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Billy Mize on Youtube?

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Author	Topic: Billy Mize on Youtube?
Scott Wehmeyer Member From: Texas, USA	posted 08 July 2006 07:29 AM profile Is this Billy Mize backing up Skeets McDonald? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt5YoubYE50&search=skeet%20mc%20donald
Perry Hansen Member From: Bismarck, N.D.	posted 08 July 2006 07:41 AM profile Brings back a lot of fond memories. Merle Travis, Joe and Rose Maphis and it looked like Johnny Bond sittin in the background.
Perry Hansen Member From: Bismarck, N.D.	posted 08 July 2006 07:42 AM profile Can't forget Jay North and Jimmy Pruit??
Bob Taillefer Member From: Oshawa, Ontario, Canada	posted 08 July 2006 08:05 AM profile Great clip! Thanks for posting it! Bob
Herb Steiner Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX	posted 08 July 2006 09:09 AM profile Also seen briefly was Freddie Hart, Marian Hall, Merle Travis, and Joe Maphis. Oh, the announcer was Jay Stewart, not Jay North. Jay later went on to fame as the announcer of Let's Make A Deal. Jay North, as we all know or should know, played Dennis the Menace in the show of the same name. ------------------ Herb's Steel Guitar Pages Texas Steel Guitar Association
Perry Hansen Member From: Bismarck, N.D.	posted 08 July 2006 09:16 AM profile Herb. Thanks. My memory is good but short. Jay Stewart for sure.
Randy Reeves Member From: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA	posted 08 July 2006 09:39 AM profile alot of the you tube that's been appearing here lately is from the releases by the Bear Family in germany. the show is Town Hall Party. it ran from the early 50s to around 59. Billy Mize and his partner Cliff Clifford were really talente dyoung men. Billy Mize started his own group shortly after the show ended. he plays real decent steel. Marian Hall was the main steel player, but the early years where se plays hasnt been released. there is a DVD called Tex Ritter Rocking the Ranch Party. this amazing DVD has Marian on her Bigsby. plus a young Cash and George Jones too. Ive owned several of these DVDs for years. I watch them over and over. amazing talents.
TonyL Member From: Vancouver, BC	posted 08 July 2006 10:51 AM profile Great clip! An aside question- he's standing with that Fender 1000, right? I haven't seen that with many pedal steels at all...
Jim Bob Sedgwick Member From: Clinton, Missouri USA	posted 08 July 2006 03:00 PM profile To answer your question, yes that is Billy Mize. Billy played with no knee levers. They did not exist at that time, or at least had not become popular. Billy's pedal rods were about 3 and a half feet long. It worked for him....
Perry Hansen Member From: Bismarck, N.D.	posted 09 July 2006 07:55 AM profile Les(Carrottop) Anderson played steel once in a while on the Town Hall Party. I know he played with Bob Wills for a while also. Good on vocals.
Bryan Bradfield Member From: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.	posted 09 July 2006 08:34 AM profile After Bob Wills, Les Anderson played for Spade Cooley. He ended his professional musical career in Las Vegas, with a several year stint at the "Showboat". Then he retired to British Columbia, Canada.
Jerry Hayes Member From: Virginia Beach, Va.	posted 09 July 2006 10:10 AM profile That was indeed Billy Mize who both Jim Bob & I had the pleasure of working for (with) at the old Foothill Club in Signal Hill (Long Beach) California. Billy in addition to playing steel and guitar was a great singer and even greater song writer. Remember "Who'll Buy the Wine" recorded by Charley Walker, Jerry Lee Lewis, Micky Gilley among others? that was one one Billy's songs as well as "Make It Rain" recorded by Ray Price & Dean Martin. Dean also recorded Billy's tune "Terrible Tangled Web" but I always liked Billy's original version better. Billy had a stroke a while back and lost some of his vocal ability and I'm not sure if he can play steel anymore at all. Let's keep him in our prayers. He was (is) one of the nicest guys I've ever played with and also was overflowing with talent. My only problem with him was he was so d@mn good looking that all the girls went for him and I couldn't get any action, and poor Jim Bob, he was uglier than I was....JH in Va. ------------------ Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!
GaryHoetker Member From: Bakersfield, CA, USA	posted 10 July 2006 11:07 AM profile Billy Mize...... makes Brad Pitt look like Marty Feldman.
