THEN and NOW!!!!

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 11 Oct 2002 11:06 am

To all forum members:

The thing that has fascinated me the most as a new member of the forum is the obvious POSITIVE change in the attutudes of steel players since I was in the business.

Back in the 40's and 50's, almost every steeler had his own tunings -- and no one dared try to steal his secret tuning. There was an attitude of jealousy that seemed to permeate everything to do with steel guitar. I have even heard stories that a certain well known steel man punched another steel man in the mouth when he caught the guy strumming across his strings during a break between sets in a club.

One great steel man was NOT that way in the old days: Joaquin Murphey. The first time I met him was in L.A. when we were cutting a sound track for a western movie in some studio there, the name of which I can't recall. Joaquin had his steel set up there and readily (in a very humble way) showed me his tunings and explained how he achieved some of his great runs and effects. I always felt that way myself; if someone else could do more with my tunings that I could, he deserved to have them. But, as I said, that was not the prevailing philosophy among steelers.

The very best thing I have gotten as a new member of the forum is the knowledge that steel guitarists now-a-days are SHARING information and knowledge and HELPING one another. It's a good feeling to learn that my own philosophy along those lines has won out in the long run.

It appears that we are finally behaving like brothers and sisters in a very unique community of individuals.

Roy
[This message was edited by Roy Ayres on 11 October 2002 at 12:38 PM.]

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 11 Oct 2002 11:15 am

Roy-you hit a nerve there. I was there way back then and you are right.

Back about 1938 I saw Alvino Rey at a dance and asked him if he had an F# in his E7 tuning, He said "NO". Well, there was no way he was getting the 9th sound and 13th without the F# as far as I could tell in those days.

I was just 18 then and I already copied his style on my D8 no pedals.

Back then, a steel player who had a breakthrough tuning, didn't want anyone to know, to cut down the competition.

...Ah...Yesssss the "Good old Days". I remember them well.....al

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 11 Oct 2002 11:31 am

Al:
Right. F# is the ninth tone of the E scale. Did he think you were stupid?

Speaking of Alvino, he was one of my early idols. Here's a funny true story about him. We were doing our daily radio show at WAVE in Louisville one day, and I was heavy into my solo on one of our arrangements. Of course I was concentrating on what I was doing, so I didn't look up when a man's pair of legs appeared next to my left side. It made me a little nervous to play knowing someone was staring at my every move, but I finished the ride withour looking up. As I started an octave slide to end my solo I looked up -- and there stood my idol. I lost control of my bar, and it rolled all the way down the strings, bumped into the hand rest over the pickup, and bounced to the floor. The guys in the band broke up, and I did the only thing that came to my mind at that moment: I dropped to my knees in front of him and bowed to the floor. Apparently that set OK with him, as he invited me to be his guest at the Colonial Gardens where his orchestra was playing.

Roy

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 11 Oct 2002 12:02 pm

Roy: One good story deserves another. The biggest music store in Macon, GA is Bibb Music. It was run by Arthur Moates. One day as we were listening to some steel guitar music, he asked me: Who invented that dang pedal steel guitar anyway ??

I replied that Steel Guitar World Magazine had an article about Alvino Rey and it said he was the inventor. He wanted to know if he could borrow the magazine and the next day I brought it to him.

But as he was leaving for the evening, he suffered a massive blood loss internally from a ruptured artery and they could not revive him.

What I recall most vividly, was how he told us, if Alvino was playing in Florida; on his way back to New York, he would call Arthur and they would meet here in Macon for the Bar-B-Q Alvino had grown fond of. They were always surrounded by musicians of all sorts as they ate and talked the evening away.

I have always wondered if he ever said anything about how the PSG has evolved ? I've never seen that in detail but would surely like to.

Regards, Paul

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 11 Oct 2002 12:34 pm

Paul:
I just typed in a response but it's not showing up. There is something I'm not doing right. I'll try again.

I'm certainly not an expert in the evolution of the pedal steel, but here are some tidbits of info that may have been involved in the early stages of development.

Alvino Rey has been credited with inventing the magnetic pickup. Prior to that, a few players attached a carbon mike to their acoustic-style steels. (I installed a carbon mike in my forst Dobro-style steel.)
Alvino was the first I ever knew of who played a pedal steel, so he was involved in the early evolution if not, in fact, the inventor. Gibson came out with a pedal job in the late 30's or early 40's. I think it had two pedals, and they were attached to one of the legs. Also, some guy named Couseneau (sp??) in Chicago built custom pedal steels in his basement during those years. I went out to see him and considered buying one. It worked on a cam system and was pretty limited, with no ability to change the setup.

