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Buddy Merrill
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This topic was originally posted in this forum: Wanted To Buy |
| Author | Topic: Buddy Merrill |
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Rick Collins Member Posts: 3286 |
posted 21 March 2001 08:46 AM
In a recent airing of a Lawrence Welk performers reunion on PBS, someone sang "Hawaiian Wedding Song",___no steel guitar. From reruns of the original Welk performances, I've seen him introduce a steel guitarist, Buddy Merrill. Was Buddy Merrill a regular on the Welk show when they were being televised regularly? Anyone know why he chose not to be part of the reunion? Rick |
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Mike Perlowin Member Posts: 6731 |
posted 21 March 2001 09:42 AM
Buddy played both lead and steel guitar, mostly lead. He made a string of easy listening records as a guitarist, and one (that I know of) steel album. I believe he is still alive, and lives in the Lake Elsenore area of Southern California. |
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Jim Eaton Member Posts: 1036 |
posted 21 March 2001 09:52 AM
I think he did two pedal steel records, I seem to remember two different album covers. JE:-)> |
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Russ Wever Member Posts: 770 |
posted 21 March 2001 11:01 AM
click> http://spaceagepop.com/merrill.htm |
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Roger Miller Member Posts: 344 |
posted 21 March 2001 07:05 PM
I heard from Clay Hart that Buddy was doing alot of Muzak tracks, and made the comment that he is one of the busiest recorders of Muzak(elevator music) |
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BobbeSeymour Member Posts: 5664 |
posted 21 March 2001 07:12 PM
Is'nt that 'bout right,L.Welk to elevator muzak music, Am I the only one that sees the humor in this? maybe I'm looking to hard. |
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Fred Murphy Member Posts: 669 |
posted 22 March 2001 08:08 AM
He did have two albums and I have them both. One is called Buddy Merrrill Country Capers.Songs are(Country Caprs, Spanish Harlem, Proud Mary, Colors and Lines, Jambalya, One Toke Over the Line, Okie From Muskogee, Blue Eyes Cryin; in The Rain, Steel Strike, Last Date, Dream Baby, and If I were A Dreamer). The other ablum is titled,Steel Guitar Country, and the songs are,(Smokey Mountain Breakdown, Honey, Kaw-Liga, Love of The Common People, With Pen In Hand, Steel Guiltar Chimes, Steel Drivin' Man, Rose Garden, Rollin' Home, Snowbird, Liza Jane, And Steel Guitar Rag.) He pictures an Emmons guitar on both albums. He also shows pictures of four guitar albums for sale on the back of the cover. Titled (The Guitar Sounds of Buddy Merrill, The Best of Buddy Merrill, Guitar Sounds of The 70s, and Beyond The Reef. |
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Rick Collins Member Posts: 3286 |
posted 22 March 2001 08:49 AM
quote: I think you just might be, Bobbe. Lawrence Welk must have had a great following, to have sustained the popularity of his music for so long. I know him from the TV reruns. I've never heard of another big band with such versitility,___country, Hawaiian, pop, jazz, you name it; his show did just about all kinds of music. Rick [This message was edited by Rick Collins on 22 March 2001 at 12:56 PM.] |
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Darvin Willhoite Member Posts: 2322 |
posted 22 March 2001 11:41 AM
I caught part of an old LW show a few months back, and someone sang a song about as Country as Country could get. Buddy was playing what looked to be a Fender 1000, and sounded really good. I have 2 of his Steel Guitar albums. He seemed to have a really "driving" style, not an easy "Lloyd Green" style. Both albums are really good. |
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BobbeSeymour Member Posts: 5664 |
posted 22 March 2001 12:35 PM
The remark I made was not to offend you, Rick. It's an inside joke amongst musicians... |
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Rick Collins Member Posts: 3286 |
posted 22 March 2001 01:58 PM
Bobbe, No offense,__of course. I just appreciate the efforts of that group. They tried to please everyone; sometimes that's a problem. Too, I may have four equal sides and four equal angles; but I even like some of the elevator music. Rick |
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BobbeSeymour Member Posts: 5664 |
posted 22 March 2001 02:21 PM
Rick, Intellegent post,your obviously a nice person. I'm famous for my weird humor! I worked the L.welk show on four diffrent ocations (Iwas A Lynn Anderson employee for four years) got to know most of the guys pretty well, Hence the inside joke. I forget this forum is read by more than my imediate family.(weird humor again) Your friend Bobbe |
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Jim Eaton Member Posts: 1036 |
posted 22 March 2001 03:06 PM
Bobbe, The fact that you got to play the LW show is really cool. In it's day, it was the "big time" of live music on TV. I grew up watching that show with my folks. I use to sell reeds to some of the LW horn players that lived in the San Fernando valley near the music store where I worked. They always use to tell me that "Larrys" taste in music was not always the same as there's was, but when it came to steady work, you could not beat the gig! JE:-)> |
