The Steel Guitar Forum

Who do you think has/or had the best steel
gig in country music 60's 70's 80's 90's??

I think that Jack Smith had the best steel career throughout the years. In the late 60's, touring and recording with the Happy Goodmans, then in the 70's with Bill Anderson. The 80's had him playing and touring with a host of major country acts including, Ronnie Milsap. Then to top it off, the 90's with Connie Smith. Besides all of this, he did major recording with hundreds of Southern Gospel artists and groups. Duane Becker

I would have to agree with Duane on Jack's career! Tiny Olson must have had a good gig with Gene Watson, too! Scotty Sanders played with the original Hinsons, Steve Wariner, Gene Watson and on hundreds of gospel and country albums, including George Jones! That's nothing to sneeze about! I know you're out there, Scotty! Why don't you say something!

I'd have to say ol' Ralph Mooney. First with Wynn Stewart, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and then to top it all off about 15 or so years with ol' Waylon. How can you beat that?

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney tuning.

I would have to say Ralph Mooney too,bearing in mind that Ralph is one of my favorite players!

How about the Opry gig? Hal, Weldon and now Tommy White.

Actually, the studio jobs are good in that one does not have to travel.

Mike Johnson with Bill Anderson at a time when Bill was a main cog at TNN and Mike got some nice regular jobs on TNN (1985-95).

Paul Franklin--Jerry Reed (WOW! One of my guitar heros), Mel Tillis, Dire Straits Tour (made approx. $1 million!!!)

Mike "Cookie" Jones--Barbara Mandrell for 25 years (1970-95 I think)! Barbara gave Mike a $25,000 bonus as her thank you for being with her 25 years!

Buddy Emmons--ET, Cherokee Cowboys, Everly Bros.

In my opinion, I think that I had the best steel job, for the late 70's through the 80's, and once in a while lately. The female singer I was working with sang just like Connie Smith,Emmylou Harris, Lynn Anderson, Loretta Lynn, Pam Tilles, Reba McIntire,Faith Hill,Patty Loveless, and all the other hot female artists, of whom I can't remember the names of. In fact, she sang so well, that I wound up marrying her. And,I still consider myself lucky, because we are very happily married to this day.
"Playing with the Best"
John D.

Ralph Mooney and John Hughey would be hard to beat.

I guess thats up to the steelplayer. It's cool to hear what the players think.
Theresa<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Theresa Galbraith on 03 April 2002 at 02:20 PM.]</p></FONT>

Best Steel job?....easy!.....the guy that has to set up directly behind (no pun intended) Shania!....ha!

I can't complain about my career. It started with Lonzo & Oscar in 1972 then Del Reeves, The Singing Rambos, Roy Drusky, Jim Ed Brown, Cal Smith, Ernest Tubb, Charlie Louvin, Jimmy C.Newman, Mel Tillis, Connie Smith and The Time Jumpers. And these were the full time gigs, there is not enough time to talk about the occasional shows and sessions. But I will mention a couple, Bonnie Raitt, Little River Band, Jack Green, Johnny Russell and there are more.
Not tooting my own horn, just thankful to have had such a great career and it keeps getting better.

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Johnny Cox
Zumsteel Tripleneck
E9th/E13th/C6th
(this week)

How about Buddy Emmons? He worked for Dickens, then Tubb, then Price. That sounds pretty good to me! Or...maybe Buddy Charleton. His long tenure with Tubb must have been enjoyable. I know of no one who treated their musicians better, or thought more of them than Earnest Tubb. He always carried a great band, and it didn't seem to bother him in the least that a good percentage of his audience came to hear the band...and not him! I can't think of even one modern "Country Star" that could handle that situation, but he did, and with wonderful aplomb. Modern stars have money, looks, and glizt...but Earnest had class!

Yeah, I guess you could say I'm a Tubb fan.

I second that motion on Ernie Tubb as having class and working with is band as a "whole" single unit. I remember him backstage at the Idian Ranch in webster talking to a radio DJ and stating that,<quote> " It disturbs me to see the music today being managed as THE STAR and the disposable slaves behind them, for I would be knowhere without a good band to back me, separating the singer from the band will distroy the quality of music in the years to come".<end quote>. Ernie always had a problem with that but didn't speak out to often about it. He felt safe in a small town in massachusetts that day.
Scott

Donny; You could never fault ET's band and it seems to me a corner was turned when BE got in that act. I liked Ernest before that but it was a whole new world with Buddy.

And in the same line of thinking, I don't think we should overlook Hank Thompson in this view of steel guitarists. He surely had some of the best there ever were. I still have a spot in the back of my musical brain that has BE working steel with HT. That would have to be the best in that famous line of best steel guitar jobs !!

And lest we forget:DON HELMS with HANK WILLIAMS !!

Regards, Paul

Ricky Davis with "Dale Watson and His Lone Stars"

That is the ideal gig to have....Dale is the best !!!

Ricky always sounds like he has a lot of fun and to me, that's what is all about!

