a mind boggling player for sure. There are also great cuts from Bob Brozman & Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. Volume one features Debashish Battchatera who's even better than Bhatt for Indian Classical music on steel IMHO. It also features some fantastic cuts from Mike Auldridge on 6 & 8 string Dobro.
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 29 July 2000 at 02:12 PM.]</p></FONT>

Don't forget the album he did with The Chicago Blues All Stars...originally on Blue Thumb. Charlie Musslewhite,etc. A real favorite album of mine. Maybe recorded about 1970? Route 66 and Comin' Home (or is it Flyin' Home?) are my favorite cuts. Now I'll have to dig it out...I want to hear it again!

I believe Freddie uses a tuning with two unison strings in the middle. That's where alot of his soloing is done...on those two unison strings.

At least I think that's what's happening!

I have been looking for a recording he did with Sugarcane Harris. I saw it on an LP about 15 years ago and passed it up. I have asked alot of sales places and no one has heard of it nor is it listed anywhere. Could have been a bootleg. Anyone have any idea what label it was on or how to get it?

It's probably "Sweet and Funky Steel", issued on the Janus label in 1972. I've only seen one other copy (other than the one I own). Sugarcane Harris appears on a couple of tracks.

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Brad's Page of Steel:
www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

I was sitting next to Jimmy Day on the floor infront of Freddie at Scotty's. Jimmy said "There's meat on them strings!" Later that night Jimmy, Freddie, and Buck Grantham jammed in the Derby room until 5 in the morning! I flew to Denver and sat with Freddie and had a wonderful conversation. We got together later that Sept. and I heard him in a jazz club in San Fran and the next day he and Sonny Rhodes played twin steels at the San Fran Jazz Festival! He knocks me out the way he plays without picks! Does anybody have his new address? I have something that I would like to send him. Thanks!

Freddie, (while no sweet JB), is certainly a very interesting steel guitarist in his own right. LOUD ? You bet!!!! (A bit too loud for my liking). He does play the A7 tuning, never uses picks. You can see his tuning setup by going to GOOGLE and typing in his name Freddie Roulette. There, you will also find his story along with about 8 songs which you can listen to. A local newspaper reporter wrote that he was one of the finest steel players today...possibly, but compared with the truly greats of yesterday and today, I would classify him as being one of the greatest JAZZ-BLUES steel guitarists around. His "SLEEPWALK"...ya gotta hear !
He was here in Edmonton for a one-niter about 2 weeks ago.

Just noticed that Freddie has a new CD out.
on a European label. "Freddie Roulette Spirit of Steel" is from Tradition & Moderne, Musikproduktion, Keplerstrasse 28, 28203 Bremen, Germany, or email them tradition.moderne@isb-bremen.de.

I gotta second the tip on the Chicago Blue Stars LP. He plays as raw a style as you can imagine and on Coming Home (I'm pretty sure is the title), he goes wild in the best of ways. It's as close to making the steel sound like a voice as I've heard.

As to his volume level, there's no doubt. I've not heard him live in quite a while but when I used to hear him in the 70s, he'd come into small clubs with a full SVT rig and pretty much made your hair blow back. I'm sure I can give him credit for some of my 'modified' hearing range but I'd never have wanted to miss that amazing playing, no matter what.

I contacted the people in Germany on Freddie's CD and am anxiously awaiting my copy!