Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 98

HIT LIST REVIEWS

STEEL MASTER

B

efore and even after
pedal-steel guitars
began showing up
on country records, Jerry
Byrd (1920-2005) and his
lap steel remained a gold
standard. Whether soloing
or accompanying, his
distinctive, easy-flowing,
undulating lines, flawless
voicings and a tone oozing
warmth and depth, earned
him the title Master of
Touch and Tone. The Ohio
native's playing became a
starting point for generations of steel greats,
including Buddy Emmons,
Lloyd Green, Curly Chalker
among them. Other admirers include Jerry Garcia
and Jimmie Vaughan.
Byrd was ubiquitous on
country records produced
in Cincinnati and Nashville
in the late '40s and early
'50s. He worked with Opry
star Red Foley's band,
Pleasant Valley Boys, as
heard on the Foley hits
"Tennessee Saturday
Night" and "Blues In My
Heart." His work enhanced
the Hank Williams classics
"Lovesick Blues" and "I'm
So Lonesome I Could Cry."

Byrd's Expedition offers
30 instrumentals from
his 1949-'53 period with
Mercury Records, encom-

Jerry Byrd

Byrd's Expedition
passing country, pop, Hawaiian, and jazz. Enough
cannot be said for the
quality of this collection.
The material was remastered and in some cases,
a record's speed was
corrected. Co-producer
Dave Samuelson chose
the music wisely and
his authoritative notes
provide ample context.
It begins with Byrd's
signature tune, "Steelin'
The Blues," recorded with
Foley's band including
lead guitarist Zeke Turner.
"Steelin' The Chimes"

features his easygoing interactions with
Turner. Byrd enhanced his
sound in various ways,
creating proto-wah by
manipulating his tone
control on "Wabash
Wah-Wah Blues."
He also had a special
synergy with Chet Atkins,
the result of working
recording sessions
together in the early '50s.
Byrd's easy confidence
and Chet's fire and
adventure account for
riveting takes of "Limehouse Blues," "Gold Coast
Blues," "Georgia Steel
Guitar," "Jitterbug Waltz,"
and "Turner's Turnpike."
His deep affinity for
Hawaiian fare emerges
on the lively "Maui
Chimes," "Hilo March,"
his understated, elegant
treatments of Sol Hoopii's
"Twilight Blues," and his
own "Paradise Isle."
Byrd stood his ground.
He recorded country, pop,
and Hawaiian singles
and albums into the '60s.
Refusing to switch to
pedal steel, however,
left him out of sync and
deeply dispirited. And
on sessions he often
turned to electric bass.
A 1964 trip to Hawaii
re-inspired him. When
he settled there in '72,
he picked the perfect
moment. In the land of its
birth, the steel guitar's
popularity was in deep
decline. Over the next
29 years, Byrd restored
the instrument's stature
through his performances,
records, and teaching.
Decades before he died,
he was beloved and
revered throughout the Islands. This extraordinary
collection documents
the beginnings of that
journey. - Rich Kienzle

VINTAGE GUITAR

98

February 2018

Billy Burnette

the inclusion of Tommy Bolin's funkier
guitarmanship, heard here "You Keep On
Movin'" and the searing slide of "Dealer,"
both from 1975.
From the notorious Man in Black,
most of the '70s masterpieces are here:
"Highway Star," "Burn," "Smoke On The
Water," "Mistreated," and more. Listen to
Blackmore's speedy ES-335 chops on 1968's
"Mandrake Root," along with crunchers
from the Mk. II reunions, such as "Perfect
Strangers" (1984) and "The Battle Rages
On" (1993).
In all, this collection weaves together a
half century of guitar thunder from the
mighty Purp - and does so with convincing
authority. - PP

Billy Burnette

Crazy Like Me

Bi l ly Burnet te
was born to rock
and roll. His bassplaying father Dorsey Burnette was one
third of the great trifecta of rockabilly,
Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio.
And Billy himself went on to play rockabilly,
as well as a long career, including supporting
guitar in Fleetwood Mac. He's still rocking
and rolling, and while his music may not
blaze trails, rockabilly isn't rocket science;
it's about feel and energy, and Billy puts it
down with style.



Vintage Guitar - February 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vintage Guitar - February 2018

Contents
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - Cover
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - IFC
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 3
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 4
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 5
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 6
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 7
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 8
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 9
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - Contents
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 11
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 12
Vintage Guitar - February 2018 - 13
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