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Jason Odd Member Posts: 2665 |
posted 22 March 2001 05:55 PM
Speaking of country.. Welk's accordian player, and arranger Myron Floren used to work in the St. Louis area with the Shady Valley group in the late 1940s, this group included steel great Gene Fields. While George Cates, another important member of Welk's outfit, a composer and arranger, also worked with various Big Bands and Jimmy Wakely's group in the 1940s. So, I guess they had all sorts of experience, as I've never heard or seen the Lawrence Welk sjow, I know all the reference points, jokes and trivia, but have yet to experience this lounge drama for myself.. it does sound wonderfully strange though. |
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c c johnson Member Posts: 1353 |
posted 23 March 2001 04:48 AM
Buddy did play a Fender when the show first came on in black and white. He later switched to an Emmons. Buddy played back up steel to Bernie Kaai on welks hawaiian album and he also had a hawaiian album of his own and from talking with people all around the world I must have the only copy ever made. Bobbe, great to have you more active on the forum. ------------------ |
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Roger Miller Member Posts: 344 |
posted 23 March 2001 03:45 PM
Bobbe: gotta start your jokes out with a Aonna and a twooa. Someday Bobbe you and I will talk about you getting my first Job in Nashville. I hated the singer but I payed my dues, right. Aonna and a twooa. |
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Marco Schouten Member Posts: 920 |
posted 23 March 2001 04:06 PM
Mr Johnson, You just found the second one! Beyond the Reef ------------------ |
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c c johnson Member Posts: 1353 |
posted 23 March 2001 04:42 PM
Glad to hear someone else has the merrill hawaiian album. I notice that you do not show the Welk hawaiian album with bernie kaai on lead steel and merrel playing backup steel. As this is out of print and has been for ages I will cut you a cassette if you send me your snail add. I am quite sure we will not be cheating anyone. Of course if you have info that we will, we will not do the cassette ------------------ |
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memphislim Member Posts: 143 |
posted 30 March 2001 10:26 AM
I've got all three and notice a clear difference between the two pedal and the hawaiian one. The pedal ones sound cheesy, and the tone and intonation is sketchy. The hawaiian one on the other hand is right on, very polished sounding. Anyone else notice this or have a possible explanation. |
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Gene Jones Member Posts: 5796 |
posted 31 March 2001 05:06 AM
These posts pertaining to Buddy Merrill sparked a memory from somewhere in the past so I started searching my library and found a 4-track reel-to-reel tape from way back in (?) entitled "Songs of the Islands", interpreted by Lawrence Welk, featuring Buddy Merrill. (Stereo Tape DST-25251)The bio said Merrill joined Welk when he was 17, couldn't read music at first, but became one of the "best band arrangers in the business". No info on what steel he was playing, and I wasn't curious enough to retrieve my Roberts Cross-field Head tape player from the attic to find out. As I said, I don't remember what it sounded like, but if it is any indication the tape looks like it was only played a few times! |
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Craig A Davidson Member Posts: 1722 |
posted 05 April 2001 08:30 AM
Roger, was that singer's initials M.M.? And I don't mean Marilyn Monroe. Gotta go and see if My Tom Netherton album has come in the mail yet.  ------------------ |
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Rick Schmidt Member Posts: 1596 |
posted 05 April 2001 12:28 PM
Buddy lives about 5 minutes from me in Murrieta CA ( near Lake Elsinore ). I'm proud to say that he's a pal of mine. He still plays out occationally, but he has to care for his semi-invalid wife so he picks and chooses his gigs carefully. He plays steel now better than ever, and for some unknown reason thats all he plays on his gigs...even though he's a great 6 string player! He plays a PP Emmons through a Music Man 2x12 amp and gets a great tone! (IMHO way better than most of his past steel recordings) Buddy and his wife are 2 of the nicest, most down to earth people you'd ever want to meet! |
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c c johnson Member Posts: 1353 |
posted 05 April 2001 01:18 PM
I had heard somrtime ago about Buddys wife. Please give them my best wishes CC ------------------ |
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Al Marcus Member Posts: 7471 |
posted 08 April 2001 09:02 PM
I always appreciated Buddy Merrill in Lawrence Welk's big band orchestra. This was at least exposing the steel guitar to the general public, who loved Lawrence Welk and his music, and they were on the air and TV for so many years. Every time a steel player is with a big band or pop band and plays music that the general public can hum to, that is going to help get more acceptance for the Steel Guitar.....al |
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