Scott Wehmeyer Member From: Texas, USA	posted 10 July 2006 08:22 PM profile Thanks everybody for the replies and info. Turns out I just got a copy of an entertainment newspaper called California Country (Nov. 1969) that has a couple of pictures of Billy Mize. Got lots of other picts of people I've never heard of. One with Larry Booth(any relation to Tony Booth?) on bass and one of somebody called "Mr. Hair" on drums. Its got a pic of the Eddie Downs trio (Eddie Drake-Muddy Berry-Eddie Downs). They're appearing at the Rockette club. There's a story about Virgil Gifford(?). Skip, Chuck and Smiley are at the Forge. Red Rhodes and the Detours are at the Brite Torch. Bobby George, Carl Walden, Wherly Fairburn and Bill Lendrum are playing the Blue Room. Dottie Egan, waitress-owner at DO-DADS is the "Baby Of The Month". Gloria and the Twilighters are playing DO-DAD's. Gene Davis and Billy Armstrong are at Nashville West. Russ Hansen and the Rhythm Riders are at Mike Garros' Aces Club. Lloyd Price and the Personalities appear Tues. thru Sunday at Ichabod's. Lot's of cool pics to go with the ads. When I get my scanner hooked up I'll post some.
Herb Steiner Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX	posted 11 July 2006 06:39 AM profile Wow, lots of memories there! I worked the Forge in Glendale (w/Mel West, also Boomer), Ichabod's in Manhattan Beach (w/Murphey and Boomer), Nashville West in El Monte, etc. Also the Blue Room in La Pee-yu-entay when Eddie Drake and Johnny Paycheck owned it, The Aces in the City of Industry, used to see Red at the Palomino, Gene Davis at the Cajun Country, on and on. You can't forget memories, my daddy always used to say. ------------------ Herb's Steel Guitar Pages Texas Steel Guitar Association [This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 11 July 2006 at 06:41 AM.]
Jim Bob Sedgwick Member From: Clinton, Missouri USA	posted 11 July 2006 09:18 AM profile Scott, Larry Booth is Tony's brother and a fine singer also. He, as I understand at one time was Gene Watson's road manager and Tony was playing bass for Gene.
Jerry Hayes Member From: Virginia Beach, Va.	posted 11 July 2006 11:10 AM profile Scott, I'd really like to score a copy of that newsletter if you could get one made. I'll pay whatever it costs just for the memories. As for a couple of the names you mentioned, I did a stint or two on steel with Eddy Drake's band at a club in Covina called "Next Time Country". Also last October I was back in SoCal on vacation and went to see my old friend (drummer Monte Paul) with Sammy Master's band and Carl Walden was on lead guitar. Carl's a legend back there on both lead & steel....JH in va. ------------------ Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!
Scott Wehmeyer Member From: Texas, USA	posted 11 July 2006 06:08 PM profile Jerry, I'll take it down to kinko's this weekend and find out if they can make a copy of it. Jim Bob, Thanks for the info on Larry Booth. I'm going to try to post a few scans.
Scott Wehmeyer Member From: Texas, USA	posted 11 July 2006 06:11 PM profile [This message was edited by Scott Wehmeyer on 11 July 2006 at 06:13 PM.]
Herb Steiner Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX	posted 12 July 2006 05:38 AM profile I love the shot of Carl... an ashtray and TWO drinks perched on his Fender 2000! Also the shot of Muddy Berry. Muddy was Joaquin's favorite drummer, incidentally. And Gene with his Fender Jaguar. About 5 or 6 years ago, I ran into Gene at ISGC, since he'd moved back to Missouri. We had a great time reminiscing, fer sure. Thanks, Scott. ------------------ Herb's Steel Guitar Pages Texas Steel Guitar Association
Jerry Hayes Member From: Virginia Beach, Va.	posted 12 July 2006 07:52 AM profile Herb, you're right about the shot of Carl but even funnier was the time I went to see Sammy Master's band on a Monday night in Huntington Beach. Carl had a Fender 1000 which had the front neck totally removed from the guitar and was being used to hold everything in the world. He had a big ashtray, a couple of beers, extra picks, a rag, a couple of packs of cigarettes, and who knows what else. Carl was a funny guy but a pretty dang good picker. In the picture you can see his keyboard to his right and he also played fiddle. He played his lead guitar with his thumbpick and fingerpicks too (like you're supposed to!) It was nice seeing that picture of Eddy Drake with Muddy & Eddy Downs. Drake ain't that good lookin' anymore, but then again I guess the rest of us ain't either......JH in va. ------------------ Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!
Scott Wehmeyer Member From: Texas, USA	posted 13 July 2006 07:23 PM profile Carl Waldren played steel and harmonica on the "Country Sounds of Eddy Drake Today" Lp on the Newhall label. One of the articles mentioned that Eddy Drake had just finished recording and lp that Capitol was going to put out. I've never seen that one. Here's a few more pics. [This message was edited by Scott Wehmeyer on 13 July 2006 at 07:24 PM.]
