Remembering Art Sanchez............

[Jerry Hayes]

I was just looking at some old band photos and I came across one of my old pickin' buddy Arturo (Art) Sanchez..... Artie was very unique as a person and a steel player. It didn't matter what style of music or song, if you threw a solo to him, he'd take it and run with it. He got a great West Coast sound out of that old push pull Emmons and a Twin Reverb.

I'd known him a long time as he was working for Rose Maddox and I was working for her brother Fred at the same time and we'd meet now and then. I'd also worked a private thing or two with him over the years, but had never had the chance to work a steady gig with him until 1976 when I went back to the Swizzle Stik in Huntington Beach, Calif. Ol' Artie was already there with the house band and I got to gig with him six nights a week for over a year. We got along great both on and off the bandstand and worked out some nice twin rides.

I remember one night we were doing a very fast up tempo thing and Artie wanted me to take the first ride on guitar, I took it and then he came in on steel and just burned it up..... He looked up at me with a grin from ear to ear and said "Hey Jerry, The "Spic" can pick!". I almost fell over laughing. He was a one of a kind player and person and I miss him.........JH in Va.

[Lee Baucum]

Jerry - Don't forget that Art's son posted some of his Dad's music on YouTube. I posted a link a couple of years ago.

Lee, from South Texas