TH

Wow, Johnny, that is an impressive list!

Well, here goes... Not intending to "sling mud" here' but I've read this post 2 or 3 times now, and I wonder about the original question, and then where the subject matter went.
I was curious about the criteria at first, then it became clear that it was pretty much based on someones personal like for a particular artists music. This is fine, as some of the afore mentioned names are favorites of mine too. Now to me, here's the problem. As I've often said, (and am sure that I've had said about me), I'm a nobody. It is just that for a decent amount of the last almost 38 years, I've spent a fair amount of time being around "somebodies" in this business. What I am saying is that I've been around some of these people when they not only were not wearing their "stage clothes", they were also NOT wearing their "stage personalities". This can make a decidely different out-come on how good a job that someone REALLY has. A name was mentioned earlier, that while this person has long since been a musical favorite of mine, must surley be one of the biggest jerks in the craft. No, I never had a cross word with this person myself (or any other kind of word either), but I would be on 2 or 3 shows a year for a number of years. Same EVERY TIME, first class "horses a$$". You should have seen the way that this person spoke to / treated the musicians. It was like this EVERY time I was ever around this person. My point in being is that a guy can make good money AND play "good music" AND still it may not be that great. I'll tell you about one more, that again was mentioned earlier. I can't comment on this persons "off-stage personalty", but it seemed to me that everywhere this person went, this persons FATHER went too! The problem - - the "ole man" was a gold plated pain in the a$$! The pickers seemed to not be able to stand him, nor could they get away from him! It was my understanding that when off of the road, they worked for him on a farm or something. Now that might be a "good gig" for someone, but certainaly not me!!! I'm an absolute E.T. fan for ever. Once while backing Jack Greene for 3 or 4 shows I asked him about working for Tubb. His answer was simple - "Son, if you couldn't work for Ernest Tubb you couldn't work for anybody". Just to show that I'm not all negitive, I would say the EXACT same thing about Mr. Greene, among many others... Jimmie

Jimmie,
Who are those big names that you are talking about?

No no Earnie! None of that! I used the word "person" in that post so many times so as to not even to say "he or she". I'm not about to mention names. I'll bet that some of the guys that have worked within this circle of people though, will know who I'm talking about right off. Later... Jimmie

I think Buck Reed has the best steel job. Playing with Lyle Lovett would have to be an amazing experience.

I heard working behind Jeannie Sealey is a great job.

I don't believe I said that!

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"Gimme a steel guitar, 2 or 3 fiddles and a Texas rhythm section that can swing"..W. Nelson


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Bill Cunningham on 06 April 2002 at 04:30 AM.]</p></FONT>

Jeff Newman. Just think about being self employed with no boss. (well, there is Fran) Setting your own schedule. Going to the mailbox everyday and getting checks for your courses. Going to steel conventions and doing seminars and getting paid good money. Do the math: Add up the cost of the seminar, plus the number of people that attend at a large gathering. Look at the Top Gun school, $1200 for 5 days with Jeff, one on one. Having a booth at a convention brings in more bucks. He is doing what he loves, steeling and teaching. What a deal.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by George Kimery on 06 April 2002 at 04:49 AM.]</p></FONT>

Jimmy Dickens, Ernest Tubb, George Jones, Ferlin Huskey, Ray Price, Claude Gray, Roger Miller, and the Everly Brothers. Looks like I could never hold a job.

Well, maybe I'm the one that is somewhat confused as to what the post is really about - Lord knows I've been acused of being confused before. Here was my "last gig" before being out of work for the first time since coming back from "Nam" in '71. Someone tell me if it was a good job or not. Up to, and through the 1999 season I had a job backing what should certainly be called "Grand Ole Opry" legends. For 4 or 5 years I got to work with such people as: Billy Walker, Tommy Overstreet, J. Seeley, Jean Shepard, Skeeter, Jack Greene, Jim Glaser, George Lindsey, Sheb Wooley, Norma Jean, Tommy Cash, alomg with many others. This was a FANTASTIC playing job - charts, you name it! Now, the "down side" of the job. The people that ran the music hall, along with other things around there, were real S. O. B.s to work for / deal with. EVERY weekend it was some kind of new problem. Always at the forefront was the intenion of making sure that everyone knew that they owned the place, and that they were in charge. The "head man" once told me that about the only singer that he ever really cared for was "Kay Starr". I guess that still put him one step ahead of his wife, as she didn't care for music at all. This job had VERY good "good points", and VERY bad "bad points". SO I ask - would you call this a good job, or a bad one?? Jimmie

Like a few other forum-ites, I found Bud Charleton with that amazing 60s edition of Ernest Tubb's Texas Troubadors coming to mind. That band was deep in talent and history; and imagine having someone like Leon Rhodes to trade and inter-twine lines with!! My head was spun to steel in a big way when, at 14 years old, I bought a cut-out LP of LIVE AT CAIN'S BALLROOM for 99 cents.