He, Jerry Byrd, and Joquin Murphy are my three steel guitar "heros"!

I have album Kayton Roberts did with Little Roy Wiggins, but didn't he release some solo albums?

I sure wish someone (like Homespun tapes) would make video seminar or performing video of this guy, so we can watch his playing and learn some of his awesome techniques.

Let's all call Homespun and show them there's a market for the tape!!!! Or, if there's someone out there who has connections with a music/video production company, please pull some strings and let's get Kayton and see some smokin' non-pedal playing!

First the good news. Kayton is alive and well and living in the Nashville area. He is doing a very limited number of steel conventions.

Now the part that will kill you. For the past two years Kayton has played at the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs--about 1.5 hours west of you. Regretably, he won't be there this year--I don't know why. Kayton was born in Cross City, FL and played a weekly dance in White Springs for something like ten years. Last year at the festival his performances included playing for a western swing dance with a band that included Vassar Clements. Wow, Kayton can really cook!

His steel is a Dual 8 professional circa 1953. He says he bought it new and it is the only steel he has ever owned or played. It's like a part of his body and brain. Mmmmm--maybe there's a lesson there?

Anyhow, Vassar is dedicated to coming to the FFF every year. Come on over. It's Fri, Sat and Sun this weekend.

All the best,

------------------
Chris Kennison
Ft. Collins, Colorado
"We can't afford to let Nature Run Wild" - govt. offical - Alaska

I will check out some Hank Williams III stuff now....

A little history. Kayton was indeed raised in north Florida. And he does play a 1953 Vintage Fender D-8. And it is the only steel he has ever owned. Upon close observance, it looks like it went down with the Titanic!!

He is a Jerry Byrd fan in the highest magnitude. If you listen to him closely, you will hear a lot of JB in his playing. But there is also a lot of Kayton in his playing. One of the interesting things about Kayton is when he was hired by Hank Snow over 30 years ago, Hank said, "I like the way Joe Talbott plays. I want you to get his sound as best you can." Joe had played on a lot of Hank's original "rise to fame" songs like "Movin' On"

Kayton did this proudly. So with a little of JB, a little of JT and a little of Kayton, you have a mixture of some mighty fine lap-steel playing.

Kayton, as has been stated, does in fact pull strings behind the bar. He also uses a Steven's bar. His most favorite tuning is C6 with a C# and a C in there on the bass strings with low, low A on the 8th string. The same A that we get on the 10th string on C6 (D-10) using the 8th pedal.

He has a talent that very few players have and that is to leave a "break" so that the very next note is the Singer's beginning note. No matter how many bars the break takes. The greatest player in the world on this, is of course Jerry Byrd. The second is Buddy Emmons. And strangely, Little Roy Wiggins had this inate talent.

Kayton's postion style behind the steel is quite unique. The top of his steel is below the top of his knees. And he plays in a bent over manner. Also his volume pedal is on the outside of the legs of his his D-8. When first seeing it, one often gets the feeling this would be a very cumbersome way to play.

Well it might be for most of us, but, it has in NO way ever hurt Kayton's playing.

His wife IvaLee, who often plays with him wherever he plays, insists on an upright piano. Kayton knows just about every song ever written commensurate with his style of playing. And that is just one more of his amazing talents.

Like JB and RW, he is strictly a melody player, but even though he plays the melody more than one time, he always plays it differently on subsequent passes. If you would like to hear him at his very best, call Scotty's and ask for the Tape of Kayton and Herb Remington called, "From Houston to Nashville". Truly a beautiful selection of classic tunes played as ONLY these two giants could do it.

He has 17 zillion "road" stories to tell, experienced when he was traveling with Hank Snow for all those years. And some will put you in the floor splitting your sides. One of the most classic is the time one of Hank's fiddle players slid the tip end of his bow under Hank's toupe' and lifted it right off Hank's head as he took his break on the stage of the Grande Ole Opry. And what a break it was. In fact he never fiddled for Hank again. It seems that Hank was NOT the easiest singer to work with and had been on the fiddler's back for sometime previous to that night on the Opry. Soooooooooo

Yes Kayton is one of a few players of our beloved instrument that are soo uniquely different. I suppose I would have to put him in the same league as Lew Houston. Both are awesome players that garner as much love watching them play as listening to them play. A rare trait indeed.

carl

[This message was edited by C Dixon on 21 January 2001 at 08:44 AM.]