There should be some authoritative history somewhere on the subject. Maybe someone will see this thread and post more -- perhaps someone can cite a published history on the evolution of the pedal steel.

Roy

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 11 Oct 2002 12:36 pm

Entered in error. Sorry. I couldn't find the "Any" key.

Roy

[This message was edited by Roy Ayres on 11 October 2002 at 01:38 PM.]

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 11 Oct 2002 1:17 pm

Roy
Good to read your stories,,,since I was in a
similar situation many times I can relate to
the "secret tuning syndrome".

I had been taking lessons early on from a well know steel player here in New York,,he had the session situation locked up. He was
the man.

He was doing all the Decca..RCA Victor and Columbia,Capitol etc etc sessions. He was my teacher and I was proud of that.

However,somehow when I would go for a lesson,he would often play his dbl neck Rickenbaker,,,and wow what a nice sound it had,,I asked him how he did what he did and his reply was,,I tell no one not even my friends.

Being just a young fellow I looked up to him,
till one day he took my little Supro 6 string
guitar and re-tuned it and he played a few things on it like I have never heard my guitar sound as good before. I asked him pls
can I try my guitar now because it sounded so
good.

In the flash of an eye,,he immediatly de-tuned the guitar,,,and the re-tuned it to my
original tuning,which if I remember correctly
was an E 7th.

I was hurt not angry, but I wondered why he didnt let me try that tuning,,,Fast Forward
which is difficult for me to do,,,,you can ask Al and Paul what I mean

.

I stopped going to him for lessons and started working tunings out myself..One night
as I was playing at a well known club in New York a gentleman approached me and introduced himself as Steve Sholes,,,I wondered ,,,now who is Steve Sholes?,,what I was un-aware of at the time,,he was head of A&R at RCA Victor,,I received a call a few weeks later to come in for a session,,,being
just a young fellow I was nervous,,man I couldnt hold on to my bar,,nothing felt right
it was there and then that I did my first session playing steel with Vaughn Monroe on a few tunes where they needed a steel.

The rest is history..I became the steel man
for all the dates from that time on. Not only
did they like my playing better,,but many have told me my teacher had a bad attitude and couldnt take direction.

I then did ALL the steel work for all the major labels as well as the independants..one day..I ran into my old teacher at the Local Union 802 here in NYC.

His comment was "hey hot shot" I see you stole all my work from under my nose,,,I didnt know how to answer him,,I didnt want to be rude,,I didnt know what to say,,,he then said,what tunings are you using????????
I came back after thinking for a moment and
replied,,the tunings you didnt show me.

Good to see someone on this Forum who goes back as far as Al Marcus and Gene Jones and Paul Graupp and myself as well and I can only
say,,,"You Make Me Feel So Young"

Thanks for the informative post and like Al
I too idolized Alvino and Joaquin as well.

Good luck on here,,I think you will be a star

,,,thanks for the nice stories.

Hi Al,,Hi Paul.

Jody ..my stories get long at times,,well,,most times,,well,,,all the time.

Butch Foster · Post by **Butch Foster** » 11 Oct 2002 1:37 pm

What an interesting thread! Thanks everyone! Jody, your posts are always informative, I llok forward to them! Hopefully we can find a source with facts, times, etc. about the first psg's that were being put together-look forward to hearing from all of you on this topic.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 11 Oct 2002 2:14 pm

I'm glad to know there are still so many guys around who remember when a player would "detune" certain strings on his guitar before he left it for intermission so someone couldn't walk by and strum a thumb across it to find out what tuning he used!

With all the resources and people willing to advise and help a new player today, it's difficult for some of the younger players to believe that "secrecy" really was the norm back in the early years of the steel guitar.

Keep it up Roy, Al, Paul and Jody....I'm waiting to hear more of those great stories!

www.genejones.com [This message was edited by Gene Jones on 11 October 2002 at 03:17 PM.]

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 11 Oct 2002 2:14 pm

Excellent topic, Roy.

