Which Television Steeler Had The Most Impact

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 8 Nov 2003 5:40 am

I started playing pedal steel in April 1979. For a few years I wanted one even though I knew nothing about the instrument. My biggest impact from a steeler on television was Jr. Knight. There was a show on Saturday afternoon and Jr. Knight was a member of Dewey Groom and the Longhorn Ballroom Band. I could not wait for Saturday to roll around to watch Jr. play. Earlier this year I e-mailed Jr. about the show and another steeler on there as well. It was the late Gary Hogue. While Gary has passed on he certainly left behind many friends and fans as well and he certainly is missed. Jr. Knight today is still one fantastic player and a fine individual who really has made a huge impact on me from a television show. The show was the Cowboy Weaver show and Jr. and the band were the guests every week. I look forward to hearing Jr. at the Texas show in March 2004.

Bill Stafford · Post by **Bill Stafford** » 8 Nov 2003 6:51 am

In the early days long before Television, my visual impact was that of "Little" Roy Wiggins. The "picture-show" downtown Gulfport would show a short feature between the double feature western movies of Tom Mix, Gene Autry, etc. This feature, on my luckiest of Saturday afternoons, would be of Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Plowboys. Standing there to the right of Eddy Arnold was "Little" Roy with that big Gibson and playing the prettiest music this side of heaven. I would sit through all the main(?) features all afternoon just to catch the few minutes of "Little" Roy and his steel guitar. The bus to my home would not be running anymore and I enjoyed the five mile walk down the beach with the steel guitar sounds of this man still going around in my head with every footstep-and too soon, I was home. Thanks "Little" Roy Wiggins for this wake-up call for me. I can still "see" and hear you on that big screen anytime I desire.Wonderful.
Audio wise, it was none other than Jerry Byrd. Never did get to see him play in the early days, and hardly knew who it was playing on the records, but I could recognize the Byrd signature, and as in the Eddy Arnold song "If I Never Get To Heaven", I just won't have too-as I have already heard Jerry and "Little" Roy play.
Thanks.

Bill Stafford

john buffington · Post by **john buffington** » 8 Nov 2003 9:07 am

For me - hands down Jr. Knight, no doubt!
I too planned my Saturday afternoons around those shows coming out of Texas. Now years later, the good Lord has allowed me the privildge of a personal friendship with Jr., and his family. Jr., played and engineered my last CD at his studio in Eustace, Tx. Without his influence and encouragement, I probably wouldn't be playing today. As I've said before and will always declare - "Jr. Knight is my steel guitar HERO!" Plus, he is my brother in Christ - makes it all better.

John Buffington

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 8 Nov 2003 9:26 am

Without a doubt, Red Rhodes on the "Cal's Corral" TV show on Sundays, and the "Star Route" show, both with Gene Davis' band.

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Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 8 Nov 2003 9:56 am

deleted [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 08 November 2003 at 10:56 AM.]

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 8 Nov 2003 11:01 am

Glad you asked...

Back in the '60s, the Ernest Tubb show was broadcast on a UHF channel from D.C.. I liked it so much, I went to Lafayette ( a forerunner of Radio Shack) and bought a 4-bay "bow-tie" UHF antenna, and mounted it on a 30' pole alongside the house! That was back in the days when Buddy Charleton and Leon Rhodes were playing with him, and he let them play an instrumental in almost every show. 'Far as I was concerned, it didn't get any better than that! Jim and Jesse also had a show back then, and they occasionally featured Don Helms (a very underrated player). Jimmy Dean also had a show, and he showcased a couple of famous steelers of the day. Lloyd Green was on, and did his "Green Strings", Pete Drake did his "Talking Steel Guitar" thing, and Curley Chalker also appeared with stars such as Merle Travis and Redd Stewart. On occasion, I'd watch Lawrence Welk, and about twice a year, he'd feature a (Hawaiian) steel number by Buddy Merrill. As far as steel on TV, that was about it back then. But it was far more than we see today, even considering the Opry shows.

There's no doubt in my mind that the '60s was truly the "decade of steel guitar", and I feel really sorry for those who missed it.

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 8 Nov 2003 11:33 am

Donny,

You are sooooo correct. In various parts of the country back then, one could see the steel guitar featured on a number of local and national TV programs. Those days are over for the most part. Even ole Arthur Godfrey often had the steel featured. Bob Crosby had Speedy West on his national programs many times.

Those were the golden days when the singer would often say, "Mr steelman kick off..so and sooo.."

Then the steel player would do it and the singer would do his part, then either the lead guitar player would do his thing first and give it to the steel player or vice versa, then the singer, then either the steel man or lead man or both would end it.

This was also the time when the camera was fixed on WHAT was happening and stayed on that happening long enough so whoever was watching could drink in the embelishments of what was happening and enjoy what was happening.

Those days are long gone. We may never see them again. Kids and young adutls today want rapid fire everything. They are no longer trained to stop and smell the rosesl; in fact they are not even taught there are any roses.

And I agree with you about the 60's. Those of us that go back to the 40's can even cherish it more. Because we witnessed an era and happening that came and went, but left its indelable mark in our memory.

I suppose every old person feels the same way in any given era. And I am sure the kids of today will feel this way, when they get old and have shudders and horrors of the "now" generation.

But I would give anything to see a live program just once more; like ole ET or Buck Owens used to put on.

Because it has never gotten any better than that, IMO.

carl

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 8 Nov 2003 3:22 pm

Alvino Rey!