Herb Steiner Member From: Cedar Valley, Travis County TX	posted 14 July 2006 05:11 AM profile Ahhh, Jerry Cole! A very funny guy and a great picker, but he could pss off Mother Theresa sometimes. A classic case of "small man complex". One night at the Palomino a guy walked up to me onstage and asked if we could play "Steel Guitar Rag." Before I could even answer, Cole yelled "SURE!" Then turned his Telecaster up to full volume and blasted through the entire SGR by himself, one chorus only, then ended it. The weird thing was, he was SITTING IN with our band! Cole had a fairly good career as a studio musician, he worked with Sonny and Cher some, and a few other name acts during the 60's and 70's. Also, the photo of Red shows him playing his keyless* Fender 800, the keyhead design that he claimed put the kibosh on David Jackson's keyless design for the Sho~Bud. ------------------ Herb's Steel Guitar Pages Texas Steel Guitar Association [This message was edited by Herb Steiner on 14 July 2006 at 05:16 AM.]
Jerry Hayes Member From: Virginia Beach, Va.	posted 14 July 2006 07:58 AM profile "Jerry Cole".....Herb, you've got him pegged for sure. I had the "pleasure" of working with JC (as he liked to be called) at Bonnie Price's Foothill Club and another place or two. For some odd reason which I can't explain, we got along great and became almost "friends".... We'd even do that Joe Maphis/Larry Collins thing where me being 6'4" and Jerry somewhere around 5' I'd walk behind him and we'd both play on the same guitar, I'd play the wound strings and he'd do the plain ones. We both dressed in three piece suits and all while the rest of the band were in jeans and cowboy shirts. Billy Mize loved it and said we added a little class to the band. He booked some lucrative gigs on the side and some sessions on which he used me. He was a formidable picker but Ralph Mooney and Red Rhodes were his favorite steel players and they were mine too! The guy could sing Roy Orbison as well as Roy himself and I used to love playing steel on "Leah" and "In Dreams" among others. I talked to him on the phone a year or so ago and he said he was working in Nevada and was the musical director for the Nancy Sinatra show, he's got the chops to do anything he wants........JH in Va. ------------------ Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!
Jason Odd Member From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	posted 14 July 2006 06:30 PM profile Wow, you go offline for a couple of weeks and everything happens on the forum. Sadly the last publisher/editor and writer for California Country passed away over a year ago. So, that issues from Nov. 1969. I suspect that's after the Detours left the Pal'... their label backed them to go out as a road band, Jerry Cole was the first to bail on the group, I assume because the label really had no idea how to market a country band. They did a little bit better with Mason Proffit not long after. That's Nick Hair aka O'Hair on drums, he left the Booth Brothers employ in around December '69. (that's Larry and Tony Booth of course). The Eddie Downs trio is a spin-off from the Phil Baugh Trio (Muddy Berry-Eddie Downs made up the trio with Phil), but Phil had split for the V.I.S. Club band in 1969, then in December he went with Ray Price taking Dale Bennett with him. Carl Walden was a gun, he worked at the V.I.S. and the Blue Room with Bobby George, Carl Walden, Wherly Fairburn and Bill Lendrum... and also with Johnny Paycheck. (Herb Steiner, I still owe you an article by the way... ) Gene Davis and Billy Armstrong are at Nashville West, nice. Yep, Gene had the band there from about late '68 to '71 or so, Johnny Davis was on lead guitar for a good part of that stint. Gene Davis went on to the Cajun Country where Herbster saw them in action. Billy Armstrong would hook up with the Chapparral Brothers in '72 or so. (note that Red Rhodes and the chapparals names are mispelled in the photo captions, the mag didn't have a full time proof reader) Russ Hansen and the Rhythm Riders are at Mike Garros' Aces Club. this would be after Eddie Drake cut down his residency, I think he still worked there a bit. Jerry Inman had a brief run there in '71, while Russ would later join Inman and Jimmy Snyder at the Palomino.
Jerry Hayes Member From: Virginia Beach, Va.	posted 15 July 2006 07:31 AM profile Jason, as I remember, Russ Hansen also did a stint at the old Nashville West. He fronted the band with a Telecaster (which he played with a thumb and fingerpicks) and had a steel guitar set up next to him which he played from time to time.....JH in Va. ------------------ Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!
