Sleep Walk - what a lash up

[Ken Byng]

Here is a clip of Johnny (Sound of Santo and Johnny) Farina playing Sleep Walk. He slaughters it with his poor intonation and chronic sense of timing in the middle sections. He should leave the steel guitar alone as he can't hold a candle to Santo's playing, and just admit publicly that he was the rhythm player on the records and thereby hardly meets the criteria to be the 'Sound Of Santo & Johnny'.

Signed - the Grumpy Old Man.

[Zumbilly(Murdoch)]

He keeps time like an indoor sundial too. Ugg.

[SteelieAJK]

He certainly talks the talk (and how)... but when it comes to the walk...

[Ken Byng]

He certainly talks the talk (and how)... but when it comes to the walk...

He sleeps.

[robbo t]

he should walk as far as he can from a steel guitar

[Basil Henriques]

I wrote about this quite extensively in the March 2007 issue of Aloha Dream part of which was this:

In 1976, the duo disbanded.
In 1999, “Sleepwalk” earned BMI’s Millionaires Award, which symbolizes two million airplays on the radio. A version of ‘Sleepwalk’ by the Brian Setzer Orchestra earned the song a Grammy for best instrumental in1999.
Because of constant radio airplay, along with numerous TV show, movie & commercial inclusions, “Sleepwalk” continues to be one of the most popular & quickly recognized instrumentals of the 20th century.
Santo Farina continued as a solo act for a period (after 1976) but has since retired from active performing.
In 2002 Santo & Johnny were inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. Johnny accepted the award.

Johnny Farina continues to perform his rather lame version of the hit and many other recognizable standards in his shows and continues to make appearances all over the country. His appearances have included venues such as the Paramount Theater in New York City, the Meadowlands in New Jersey, Madison Square Garden in New York City and Harrah’s in Las Vegas.
With Johnny touring america and promoting HIMSELF as the sound of “sleepwalk” Future generations MAY grow to forget just who it was that played the Steel Guitar in the ORIGINAL hit recording.
I can’t imagine a similar scenario in any other award system where the sidesman gets the award for the soloist. Imagine Freddie Green getting an award for one of Count Basie’s recordings !, and Freddie WAS a legendary Rhythm Guitarist.



The plaque reads :- “ In 1959 this duo recorded steel’s only gold record. While introducing the instrument to the Rock ‘N’ Roll genre.
Heard in countless movies and commercials, it has been steel’s only Grammy winner (1999), the most recorded, and the all-time most popular instrumental, “Sleepwalk”.
The brothers achieved international stardom, released over 40 albums, and had # 1 hits in Mexico and Italy. Their music expanded the appreciation for the steel guitar.
Basil.
(Vitriolic and Sardonic as usual)

[Basil Henriques]

The relevant pages from the March 2007 issue of aloha Dream

[Ken Byng]

Thanks Basil for your informed and extensive reply. I picked on this clip as it is probably the worst playing of this number that I have ever heard performed. Gone is Santo's subtle but dynamic picking, replaced by wildly out of pitch playing and horrendous lack of timing in the mid section. Johnny should be ashamed of this, and has besmirched the name of Santo and Johnny with this fifth rate version.

[Basil Henriques]

I'm very relieved that at last i'm not on my own thinking that Johnny is a poor copy of his brother. I often wonder where the royalties go for sales and 'mechanicals'. The last I heard, Santo was living a semi bohemian existence somewhere in Northern Italy. In my article I have used quotation marks around Sleepwalk: Sleep Walk is the correct title but as I was quoting verbatim from sleeve notes etc I had to deliberately misspell it..
Strange that it was spelled correctly on the Sleeve and also the single but, almost without exception, track listings get it wrong.

[Danny Mitchell]

Basil,
thank you for posting such a comprehensive analysis of this tune. It has always been a favourite of mine. I think it must have imprinted a love of steel guitar on me at first hearing. One day I'd like to be able to play this and your breakdown of the song will help, no end. Johnny's version does it no justice at all, quite sad really.