A day in the life of a Nashville studio steel player.

[Nick Bidmade]

These posts have been a real treat. Many thanks Ken. You really made your trip 'come alive' and have made a trip to Dallas a future 'must'.
This forum is currently knocking spots off the US Forum for content, so, come on guys and gals, keep em coming. Latest thread on 'Brands' also really good stuff and great contributions.

[Ken Byng]

I am back now and have a lot more content to add.

Here is a guitar owned by you know who. The clue is in the guitar's name. Note the flags on every lever.

[Ken Byng]

Here is the famous JD Maness who did the solos on Ray Stevens' Misty, and on Eric Clapton's Tears In Heaven.

JD was playing his Emmons push pull this year, and his tone was much fuller than previous times that I have heard him. Sometimes it has been so toppy that it could take the skin off your teeth.

He told us the background of the Tears track. Clapton was recording it in California, and JD was brought in to play back up steel. At the end of the session, JD was breaking down his guitar, but Clapton asked him to stay behind after the other players had gone. JD was asked - 'told?' that Clapton wanted him to play the solo on the number, and it took the remainder of the day before everyone was happy with the finished product. JD certainly earned many plaudits for his work on that track, if not a good amount of dollars.

Incidentally the gent with the white hair in the audience is the great Jim Palenscar - steel techie extraordinaire. He emailed me today saying that he enjoyed my set in Dallas, particularly my version of the Everly's So Sad. He is obviously a man of good taste.

[Ken Byng]

Steel Guitar Hall of Famer Kayton Roberts (below) is one of the most famous non pedal guitarists of all time. Mike Johnson contacted me while I was in Nashville to advise me that Kayton was playing at the Long Hollow Jamboree, and that he and Joanie would be going that evening. Needless to say it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

Backed by the Still Country band, Kayton went through a repertoire of standard country and non country material, using many bar slants and string pulls behind the bar. He is now well in his 80's and has long outlived his old employer, Hank Snow. Kayton was on the Opry one infamous night when Chubby Wise caught Snow's rather obvious toupee at the back with his fiddle bow and flipped it up and over the front of Snow's face with it being held on to the front of his head by tape. The audience went wild and so too did Hank Snow who sacked Chubby Wise on the spot. Just what Wise was hoping would happen.

Also pictured below is the Still Country band who had a very good steel player whose name I didn't catch. I will ask drummer Jim Hartley who is pictured with the apricot coloured shirt.

[Ken Byng]

Here is long time Opry steeler Tommy White. Tommy has extraordinary chops on both E and C necks. He appears to be listening intently at what it coming out of his Webb speaker cabinet.

[Ken Byng]

Just a final (hopefully) posting on this thread from me. The return journey through Heathrow was much less eventful and traumatic for me than it was for poor old Ted Nesbitt. My main suitcase weighed in at 84lbs!! - 34 lbs over. My pedal steel weighed 55lbs, 5lbs over. However the check in clerk helped me out on that one, but I won't say how.

All told I paid $80 excess and was really chuffed with that. It's a good thing that they don't charge for hand luggage as that would have weighed over 50lbs. I got through customs without a hitch with my Carter . However it was hard work getting all of this heavy stuff on and off buses etc, but it has all been worth it in the long term.

I had a flat battery on my return to my car at the airport, but luckily they have a guy there who has a jump start device for such incidents. Just a tip for those folks who leave their cars for 3 or 4 weeks in long stay car parks at airports. Leave a solar trickle charger on the dashboard - the type that plugs into the cigar lighter socket. My burglar alarm appears to have flattened the battery.

Back to normality now and the phone hasn't stopped this morning. Gigs and more gigs! I have to adjust my pedal rods on the Carter, as the lightweight legs that I bought in the USA are slightly shorter than my old ones and the pedals are now in the wrong position. That won't take long to do. Now have to start saving for next year or get a sub from Malcolm!!

[Malcolm]

Ken nearest thing to a sub you will get is that I will treat you to a subway sandwich.The thing to do now is have Spence hire a bigger private jet than his usual one , so there are enough seats for as many of us possible that can get to go.Don't worry Spence, we will all chip in, and if you charge us for meals, going to toilet like Ryan Airrobbers, you could even make a profit.Mark Dunn will contact you to rent out hold space for freighting back a load of Telonics gear, even more profit, and to top it all we will treat you to a five star meal at Denny's , no expenses paired.

[bob adams]

Glad you got off light with the charges! Too bad about the battery though!

Anyway Mr…

Thank you for being our US correspondent, it takes some time and thought to put such epistles together and you have done so willingly on our behalf, I’m sure I can speak for all here in saying a big thank you, your efforts have been appreciated!

Bob

[James Crowbear]

Hi Ken
i've been following your reports since day 1
they were, as others mentioned here, keeping us informed as if we were right there
you are definitly a top notch reporter
Thank you !