I wasn't there in the early days, but often wondered about "secrets". I've heard stories of players hanging curtains on the front of their guitars to protect their secrets. Is that true, or was the curtain their just as a banner?

I do know that in Winnie Winston's book (around 1975)there's a section of tunings the pros use. There's one very-famous player that refused to make public a few of his pedal functions. It's noted in the book, with his name.

There does not appear to be many secrets today. Funny, there's less jobs, but players are more willing to share.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 11 Oct 2002 2:46 pm

Lotta truth in that...

Somewhere around here, I have a magazine (Guitar Player?) with an interview of Curly Chalker, and I can still remember the parenthetical statement underneath his (incomplete) copedant...

(Curly chooses not to reveal the function of his vertical knee levers.)

Good thing he didn't! If he had...by now everyone would be playin' just like him.

Dr. Hugh Jeffreys · Post by **Dr. Hugh Jeffreys** » 11 Oct 2002 3:34 pm

Roy - first of all, your CD went out today; I hope you enjoy it as much as the sample; I still get eMails from all over the planet, so I guess it must be something different--no doubt! Well, Roy, you and I go back a long way, and if it were not for Alvino, my steeling would not be where it is today; I was about 14 when I first dug Alvino; I was overwhelmed! I figured he must have something that I did'nt have on my double neck National; so I just enjoyed it and wondered. Later, I began to experiment with tunings and put two small strings on the 7&8 keys to get certain chords; it worked and was well accepted in the group. I am in regular contact with Alvino; about 6 years ago he asked me for my tunings, which I sent to him; I don't think he experimented too much with them; at that time his wife Luise was having a battle with cancer and later passed away. He knows that my next album will be a Tribute to Alvino Rey, and I have commissioned one of his brilliant arrangers, Alan Oldfield (professor of jazz comp. at No. Texas State) to do some arranging for me; as I told him: he's the only arranger, besides me, who knows how to write behind a steel guitar. Alan has written many famous motion picture scores...etc...--a fine musician and pianist. Alvino's wife, Luise, wrote a magnificant biography: THOSE SWINGING YEARS, back in '83 which is a wonderful read--depicting the life of a devoted Morman family in the early days, and the King Sisters' advance to "Kingdom," in the entertainment world along with the King of Pedal Steel, Alvino. Many top-flight musicians, band leaders, etc., and photos are included. It's out of print, however. My copy is a JEWEL! Back in March (3rd), Alvino and his group played in Hollywood for the 60th aniversary of Capitol Records. Alvino's influence on my steel work isalmost inexpresable. I used to hear his big chords and wondered what the hell he was doing; as my musicianship matured, I learned! What a thrill to get into that splendid music groove! Alvino is also an excellent guitarist-I still have his 78 on GUITAR BOOGIE. I have not completed my list of tunes for his Tribute, but he is sending me some tapes that he rejected in the older days because he did not like the engineering. As you all know, I don't usually write so much, but what an ARTIST: ALVINO REY. ..... Best, Hugh

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 11 Oct 2002 3:48 pm

Right, Hugh.

And what about "Bumble Boogie" ("Flight of the Bumble Bee")? I almost broke two fingers trying to learn that one on guitar; never did succeed.

I'm looking forward to the CD. At the moment I have "Murph" on the player.

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 11 Oct 2002 5:48 pm

I guess I'm quite fortunate in that I'm not old enough to remember those days when noted steelers would intentionally detune their guitars in order to "hide" their secret tunings. I do recall stories from older pickers.....relating to those good ole days.

Dr. Hugh Jeffreys · Post by **Dr. Hugh Jeffreys** » 11 Oct 2002 5:58 pm

Let me add just one more thought and I'll shut up (for awhile!): When I communicate with some people who knew me "back when," I am somewhat disappointed as well as sadened when they say something like: man you used to come on like gang busters, but now you're into that wild stuff.....how depressing to me to hear such talk! If they had a son/girl say 15 y/o who could read Mozart, Bach,--I'll bet they would write to 60 MINUTES! But is the steel guitar to remain a 3-chord instrument for home use and to furnish those sounds that make a semi-talented vocalist seem great and produce millions into his/her bank account? I have nothing against commercial success, BUT-- gimme a break. I was about 14-15 years old when coming on like "gangbusters," -- that was A WHILE BACK. Hopefully, we all learn as we grow older......Best, Hugh

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 11 Oct 2002 6:04 pm

Wow, this is like home comming...now if Carl Dixon and Moon in Alaska were to "chime" in, there'd be a quorum..

