When Country Was King
I came across this article in the L.A. Times a few weeks ago. This scene was taking place in the area of Southern, CA where I grew up. Unfortunately I was born just as all of this musical greatness had come to a screeching halt. The musicians and guitar pickers that were playing at this time are still influencing my playing today. I also like Rose Lee Maphis’s quote ”I’m glad we were part of the business at that time, because back then, the business belonged to the entertainers” Enjoy…
A fact that’s been nearly lost to music history in general, and to Southern Californians in particular, is that from the 1940s right through 1960, our part of the state was well known for country music. We had our own unvarnished sound before Buck Owens and Bakersfield rose to prominence in the early 1960s. Merle Travis and Wynn Stewart may be our most famous exports, but be sure to check out Skeets McDonald, Molly Bee, Cliff Crofford and Billy Mize—and they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
The performances of that time have a vitality and authenticity that’s lacking in today’s Nashville product. Once you’ve been introduced to the canon of SoCal country, you’ll be hooked. For this, we can thank the scores of Dust Bowl and southern migrants, who in the 1930s brought their fulsome musical traditions to the Golden State. To accommodate these newcomers and the impulses of those who already lived here, dance halls and honky-tonks blossomed like California poppies.
As we were discussing the genre’s recent past, Americana musician James Intveld, an avid student of the California-roots sound, asked me, “Have you ever written anything about the Riverside Rancho?” It was a simple question that led to Read The Rest
Walnut Cutting Boards
TK played around with various shapes of Cutting Boards a while ago. After selling out of the initial run and using them ourselves, he has decided to stick with one simple shape in three sizes. Each board, made of Walnut, is individually Handcrafted by TK. Not only are they practical and easy on your knives, but they look amazingly beautiful stacked up in the kitchen! We like to think of the small cutting board as a “cocktail” board, perfect for cutting citrus for your favorite drink, the medium, great as a bread board and the large, for the bigger jobs in the kitchen.
We recently gave one as a wedding gift and the recipient said she didn’t want to use it “because it would get scratched up!” We explained that that’s the beauty of it. These boards will last a lifetime and look even better with visable use. Like everyone should, she needs to “feed” the board with food grade mineral oil or a commercial paste once in a while to keep the wood in the best condition, and of course hand wash with soapy water, never in the dishwasher.
TK’s cutting boards will be available for sale soon on this site, as well in various retail outlets. Feel free to contact us for info. Also, while relaxing over the long holiday weekend, check out our House Tour over at Alice in Designland. Thanks Dia!
Stratosphere Tuning
Since I wrote about The Stratosphere Twin Guitar, I’ve been getting numerous emails regarding the tuning Jimmy Bryant used on Stratosphere Boogie. So here it is along with string gauges and the note in relation to the standard six string tuning. I use flat wound strings so you might have to go a little heavier if your going to use round wounds but this should get you in the ballpark. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio
This band is heading to England to play the 15th annual Rockabilly Rave. I was fortunate enough to play guitar with Big Sandy and The Fly Rite Trio for five years from the late 80’s to early 90’s. The band consisted of Robert Williams, aka “Big Sandy”, Wally Hersom on bass, Bobby Trimble on drums and myself. In a short period, we played full time in clubs up and down the West Coast and throughout Europe. We recorded two albums, “Fly Rite with …Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio” which includes this song, and a second album, “on the GO“. In looking for photos of the band for the current Rave promotional Flyer, I came across these pictures taken over twenty years ago.
Since I rarely play live anymore, I have to ease up with the work in my shop to give my hands a rest in order to get in shape for the Rave. I have always played on a daily basis, still love to record and teach whenever I can.
Robert successfully carried on after this band with Big Sandy and his fly-rite boys, Wally has an amazing recording studio in Pasadena and plays in various bands around L.A., and Bobby, one of my favorite drummers, Read The Rest