For an old cogger that's still trying to learn, what is involved in the technique mentioned by Carl Dixon of Kayton "pulling the strings behind the bar?" Can you give me a description of what he does. I suppose, after listening to Kayton, you have to see it to believe it!

Also, I have never seen the Stevens bar. Can someone describe it for me.

Kayton is my favorite, next to the one and only JB-- the king.

oj hicks

OJ,

This is a technique used by many lapsteel players that permit you to raise one or more strings by pulling them with fingers to the left of the bar.

A couple of examples using the following tuning:

E
C
A
G
E
C

1. Pull the 3rd or 6th string to get an A7th chord.

2. Pull the 4th string to get a C7th chord.

3. Pull the 1st strng to get an Fmaj chord. (first three strings. Aslo, pull 5th string.

4. Pull strings 3 and 4 to get a diminished chord.

It takes a long time to perfect it and there are NO stops. So it is easy to under or over shoot it. But the masters like Kayton and Billy Robinson* have it down pat. They usually take the ring finger tip of their left hand a grab the given string and pull it towards the rear of the bar.

The difficult part is keeping the string in contact with the bar. There is a tendency to push it down and away from the bar and this is disastrous. So one developes a little "hook" between the tip of their finger and the string. This permits the sring to be pulled (stretched), yet still held in close contact with the bar.

Close observance of Kayton and Billy Robinson (probably the greatest of them all at this technique), will show them doing it so effortlessly as to be second nature to them.

It is interesting to note that Pedal Steel Guitar players use this technique also. Pulling the 1st srting from and F# to a G has been done by just a whole bunch of players. One of the best is Lloyd Green.

"Also, I have never seen the Stevens bar. Can someone describe it to me?"

The Stevens bar dates back to the 40's. It was conceived to be the answer for young players who had difficulty holding on to the bar. It has an odd shape. The bottom of it is round but not nearly as round as most round steel bars. Just a slight arc in comparison.

But where they really are unigue is how they are shaped from there on up to the top.

Think of taking a piece of clay say 3 inches long, 1 inch high and 1/2 inch wide. now hold that clay bar and roll the bottom of it to form a slight arc that rides on the strings.

Then take a 3/8" round piece of steel and press it in to each side of the bar AND the top.

In other words a groove for the thumb, the first finger and the middle finger to fit into. Some players cannot hold a round bar. Or they never learned to more probably. In any case the bars have been sold all over the world for over 60 years. Most quality music stores sell them including Elderly's.

One thing that is a disadvangtage is they are made of brass, then chrome (or nickel) plated. This plating wears off quickly as the bar is slid along the strings. Many dobro players use them today.

carl

* Billy Robinson was the Jerry Byrd protege' that was hired bye Red Foley, when Jerry quit Red over a dissagreement in the 40's during the time Red was the star on the old Prince Albert's "Grande Ole Orpy" national radio show.

Many, many listeners including my self never knew that the Jerry Byrd we heard backing Red was in fact Billy Robinson. One of Billy's classic rides was on Red's hit song "Tenneesee Saturday Nite". There is NO way one could tell it was not JB.

[This message was edited by C Dixon on 22 January 2001 at 09:57 AM.]

Another great musician from Florida, Vassar Clements, plays at the Festival every year. In 1999, Vassar and Kayton were part of a western swing band that played for a public dance. Kayton may be known for playing the melody, but he was doing some HOT improvising that night.

Kayton played the Theme song from the classic movie " Gone With The Wind," real name "Tara's Theme." It is one of the prettiest non-pedal songs I ever heard.

Kayton Roberts gets an AAA+ grade from this teacher. I'll always be a fan of his playing!

Thanks for your help. You are an asset to the Forum to all who want to learn.

God bless

I had the opportunity in a band I was in to open for Snow with Roberts two nights in a row back in the early 70's. We opening act young'n's were piled on top of each other in the wings watching Roberts' technical mastery both nights. Kayton was digging the attention and was "hot dogging" a bit- to the point that Snow stopped the show and said basically "If my steel player will calm down maybe we can get on with this..."

I wrote Byrd years ago and he stated in a return letter that he had recorded with Hank, but wasn't sure which songs he had done with him. He suggested that Jim Farmer may have recorded some tunes with him.

Of course Jim Farmer was with Marty Robbins for years. Byrd too recorded several songs with Marty, and even done a guest appearance on one of Marty's television episodes. He played accoustic dobro guitar, and he and Marty done a few skits on that show.

Kayton Roberts filled the bill with Hank or he wouldn't have played with him so long. I love Kayton's playing!

CC, it was Jerry and not Kayton?

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