Wonderful thread, a real pleasure.

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 11 Oct 2002 7:58 pm

Ray Your'e older than dirt

Howard,,,,whats so good about being old and
having some jerk de tune your guitar??......

Imagine all the work the guy would have de-tuning your guitars

how much per hour

per guitar?...especially if someone owned a whole bunch of guitars,,,yahoo...do you?

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 12 Oct 2002 4:40 am

Jody Carver:

I've been trying to get time to respond to your earlier post about your teacher's "secrets."

Great story and great example of how it was with many steelers back then. Your answer to him was truly "poetic justice."

BTW, Steve Shoals was our A&R man at the RCA studios in Chicago on Tennessee Waltz, Swing West, stc. Great guy.

Roy

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 12 Oct 2002 5:02 am

Thank you Roy.
If the members would like,,,,part 2 of that
story will be posted,,but only if they want.

I do have a tendency to stretch out my stories and sometimes I get boring,,so if anyone would like,,I will tell the "Rest Of The Story"...just lemme know OK?.

Yes Steve was a fine man,,did you know that he was Elvis's A&R man? It was Steve who suggested to the brass at RCA that Chet Atkins be president and A&R in charge of all
recording projects in Nashville?. Well I guess you already know that...

later my friend,,Dont tell Ray Montee this,,,
but he's older than all of us

edited as
I didnt want to give Rays age away

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 12 October 2002 at 06:03 AM.]

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 12 Oct 2002 5:18 am

Jody:

No, I didn't know about Steve Shoals' connections with Elvis and Chet. Interesting.

I, for one, would love to hear the rest of the story -- as long as Bobby has enough of them li'l gigabyte things to handle it.

Roy

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 12 Oct 2002 6:12 am

I'd like to hear "Part 2", Jody.

"Part 1" was a great story. More like a lesson or parable. What ever happened to that bitter guy?

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 12 Oct 2002 10:50 am

Give Jody the floor...

------------------
kd...and the beat goes on...

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 12 Oct 2002 11:22 am

Kenny
I dont want the floor,,I would rather stand,I have been on the floor much too long
and my dogs do bad things to me.

As many of you are aware,,Im writing a book.
Many of these things will be in my book. If I
tell too much now,,no one will buy my book.

A while back,,my grand-daughter didnt want to
go to bed,,my son in law offered to tell her
a bed time story,,she replied..Oh I would rather have "poppy" (thats me) tell me a story.

I jumped in and said,,sure Casey (thats her name) I'll be happy to tell you a story.

She waited a bit and I saw the wheels going around in her little head..she says,,,OK "poppy" but "how long will this take?.

Its common knowledge my stories are long,,even my dogs have "no respect for me".

I kept trying to teach them the "no no's in the house....I said over and over,,,you do it outside not inside,,over and over,they finally fell asleep,,when I woke the next morning,,,everything was AOK,,,they would rather go outside than to listen to me......

Let me warm up and warn bOb,,and Joey Ace,you
all know me,,so I'll be back with part 2..but dont say I didnt warn you. My,,,
publisher better not hear about this. But then again.....there are many stories I can tell,,,this is only a very small part of it.

Back later,,,,,,where's Howard?? Howard who?
Howardyaliketowaitalittlelonger?

will be back.

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 12 Oct 2002 1:11 pm

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 12 Oct 2002 3:50 pm

OK,,,,darn it,,you talked me into it,,but this is the last time.
I will call this.

THE GAME OF BROKEN HEARTS

Ok where did I leave off??? Oh yeah,,I took over the steel guitar chair at RCA and the other labels I mentioned,,,,lets start here.

Prior to my meeting Steve Sholes or as Roy spells it "Shoals" this steel player was quite
prominent in the recording end of the business,,he was called for all the sessions.

I remember while I was studying with him,,he was called in to RCA by Mr.Sholes to record a session with Eddy Arnold. Somehow Roy Wiggins could not make the session,,so this steel player teacher of mine was called to do the date with Mr.Arnold.

He was asked to do the little "ting a ling" thing that was Roys trademark and so very familiar to the style of Eddy Arnold, I always felt it was Roy Wiggins who gave that
extra something to Eddy Arnolds style and to this day feel it was that steel guitar of Little Roys that helped identify the true Eddy Arnold sound.