The Sat. afternoon country players and the Sun. morning gospel players were good but man Alvino played the nicest chords and the best arrangements with the finest musicians in the world when he did those network King Family shows. I was just a teenager and knew beans about the technicalities of music---but I knew that he was cool.[This message was edited by Bill Hatcher on 08 November 2003 at 05:51 PM.]

Bob Blair · Post by **Bob Blair** » 8 Nov 2003 3:30 pm

Yep, the days of those regional shows are gone. And with them some opportunities for good regional players to make something approaching a living.

We had a bunch of them in Canada. Buddy Cage, with the Great Speckled Bird, on Ian Tyson's weekly show is one that I remember watching a lot.And later Bob Lucier on the Tommy Hunter show. But for quite a few years there were a number of TV slots - Steve Smith (what a great player)had one with Ronnie Prophet every week.

Curly on Hee Haw always made that worth watching for me.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 8 Nov 2003 5:59 pm

I got the most out of Hal Rugg on the Wilburn Bros. show

Joe Drivdahl · Post by **Joe Drivdahl** » 8 Nov 2003 6:20 pm

You guys must go back farther than me, or maybe its because I'm in the north, but for me its gotta be Chalker on Hee Haw.

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 8 Nov 2003 7:37 pm

I agree with Bill. The "Plowboy" might not have made it with out "Little Roy" when he was first starting out.

Bob

John Cadeau · Post by **John Cadeau** » 8 Nov 2003 7:48 pm

My first T.V. inspiration was Ollie Strong. He was on the Tommy Hunter Show from Toronto and the Bill Long Show, from Hamilton. Speaking of Buddy Cage, he and I attended high school together, and took steel lessons from Ken Near, who was a great player, and teacher. Buddy, Ken, and I would go to concerts where the local band usually with Ollie as the steel player would warm up for the likes of Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzel, Faron Young, Kitty Wells, and the like. If they had two shows on a night, Ollie would get us back stage for the second show. It was backstage at an Ernest Tubb show where we asked Buddy Charleton how to tune to that Nashville tuning, and he explained the E9th tuning to us. Buddy Cage told Charleton he should turn his amp waaaay up. I don't think Ernest would have been too happy about that. Anyway Ollie has been a great inspiration to me.
John

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Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 8 Nov 2003 11:44 pm

I believe Curly had the longest exposure. He was on Hee Haw for over 15 years, I seem to recall. That's pretty impressive plus his tour of duty on the Wilburn's show also.

Winnie Winston · Post by **Winnie Winston** » 9 Nov 2003 1:04 am

One of the UHF channels around Philly had the Wilburn Bros. show on on Saturday afternoons, so I got Hal Rugg right in my living room.
I forget what other show was on, but I also sqaw Curly a lot.
What a treat!

JW

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 9 Nov 2003 7:21 am

For me it would have to be Buddy Charleton or Curly Chalker. We also had a local TV show that had Dale Thomas and his band on. Dale was doing things back then that none of the other steelers in the area would even think of picking. What a player, and he still is.

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 9 Nov 2003 7:36 am

Sonny Garish on the Bill Anderson T.V. Show.
We watched it every week. Sonny has made such an impact from back then & still today!

Theresa

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 9 Nov 2003 8:24 am

...not regular weekly show/players, but i could never get enough of jimmy dean with emmons on church street station........or tommy white on ralph emory's show.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 9 Nov 2003 9:51 am

I remember a lot of closeups on the hands of the steel player on the Judy Lynn show, but I never did catch his name.

And who was that guy who played standing up on Porter Wagoner's show?

It seems that the era of weekly country music TV shows has ended. What a shame...

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Jason Powers · Post by **Jason Powers** » 9 Nov 2003 10:18 am

b0b,
The steeler who played standing up on Porter's show was Don Warden, who was Porter's steel player and manager for quite a long while and he later became Dolly Parton's manager.

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 9 Nov 2003 10:46 am

Don't forget Buddy Merril on the Welk Show.
He played Hawaiian and Country on his Emmons.
His playing had a creditable impact I would say.
I always waited for him.

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Tommy Mark · Post by **Tommy Mark** » 9 Nov 2003 11:09 am

Rusty Walker on George Hamilton IV out of Hamilton Ont. John , I think Rusty also did some of the Bill Long shows. I miss those old shows. Tom

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 9 Nov 2003 11:58 am

f my memory serves me well, I remember seeing a short run of The Roger Miller show and I believe it was Emmons on steel. I do remember Curly on the Wilburn Bros. show, but always preferred Rugg on that show. Not That I don't like Chalker, He was one of the best. I seem to remember a weekly Jimmy Dean show, but I'm not positive. Old age setting in. I would like to get copies of those old shows. That's back when cameramen and directors knew the difference between a guitar and steel guitar. I remember seeing close-ups of the hands and occasionally the feet which gave me some insight to pedal usage. I learned a lot from those shows. Ther was not much instructional material back then, so the major part of learning was seeing others play and listening.

Miguel e Smith · Post by **Miguel e Smith** » 9 Nov 2003 12:04 pm

Like several others, it was Hal Rugg on the Wilburn Bros. Show. We didn't get a lot of channels in my remote part of East Texas and just prior to taking up steel, this was the one show that I did get to see regularly. My first exposure to even knowing what a steel was called was Jack Greene's "Statue of a Fool" followed by the Wilburn TV thingy. Damn cool stuff and I'm still trying to make it sound like that.

Mike

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 9 Nov 2003 12:45 pm

The greatest exposure in recent years was the short run of Music City Tonight. Tommy was up front and had an incredible amount of camera time almost unequalled in modern TV music shows. I would love for them to rerun the entire seasons of this landmark Crook & Chase series.