Alvino Rey and his talking guitar

[petefrombookham]

Hi there everyone,

I’m currently writing an essay for my Masters about the talk box and, through my research, found that one of the earliest recordings of one being used is by Alvino Rey for his ‘talking guitar’ bit. He actually uses an earlier iteration of the device called a sonovox. Who’d have known I could link my studies with my new interest in steel guitar! I’ll embed a video for you all to see what I’m on about:



Are any of you experts or knowledgable about Alvino Rey? I want to see if he actually used the Sonovox created by Gilbert W. Wright, or if he made a version of his own, as it’s unclear from research. If you can point me to any good websites/books/videos/articles where I can find out more about Rey and his recordings and life, I’d be very grateful. If not, just enjoy the tune, even if it’s a bit gimmicky!

Thanks

Pete

[Tony Russell Davis]

You may already know this: Pete Drake also used a voice-box with his steel guitar.

[petefrombookham]

I did know, and it's a beautiful sound he makes with it. Thanks for the info though.

Turns out Rey actually used a pilot's throat microphone and reversed the signal, and he invented it around the same time as Wright.