What would Noel Boggs have been backing Eddy Arnold? ditto Joaquin,,or any others of equal
talent and ability.....NO,,,it was Roy Wiggins and his simple, but great style that
helped Eddy Arnold over his wonderful career.

My teacher went on the date,,and was asked to try to emulate Roys style,,to which he commented,,,if you want Roy Wiggins,,why did you call me?? get Roy Wiggins,,,,this is something that wasn't considered unusual,,I have been asked to play Jerry Byrd licks and
though I failed miserably,,at least I tried.

But not my teacher,,he was his own man.
This was his story to me..................
They asked me (him) to play like Wiggins and
I told them,,NO...I play like me and no one else,unquote.

Steve Sholes was a very patient man,,,one had to be to be an A&R man to put up with ego's and primma donna's but being the man that he was tried to reason with my teacher.

The session started,my teacher listened to a
few of Roys licks and "ting a lings" and said OK,,I got it,,,he did much to his displeasure the best ( at least thats what he told me)that he could with that "sound of Roys that was not of his liking. OK that was his opinion,,but he was a pro and that was his livelihood he should have said yes sir,,
I'll do the best I can to try to get as close as I could to Roys unique style and I hope I can do justice to what you expect of me. Thats what I would have done,,,and have done all of my recording career....I listened
to what I was asked or told to do and DID IT,

I was not a great or even good steel player but I listened.

They recorded two sides "Its a SIN"
"To MY Sorrow"
"Easy Rocking Chair" and I forget the B side
of "Easy Rocking Chair",,I have the 78 recording somewhere here.

It wasnt Roy Wiggins..but it was satisfactory
and Eddy complimented my teacher on his effort and thanked him. Those of you who have a record of Eddy Arnold material can look up the personell on those tunes.

Things went along for my teacher,,until the night I met Mr. Sholes,,it was through Vaughn
Horton a steel player and writer who had told
Mr.Sholes of this young steel player who was
at the time working at a club in Greenwich Village by the name of "The Village Barn".

I was working there with my dads group,,it was Mr.Horton who got me my first break as he
was well aware of my teachers temperment and
attitude.

Vaughn BTW later wrote "Mocking Bird Hill"
"My Best To You"
"Teardrops In My Heart"

Mr Horton was a good steel player as well but
he concentrated on writing and all of you know all to well what a hit Mocking Bird Hill was.

It was through Vaughn Horton and his brother
Roy that got me to meet Les Paul and many others of that calibre..that would in later
years help me with my Fender connection.

Up to the last thing I wrote on my last post,
I was then the steel player for all the sessions,,if they needed a steel player,,they
called me. Sometimes I wondered why they called me,,hell,,all I did was slide the bar
at the end of a tune,and got union scale for nothing,,but Sholes pushed me into every date
he could,,,,Perry Como,,Homer & Jethroe,Elton
Britt,,Rosalie Allen,,,Vaughn Monroe,,the McGuire sisters which came a few years later.

My Fender business was starting to escalate &
I had to "back off on the recording sessions,
Fender was growing is leaps and bounds and I for the first time in my life saw a steady income,,,,Don Randall president of Fender Sales was well aware of my situation and let that decision be mine.

I made the decision to quit playing and dedicate all of my time and effort to Leo Fender and Don Randall and those funny looking solid wood bodies with a neck attached,,it proved to be the right decision.

I stopped playing,altogether and turned down
sessions and music jobs altogether,,my feeling was,,"let the other guys do the playing,,I'll do the selling. So be it,,that
was that.

As time went by..I covered much ground for Fender,,most of the ground work was in place,
CBS then came on the scene,,,here we go,,,,,,
I was then called upon to be a "gopher" and
a liason man between the studio musicians and the Fender company,,,,that was easy,,well
sometimes not always,,,but my backround as a musician gave me credibility among those pro
musicians and little by little I had people like Tony Mottola,,Bucky Pizzerelli, Al Caiola and others of equal calibre,too many to mention,,,,,,trying out,,spending time with them trying and trying to get them to
playing of all things,,,,,that so called "toilet seat with a neck attached" their words not mine. To me..it was the best
dammed thing I ever heard.