Scott Wehmeyer Member From: Texas, USA	posted 15 July 2006 07:20 PM profile Jason, thanks all the info. I also have a couple copies of a magazine called Entertainers Variety Magazine Country Western from Oct. and Dec. 1969. Bobbi Carlin has a column in these that says who is playing where. If you would like me to scan these for you let me know. Jerry, I'm working on getting a copy for you. The person I got it from says he has multiple copies. It looks like getting another one from him is the easiest way to go. Here's a few more pics. Wherly Phil Baugh?
Jason Odd Member From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	posted 15 July 2006 10:15 PM profile Scott, I've get onto you off this topic about what you've got, nothing dramatic, just want this topic to go on, it's a gem. That would be Jimmy Bryant as 'Guitar Man Of The Year' and I've seen that same pic of Chuck, Skip & Smiley in a different mag from the same period... can't quite think who they are though. John Wakley would have to be Jimmy Wakely's son Johnny who was recording for Decca as a solo artist by '69. (I believe the 'John' billing was an attempt to secure a more adult image) Very, very cool. Interesting thihng about the Eddie Drake LP, I have seen it listed and the Newhall release seems to have been 1970, I guess Cliffie Stone couldn't get Capitol to buy into it and issued it himself. I recall a conversation with a West Coast deejay who reckons it came out in '70, and the cat number actually has 1970 contained in it. However I always figured it was cut in '69 as at least one of the session players on it split town that year and back then it was unusual for a guy to record outside of his town unless he was real tight with the artist. Also Eddie's song choices are very '1969,' so that all makes sense now. Obviously in the 1960s an artist teneded to release product the same year it was cut, except Buck Owens who was cutting so much material that he was always about six months ahead in the 1960s.
Scott Wehmeyer Member From: Texas, USA	posted 16 July 2006 06:38 AM profile Jason, In the December 1969 issue of one of the magazines I have, Walt Rayburn(recorded for Toppa) has a small column. He mentions that Eddie Drake will release a new LP on Capitol soon. I guess that was the LP that was eventually put out by Newhall in 1970. It sounds late sixties-ish to me. I like his early sixties stuff on Toppa, Hawkeye etc. a little more. Bobbi Garlin mentions in her column that The Chuck Martin Trio are playing at the Forge. Chuck Martin, Skip Graves, and Smiley Wood make up the trio. Tony Booth? Another Red Was this right before he started working for Merle
Jason Odd Member From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	posted 17 July 2006 08:58 AM profile Scott, that could well be the last pictures of Red Rhodes & The Detours, they split somewhere around that time. Biff joined Merle Haggard at the end of December if I'm not mistaken. Red had already signed up with Michael Nesmith's band, so I assume they were playing out the Christmas/New Year period. Skip Graves was a deejay and performer, he used to play Prison Benefits, etc. I believe he was a KWOW deejay in Pomona and knew that whole Wynn Stewart, Phil Baugh crowd. I love those early Toppa Records, there's a real charm to them and I guess Red Rhodes, Ralph Mooney and Gene Davis played on a lot of them as well.
Scott Wehmeyer Member From: Texas, USA	posted 17 July 2006 07:12 PM profile Jason, Skip Graves put out at least one 45 that I know of. That one is on the Stadium label. I've never heard it though. Yeah Toppa had some nice records. Lots and lots of Mooney. Has anybody ever heard of a guy by the name of Dugan Robinson? I have a 45 of his that sounds like it has Mooney and Gene Davis on it. Probably record in the 63-65 time period. A good shuffle and a mid-tempo song on the flip.
Edward Meisse Member From: Santa Rosa, California, USA	posted 19 July 2006 09:28 AM profile I can't guess how old some of you guys must be. I saw Billy Mize at the foothill club in Long Beach towards the end of his time there. I was in my early twenties at the time. But I do go to the Strawberry Music festival twice a year. Last time there I found a CD by Billy Mize and Merle Haggard. "Billy Mize, A Salute to Swing, A Tribute to Tommy Duncan" which I duly bought . It has lots of the old Texas Playboy gang on it including Herb Remmington on non-pedal Steel. I like it. The lady who sold it to me says that since his stroke (or maybe she said his latest stroke, don't quote me)he cannot sing but still plays rythm guitar as well as ever. I didn't ask about steel because I didn't know he played.
Jim Bob Sedgwick Member From: Clinton, Missouri USA	posted 19 July 2006 02:06 PM profile Jerry Hayes is Very, Very old. The rest of us are just kids. (Jerry, that's for saying I am uglier than you!!! )
Jerry Hayes Member From: Virginia Beach, Va.	posted 20 July 2006 12:59 PM profile JB, compared to Carl, we're both young and good looking. But we love Carl W.....JH in Va. ------------------ Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!!