Walter Haynes finally sits in..!
Posted: 3 Aug 2001 8:44 am
Living so close to this legend, I've tried repeatedly to get him to sit in anytime he and I were in the vicinity of a steel set up on a stage. "No...", he always says, "...I just don't like sittin' in on somebody else's guitar. I'd rather just listen to you guys play..." I've accused him of just bein' nice enough not to get up there and show everyone within earshot what a novice I really am.
Well, I'd been invited to sit in with Ty Phillips and Goldrush at the Reo Palm Isle in Longview, Texas, by the band's steel player / fiddle player, Ryan Pierce. Great band - these guys really cook..! Ryan had also begged Walter to come out, but neither of us expected him to actually show up. So I set up my Sho-Bud next to Ryan's Carter, took a seat out front and was waiting for my turn to play. To my astonishment Walter Haynes walks up to the table, smiling as usual behind that ever present pipe, and sits down. Of course, I immediately start working on getting him to sit in . . . same response, "..rather just listen to you guys play..", etc... As I'm sitting there, I realize that once again, I'm gonna have to play with one of the legends of the steel guitar listening to everything I do. (at this point I was wishing I'd used a lot more anti-perspirant)...
Well, Ryan played a couple of songs (BTW - good steel player..!) then asked me to get up and he switched over to fiddle (BTW - good fiddle player, too..!). I told him that Walter was "in the house" and during the first break, we both started working on him to get up and sit in... (same response)... I had been telling Walter that my old Sho-Bud was a stock '74 issue and that I had not changed one knee lever or pedal throw, so he should have no problem using it... (same response)...
Ryan finally coaxed Walter up to the stage just prior to the third set with one of those, "Hey, let me show you my new fiddle..!" Well, we finally had him "up there" so I started digging in my case for my spare set of picks. I tapped Walter on the shoulder and tried to hand him the picks, and he said, "Oh, I won't need those," as he reached for Ryan's fiddle, "I'll just play this." I was floored..! I was nervous enough with him sitting in the audience, now he's gonna be standing right next to me while I play...? Jeez-oh -petes..! (now I'm thinkin' maybe I should carry some anti-perspirant in my steel case)
Long story short, what a magical set..! Walter played some of the smoothest fiddle I've ever heard, and I had no idea the guy even played the violin. When I asked him about it later, he told me. "I actually went to Nashville to play fiddle". I guess the steel guitar kinda put that career on hold . . .
Well, I'd been invited to sit in with Ty Phillips and Goldrush at the Reo Palm Isle in Longview, Texas, by the band's steel player / fiddle player, Ryan Pierce. Great band - these guys really cook..! Ryan had also begged Walter to come out, but neither of us expected him to actually show up. So I set up my Sho-Bud next to Ryan's Carter, took a seat out front and was waiting for my turn to play. To my astonishment Walter Haynes walks up to the table, smiling as usual behind that ever present pipe, and sits down. Of course, I immediately start working on getting him to sit in . . . same response, "..rather just listen to you guys play..", etc... As I'm sitting there, I realize that once again, I'm gonna have to play with one of the legends of the steel guitar listening to everything I do. (at this point I was wishing I'd used a lot more anti-perspirant)...
Well, Ryan played a couple of songs (BTW - good steel player..!) then asked me to get up and he switched over to fiddle (BTW - good fiddle player, too..!). I told him that Walter was "in the house" and during the first break, we both started working on him to get up and sit in... (same response)... I had been telling Walter that my old Sho-Bud was a stock '74 issue and that I had not changed one knee lever or pedal throw, so he should have no problem using it... (same response)...
Ryan finally coaxed Walter up to the stage just prior to the third set with one of those, "Hey, let me show you my new fiddle..!" Well, we finally had him "up there" so I started digging in my case for my spare set of picks. I tapped Walter on the shoulder and tried to hand him the picks, and he said, "Oh, I won't need those," as he reached for Ryan's fiddle, "I'll just play this." I was floored..! I was nervous enough with him sitting in the audience, now he's gonna be standing right next to me while I play...? Jeez-oh -petes..! (now I'm thinkin' maybe I should carry some anti-perspirant in my steel case)
Long story short, what a magical set..! Walter played some of the smoothest fiddle I've ever heard, and I had no idea the guy even played the violin. When I asked him about it later, he told me. "I actually went to Nashville to play fiddle". I guess the steel guitar kinda put that career on hold . . .