I referred to myself as Fenders delivery boy,
I most all the time delivered instruments to musicians,,,studios etc just to get the exposure,,so what else would anyone call me?
I was a salesman by day and a delivery boy by night..but one thing I will admit,,,I was the
highest paid delivery boy in the music industry,,this was beneath others such as my competitors,,,they drove the fancy cars and had the ego's to match,,,the Rolex watches the custom made clothes,,,me,,,I had the Chevy station wagon and a Timex watch,,,but I had something they didnt have,,I had FENDER

I had become the joke of the music business.with my delivery boy image while the
others basked in all their glory...I hung with my people,,,,the musicians,,the peon's as they were called by the super star salesman
as they "romanced" the buyers of the stores,I was unloading my wagon all hours of the day and night,.

Dont sweat this,,,Im coming to the end,,,,,,

One day I was called upon to deliver a Jazzmaster guitar and Twin amp to WABC TV studios where the "Jimmy Dean Show" was being
taped,,,It was a rotten night,,it was snowing like the devil and the streets of Manhattan were almost deserted...but I had a mission,,and because of Roy Hortons relationship with Roy Clark,,I had to do what
I had to do,,,Roy needed a Jazzmaster and a Twin amp,,,who else could they call?????????.

I drove my wagon up to West 46th street and was stopped by a policeman telling me that all private vehicles other than emergency or taxi cabs were allowed on the streets.

I parked my wagon in a parking lot and took a cab to the studio...It was there I met Jimmy Dean and Roy Clark,,and man where they ever glad to see me,,,the delivery boy from Fender,,,but I was treated like they would have treated Leo Fender,,,,because that night
I was "Leo Fender"

After the show,,I let Roy take the amp and guitar with him and told him,,if he wants the
guitar and amp,it would be my pleasure to see
him have them. He had that BIG ROY CLARK SMILE on his face and said,,,,,Jody,,,,you are some guy,,,,that made my day.

I left and the roads were getting icier,,the sanders were out sanding the streets,,,Times Square looked like it was closed and it was,,except for those gals that hang out on the corners and asked,,,,Hey Boy,,,wanna have a party??? a party,,,me,,,,the hell with your
party,,Im going home,,,,besides I aint got no
money for a party,,,,Im a delivery boy and I cant afford any party,,,Im broke,,,"hey ya wanna guitar instead of money???

only kidding bOb.

I hailed a cab and the cabs stopped and asked me where I was headed,,,when I told them ,,,I wanted to get to West 46th street,,they drove off,,I was up in the 80's
looking for a ride,,these cabbies wanted a sucker to take to the airport via Chicago and rip me off,,I started walking,,,the streets were almost deserted,,it was after 11
PM and a snow and ice storm no less...I walked and walked,,and kept looking for a cab.

Oh God,,,,,finally,,,,I got lucky,,,a cab I hailed stopped and said,, where to buddy?????
It was cold as hell and I was frozen stiff.
I jumped in the cab,,,said W 46 street corner
of 6th Ave,,,thats where my car is parked.

I could see the driver looking at me in his rear view mirror,, I wondered,,,what the heck is he looking at??? I then looked at the
license and photo and name of the driver,,My heart started to race,,,he kept looking back at me,,OH MY GOD,,,,its my old teacher ,,,,,,
and I hollered hey Eddie,,,,,its me Its Jody
he stopped the cab and jumped out and put his arms around me and said,,,,,you little SOB,,what the hell are you doing here?? and in my cab no less.

We drove a few blocks to a quick food place
called "Chock Full "O" Nuts" he parked the cab and we went inside and were hugging each other,,the few people that were in the place
thought we were NUTS,,,,,if so,,,we were in the right place,,,it was the right place,,& that night it was "Chock Full "O Nuts" Eddie and me,,,the two biggest nuts of all.

We spoke for hours as this place is open all
night,,,,,,especially for NUTS, I must have had 12 cups of coffee and 5 of those nutted cream cheese and raison bread sandwiches which they are known for.

What a great time we had,,the heck with the cab,,we hung out for hours,,he asked me what
I was doing,and I told him I was doing the Fender thing,,it was obvious that he had come
upon tough times,,he told me he had not had a call for a session since that little SOB took his job,,he meant me and had a big smile
on his face. I felt so bad.I was doing so well with Fender and Eddie was struggling,,to
make a living driving a dammed cab. Sure he was a pain in the "butt" but he deserved better than that.

