Tommy Alsup
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Larry King
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- Location: Watts, Oklahoma, USA
Tommy Alsup
Facebook announced that Tommy has passed . Sorry to get this news
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Billy Easton
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john buffington
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- Location: Owasso OK - USA
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Mitch Drumm
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- Location: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
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Steve Green
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Jerry Hayes
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Tom Middleton
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I was fortunate to see Tommy Allsup and the great Tom Morrell play together on numerous occasions at cowboy poetry and music gatherings in Elko, NV and Riudoso, NM. My favorite inspirations were when Morrell would leave the steel and play twin guitar with Allsup, brilliant playing by both of these giants. Both were extremely nice gentlemen and always approchable.
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Herb Steiner
- Posts: 12617
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- Location: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
Great photos! Thanks, Mitch. Tommy was a good friend of mine, going back to 1970, and we did a bunch of gigs together over the last four decades.
In the Southernairs photo, from the famous Southern Club in Lawton OK, the only surviving member is Louise Rowe. Louie Tierney is on far right holding the sax and Chuck Caldwell is on the far left.
In the third photo, the trumpet player on the left is Bob Wommack, and the sax player is Glenn Rhees. I worked with both those players when I was with the Alvin Crow band 1974-1979. They were great musicians and fun guys to hang out with and were very happy and willing to share stories of the old days with young western swing players coming up in the 1970s. Bob was working at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas and Glenn Rhees was in Tulsa at Cain's during that period of time.
I'm gonna contact Louise and ask her to identify some of the others in the photos if possible.
In the Southernairs photo, from the famous Southern Club in Lawton OK, the only surviving member is Louise Rowe. Louie Tierney is on far right holding the sax and Chuck Caldwell is on the far left.
In the third photo, the trumpet player on the left is Bob Wommack, and the sax player is Glenn Rhees. I worked with both those players when I was with the Alvin Crow band 1974-1979. They were great musicians and fun guys to hang out with and were very happy and willing to share stories of the old days with young western swing players coming up in the 1970s. Bob was working at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas and Glenn Rhees was in Tulsa at Cain's during that period of time.
I'm gonna contact Louise and ask her to identify some of the others in the photos if possible.
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?
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Mitch Drumm
- Posts: 2663
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
Herb: is that Bob Wommack in the first pic, middle of the front row. Holding a trombone?
The only other guy I can ID in those photos is Bob Heppler---second from the right in the first pic--next to Tommy. That pic is supposed to be from 1952. That steel player looks highly familiar, but I'm stumped for the time being.
Now that I reconsider, I'm pretty sure that's either Morey Amsterdam or Jimmy Dickens' older brother in the middle of the back row in that first pic.
Heppler played piano and also spent time in Blackie Crawford's Western Cherokees band at the same time as Bobby Black--maybe mid-1953 into 1954? Bobby told me that Heppler was also the bus driver in that band.
The Tierney brothers were exceptional--Mancel is my fave western swing piano player and I think Louie doubled on fiddle and sax.
I saw Glen Rhees at one of the Sacramento Western Swing shindigs, probably around 1990. He was deeply into Parkinson's disease at the time. It was heartbreaking to see. I cannot remember if he played that day, but I do recall him stepping down from the bandstand--perhaps only from an introduction.
The Southern Club had quite the pedigree. I'd like to have been a fly on the wall there on June 23, 1955. My all time hero with Scotty and Bill, plus Joe Carson and Leon to boot:
The only other guy I can ID in those photos is Bob Heppler---second from the right in the first pic--next to Tommy. That pic is supposed to be from 1952. That steel player looks highly familiar, but I'm stumped for the time being.
Now that I reconsider, I'm pretty sure that's either Morey Amsterdam or Jimmy Dickens' older brother in the middle of the back row in that first pic.
Heppler played piano and also spent time in Blackie Crawford's Western Cherokees band at the same time as Bobby Black--maybe mid-1953 into 1954? Bobby told me that Heppler was also the bus driver in that band.
The Tierney brothers were exceptional--Mancel is my fave western swing piano player and I think Louie doubled on fiddle and sax.
I saw Glen Rhees at one of the Sacramento Western Swing shindigs, probably around 1990. He was deeply into Parkinson's disease at the time. It was heartbreaking to see. I cannot remember if he played that day, but I do recall him stepping down from the bandstand--perhaps only from an introduction.
The Southern Club had quite the pedigree. I'd like to have been a fly on the wall there on June 23, 1955. My all time hero with Scotty and Bill, plus Joe Carson and Leon to boot:
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Mitch Drumm
- Posts: 2663
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Frostbite Falls, hard by Veronica Lake
I have identified those in the first pic at the top of this thread, left to right:
Benny Wallace, Bill Roy (steel), Bobby Joe Stewart, Bob Wommack, Bob Heppler, Tommy.
And located some others:
First pic below is Tommy, Bob White, Glen Rhees, Dutch Ingram, Bob Wommack, and Donnie McDaniels.
Second pic is a better version of one posted earlier in this thread. Same personnel in different order.
White and McDaniels went on to Hank Thompson's band. Dutch Ingram joined The Miller Brothers in Wichita Falls.
Apparently, The Southernaires was originally Glen Rhees' band. Tommy took it over in 1953 after Glen went to Wills. Tommy then brought in "Little" Joe Carson as a vocalist at 16 years of age.
If only someone would cough up some recordings of this band in those years!! As far as I know, nothing was ever released on disc, but who knows what someone may have taped, either at the Southern Club or over the radio?
Benny Wallace, Bill Roy (steel), Bobby Joe Stewart, Bob Wommack, Bob Heppler, Tommy.
And located some others:
First pic below is Tommy, Bob White, Glen Rhees, Dutch Ingram, Bob Wommack, and Donnie McDaniels.
Second pic is a better version of one posted earlier in this thread. Same personnel in different order.
White and McDaniels went on to Hank Thompson's band. Dutch Ingram joined The Miller Brothers in Wichita Falls.
Apparently, The Southernaires was originally Glen Rhees' band. Tommy took it over in 1953 after Glen went to Wills. Tommy then brought in "Little" Joe Carson as a vocalist at 16 years of age.
If only someone would cough up some recordings of this band in those years!! As far as I know, nothing was ever released on disc, but who knows what someone may have taped, either at the Southern Club or over the radio?
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Alan Brookes
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- Location: Brummy living in Southern California
