The Steel Guitar Forum

Just received a copy of "So Rare," a new CD by Hank Thompson's current Brazos Valley Boys band, with my good friend J.D. Walters on steel. Some really tasty steel work on this. Go to www.brazosvalleyboys.com.

I'm confused: Is there more than one set of "current" Brazos Valley Boys? Where's Curtis Lovejoy? Will Taylor?

I'm wondering the same thing, and I just played with them last month!

Will the real Boys please stand up?

The "current Brazos Valley Boys" is whoever Hank can reach on the telephone when he books a gig requiring that he furnish the band rather than singing with the "house band"!<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 26 May 2003 at 12:27 PM.]</p></FONT>

JD is a killer steel guitar player, we need to have him at some of our big steel shows.

There really is a Brazso Valley Boys band. The one shown on the web site is the official BVB band. Hank takes them to jobs that can pay for a package band. This band knows Hanks arrangements and plays pretty true to the Hank Thompson sound. I to have played with Hank, but I sure wouldn't call myself a Brazso Valley boy. As you know, a lot of the time the promoter will use a local band to back him. Some of those bands never even heard of Hank Thompson. The two guitar players in the group that I played with had never played a H.T. song. When Hank strayed from the prepared song list he had sent us, they couldn't play a note. It was up to the fiddle player and me to carry the song. I'm 56 yrs old so I was familiar with Hanks songs. This band was put together to play jobs that required a tight, more authentic sound.

Let's not forget Pee Wee Whitewing's band.

How about Billy Greys Band.

...or Curtis Lovejoy and Will Taylor. Curtis pulls around a substantial trailer which reads "The Brazos Valley Boys" or "The Boys" when they do jobs without Hank. The trailer is full of Peavey gear--including a Nashville 400 they say Hank does his flailing through...and that a guest steel player once helped himself to when he worked a Czech wedding with The Boys.

We sound like the blind men describing the elephant. Will the real Brazos Valley Boys please stand up?

Yeah Jeff, that's what I was thinking.
Pee Wee and others actually have bands that relate to various previous versions of the BVBs, so how does one get to be the official one exactly?.. and no disresect to J.D. and Co.

Perry, do you mean Billy Gray who was Hank's bandleader for a couple of stints, surely he passed away in 1975?

This is just a side note. Got to open for the Brozos Valley Boys twice...Lord knows it was a great time for me back then

I remember a few years back some of the guys that were regulars with some of our bands played a few gigs with Hank. I guess it's whoever you can get when the gig pops up. It's not all that uncommon to get a work tape and go out and play the gig or maybe a few gigs and never hear from them again. It happens every day here. Kinda like studio work.

Fellows, this is a bit of insight on the "Brazos Valley Boys" name that was given to me my J.D. Walters in Tulsa last month where I was working the OSGA steel show. J.D. told me that one of the members of the current BVB group, and I can't remember which one of the gentlemen's name I was given, owns the rights to the BVB name. This is why the new CD "So Rare", which is absolutely great, features the Brazos Valley Boys name.
This band worked the first week of June with Hank in Jackpot, NV. and like Doyle mentioned, will work with Hank as a package where the venue can afford to bring in the total package.
Just a bit more info. This past weekend Hank performed at the "Legends Of Western Swing" festival in Wichita Falls, Tx. where Pee Wee Whitewing and myself along with the other members of the "Heart Of Texas" band were Hanks backup band.
Included in this band were:
Pee Wee Whitewing, steel
Gary Kebodeaux, bass
Rick Jones, drums
Larry Roberds, guitar
and myself on piano. We added some great players to the band in:
Bobby Boatwight, fiddle
Curley Lewis, fiddle and
Dave Alexander, trumpet.
I'm sure many of you are familiar with some of the players I've mentioned.
The show was billed as "Hank Thompson with Pee Wee Whitewing and the Heart Of Texas Band", but when Hank ended each of his two performances, he introduced the band as the Brazos Valley Boys. You figure it out.
So I suppose we are to assume that whom ever the band is that Hank is working with, at any given time, becomes the "Brazos Valley Boys" for the moment.
While growing up in my teen years I wanted so badly to become a Brazos Vally Boy and I suppose now, many years later, and by proxy, sometimes I am one, even if it is for just the few shows that I have worked with Hank in the past few years. While playing with him this past weekend and doing all the great songs he as recorded in the past, for what ever reason, my teen years re-appeared and the thrill was still alive.
Hope this helps to clear up some of the confusion about the BVB name.
.....Roy


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Music is a "gift" with many wrappings....
....Roy

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Roy Rosetta on 12 June 2003 at 04:22 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Roy Rosetta on 12 June 2003 at 04:26 PM.]</p></FONT>