He told me he was doing some writing and had a hope that one of his songs would be recorded,,,he hummed and sang the lyrics to me,,I immediatly said,,,Eddie man thats great
and asked,,,,,who's the publisher?? he said
well Roy Horton is trying to hook me up with Southern Music.

I didnt want to brag and tell him how well I was doing and he said (as this is what he always called me) Brother Carver,,,,,,you doing any playing,,I said NO,,I quit,,,he said you quit?? what the hell are you crazy man?? the way you played?

I told him I was doing OK with Fender and he told me he no longer had a steel guitar as he
sold it,,I didnt pry,,I think I knew the reason,,,he and his wife had no children,but he had about 10 cats,,,I remember how those dammed cats would always be rubbing against me when I was taking lessons and that dammed
"purring" in my ears drove me nuts,,,each cat had a name,,,,all of the cats had a Hawaiian name,,,I asked if he still had the cats,,,he said yeah,,but Leilani died,,and so did Samoa,,I didnt know one cat from the
other,,,they all looked the same,,,they looked like any other Hawaiian cat....they all look the same to me.

I had not seen the cats since the early 1950's and here it was the 60's.

I tried not to probe into his personal life but I could tell he had fallen upon tough times
maybe because of himself and maybe a combination of other things.I dont know and I didnt ask.

I asked him if he did any dates. honky tonks etc,,he said naw,,they want young guys that play like Jerry Byrd. I said you mean that they TRY to play like Byrd..he said yeah thats right they try but they,%$^*&%,.

He said I heard you on the Godfrey show and man,,you were *&^**^&% GREAT......that dammed
guitar of yours sounded great,he said Jody,,if and when I get some extra loot,,can you get me a deal on a nice two neck guitar,?
you know,,nothing fancy or expensive just something nice,,as I would like to have one to fool around with...I told him that was no problem,,,,just let me know and I'll take care of it,,he said well OK ,,but hold off till I get some extra "bread". The wheels started turning as we sat there,,I called my wife and she was worried stiff,,then she got
really ticked off because I didnt call her,she had called WABC studios but they said
the show ended hours ago,she was afraid I was in an accident,,I told her what happened
and Eddie got on the phone and they spoke a few minutes,.

He said hey listen "hot shot" Im going to to a demo on my tune,,,,you want to do it with me and Sally?? that was his wife,,she played
guitar,,,I said sure,,,when??? he said how about the day after tomorrow,,,I told him since it was so close to Christmas it may be
difficult for me to fo it,,he said,,,OK then
you let me know when you are available,,the only thing is,,,I cant pay you right away,,but I will when I catch up on some bills. I knew and felt something at that moment that I had thought when he first started to open up,,,.

He then said,,,I hope you dont get p,,,,,,,d
at me but I tell everyone I taught you how to play,,,I said,,no way,YOU did teach me to play,,it was those dammed cats I got tired of and thats why I never came back,,,we laughed and decided to call it a night,.

I promised and promised I would be in touch with him,,he said,,,,,,hey do you play UKE??
I said yeah somewhat,,Im not really as good as Godfrey kidding with him,,he said good,,you play UKE,,Sally will play guitar and I'll play steel,,Its a done deal.

When I got home at 2.45 am,,,I couldnt sleep
I told Marilyn about what happened,,she said
well,,what can you do?? I fell asleep,,and during the night I would wake up and think of him....that next morning I called Don Randall then President of Fender Sales and Leo's partner..I asked if he had a Dual Pro
8 string blonde or walnut for an endorsment
for a great steel player,,,he as always was full of questions,,,,like,,,who is this steel player?....I said Don he's gonna be hot here on the east coast and can help me with my steel business.

He asked where he was working (listen to this
scenario) I said OH,,he works all over NY & NJ and Connecticut

,,,he then asked what clubs
does or did he appear at in (remember he asked DID he appear in) not where is he appearing now,,,,I said he appears at all the well known clubs. I didnt tell him he picked customers up at the clubs with his cab
what am I ?? an Idiot?? dont answer that,many people have that opinion of me.

