that's "Legendary"...
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/13528623.htm

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Mark

[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 03 January 2006 at 11:35 AM.]

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http://www.andreandthenighthounds.com/

quote:

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It's light and it covers what I want to do musically.

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Economy of thought and gear. Nothing else matters but the music. Wish I could catch him too.

quote:

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With Country Joe McDonald and Friends.

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Haven't heard that name since Woodstock back in '69, but now it's Friends.

"Sweet,Funky Steel" (vinyl)
&
"Back In Chicago" (CD)

I,also,have an old 8 trk. of Charley Musselwhite,("Memphis Tennessee") which features Freddie on it. I plan on transferring it to CD.
I missed him the year he was in St. Louis. Wish I coulda been there. Hope he does it again.

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  ~ ~
  ©¿©  It don't mean a thang,   
  mm   if it ain't got that twang.
       www.ntsga.com

I always did kind of like the smell of some brands of pipe tobacco, from a distance anyway.

Billy, you're local-are you going to go to any of these upcoming Freddie gigs?

High
E
C#
A
E
C#
A

Drew

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Drew Howard - website - Fessenden guitars, 70's Fender Twin, etc.

As I have yet to see Freddie live, I would like to go to one of the gigs. Hey Billy, I generally avoid getting off the freeway in Richmond like its the plague. Probably the roughest town in the Bay Area, I believe it has the highest crime rate. This club in the Point Richmond area, that I know has newer neigborhoods, etc.-is this in an area where you wouldn't feel hesitant about taking your wife with you to check out some music?

I may sound like the typical fearful middle class guy from the suburbs-but for you folks in other parts of the country-Richmond has a reputation out here.

Here are the particulars on Freddie's bars from Andy Volk's "Lap Steel Guitar"(which I just bought a few weeks ago and it is outstanding. I have no stake in this-I have never met Andy, except through the Forum, but his book is a "must have").

"I had those specially made from an aircraft precision tool manufacturer in Oakland. It's made out of Dacron plastic. They use it out in space where you can't oil your gears. It's tough as steel-one of the toughest plastics on the market. It comes in tubes and he puts it in a cold press, pours hot lead through it, cuts it off and I get a pure lead bar covered with Dacron plastic."

"I've been using the same bar for years and there's not a nick in it. The reason for using plastic is because it's a silent bar-no noise at all. It takes the high end off and gives you a warm sound. You just kick the high end up on your amp a little bit and that's it. It's a mellow sound. He makes such good bars I haven't seen him in years (laughs)."

Thanks for the info, Billy. Maybe we'll get there early and do the dinner.

I've heard that Point Richmond is a nice little enclave, away from the "war zone"-but I didn't want to assume anything...for some reason, even after living in the greater Bay Area for most of my life-I have never gotten off the freeway there and ventured into that area.

With an 8-string, Freddie has two extra strings to fool around with. Adding a 7th out of order at the top or bottom is a very smart choice for fast pentatonic picking. East Coast Sacred Steelers add a 7th, but it is usually in order. They also have the double root, but it is on pedal steel, where they can have the root for open chord strumming, or hit a pedal and lower it to the 7th. It's a little surprising Freddie didn't use the extra low string to get a low 5th. But, unlike the old thumb thumpers, if he plays lead in a group with a bass, he doesn't need that low 5th so much for keeping his own bass line going I guess.

Another West Coast blues lap steeler was L.C. "Good Rockin'" Robinson. He also played blues fiddle, and had a record on Arhoolie.

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 03 January 2006 at 12:20 PM.]

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http://www.andreandthenighthounds.com/

What a great player-and what a thrill for you, Michael, to have actually worked with him!

Earl Hooker was a real original and a great player. I believe he played slide in standard tuning.

I would say he is one of the finest guitar players in Sonoma County-he can play anything and play it well. And we have some pretty serious players up here-the aforementioned Steve Kimock lives in west county as does Elvin Bishop, and I'm probably leaving out some other big dogs.

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Mark

[This message was edited by Mark Eaton on 03 January 2006 at 03:54 PM.]

When you played with him, did he ever do the comedy bit with the pre-recorded solo? He'd be wailing on the guitar, then he'd take it off, set it down, light a smoke, walk offstage, and the guitar would still be playing a solo. Then he'd come back onstage, pick up the guitar, and commence to wailing again! To this 20-year-old, it was astounding!

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

When I interviewed him, Freddie told me that Earl Hooker played great Charlie Christian-style swing guitar but hardly ever pulled that particular rabbit out of his hat.

As far as CDs, his 1999 German release, Spirit of Steel, while a bit inconsistent, is better than Back in Chicago. f Freddie really burns on some of those cuts.
Link to web site.

Edited by Brad Bechtel to shorten the URL.

http://guitarvideos.com/dvd/13069dvd.htm

Note that "Sleepwalk" is mis-labled as "Sweet Walk".

[This message was edited by Andy Volk on 04 January 2006 at 06:06 AM.]