Randall said OK Jody,,,but we will have to charge the steel to your sample account,,that
meant I would be charged back against commisions for the amount of the guitar,,Don
then said OK what else???I said well,,,he needs an amp,,Randall says OK which one?,,I said a Twin amp,,he said OK,,,I'll see that
its taken care of,,,then he asked,,,hows business back there?,,,,instead of answering his question,,,I said,,and yeah,,he needs a volume pedal as well,,,,,he said OK,,well let me go and take care of it,I'll have it shipped to you OK??? OK end of story.

A few days later I called Eddie but didnt say anything,,he was all excited someone was
going to record his tune "The Game OF Broken
Hearts" he said,,,Jody,,I think we can hold off on the demo deal and I hope I didnt mess you up,,,I said no way Jose,,,Im busy anyway.

A week later Eddie had a recording deal and his tune was recorded and it very quickly got air play with the help and connections of Roy and Vaughn Horton....It was a beauty of a song and I was happy for him,,,.His dream came true.

A few days before Christmas the Dual Pro & Twin amp & pedal arrived,,,I couldnt wait to get uptown to Eddies apartment which was on West 55th street,,he had a very modest apartment in an apartment building,,,,,you could tell his apartment from the sound of the cats meowing,,,,I rushed "yeah" rushed up the three flights of stairs with the Twin
amp in one hand and the steel in the other.I
was young and strong then,,I cant lift the volume pedal now.

I knocked and Sally answered the door and said,,,hey Jody,,,Eddie's not home..I said thats good,,I have something for him that he ordered from me,,,she looked shocked and said
"ordered from you" WHAT???? I said here look at this,,,and I opened the cartons,,,,her eyes were filled with tears and she said,,where?? what?? how??? I said forget it
just tell him Santa Claus was here thats all,
she didnt understand what I was getting at so
I said,,,,here I stole these from a music store and I have to run before the cops get here,,,,she beleived me and looked scared,,,I told her I would call Eddie later that night.

It was December 23rd and I waited and waited
but no call from Eddie,,,,I called him and Sally answered the phone and sounded as though she had been crying,,Eddie came to the phone and sounded all choked up and said

Jody ,,OH MY GOD what did you do??,,,I told you
I didnt have the money right now,,,how much do I owe you???? I said money?? money?? bullshit (pardon me) you tell me what dammed tunings you used back then and its yours you
bum. He broke down,,,he couldnt speak,,I cried when I heard him cry......I said 'listen you "hot shot" you earned this guitar,,,,,you play that thing and think of me and I'll think of you and maybe someday..
I'll tell you what tunings I used,,he laughed and cried...I cried too,,,,,,,,,,

A week later I had a phone call from Sally,
she was sobbing,,,,Eddie had a massive heart attack while on the job and passed away on the way to the hospital..with all of this she
said,,,Jody,,I will give the guitar and stuff
back to you,,,I said No I dont want it back,,its yours to keep for your memories of Eddie and myself.

The lyrics of the song are

No Body Wins In The Game Of Broken Hearts
The Winners a loser who cried,,(I dont have the rest of the lyrics right here).

We were both winners Eddie and myself and we
both cried. No Body won,,but I won something,I won back the respect and love for Eddie that I never lost in the first place
I found out what tunings Eddie was using all those years,,,I just didnt want to tell him.

I told you this would be a long long story,,and now that you have read this one,,you wont buy my book,,,Im going to ask for your understanding for the sake of the publisher,,Im going to add a "copywrite" to this,,,there are many stories coming in my book of memories,,,,this has been one of my
favorites,,,his name was Eddie Mc Mullen and dont forget that name,,,its important to me that you all remember Eddie,,but no one,,no one knew him like I did,,,I loved the guy,,secret tunings and all,,,and I sort of liked his cats too...I like anything Hawiian
OH I almost forgot something important,his legal name was Eddie McMullen but when he started writing songs he went under the name
of Marvin Clark,,,,the duo of his wife Sally and himself were Marvin and Sally Clark.

I told him not to use the name Clark,,but to use the name he was born with and be proud to be an Irishman...his middle name could have been "CATS"
Aloha.

Thanks for listening and reading..please buy my book...I have 10 cats to feed.

I adopted one of Eddie's cats and I call him

My Little Brown Cat In Hawaii.,,he's actually
an "alley cat" but I dont have the heart to tell him. Thanks again.....The Delivery Boy from Fender.

------------------
Copyright(c) 2002 by
Jody Carver "All Rights
Reserved"

<[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 12 October 2002 at 06:06 PM.]