WRIGHT and SIERRA Steel Guitar History

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 26 Jan 2002 7:44 am

Hi Roy, you shopped at the Mandrell's (I believe it's Irby Mandrell) music store, was that in Oceanside?

David, ..respect man. I have been meaning to email you for ages as I wanted to find out more about your dad's work. I feel like I missed the boat, but at the same time I am very excited and keen to see what you'll come up with.
My best wishes to you and Chuck.

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 26 Jan 2002 8:39 pm

Roger and David, I wish I still had that one of a kind Sierra. It may not be the advanced player that are made today but it was a striking looking guitar. It weighed a ton but it was a sight to behold and represented a leap forward in design. Chuck wanted to break away from the norm in design and the Sierra's of today still represent that vision. Thanks David for the info on the where-abouts of that rare piece of history, thanks, Gary.

David Wright · Post by **David Wright** » 29 Jan 2002 12:31 pm

Roy McKinny, no my Dad had nothing to do with it, I believe Don and Tom work that out..
Jason: Irby was a close friend to our family, My Dad got him a job selling Standel amps on the road I remember he would come and stay with us anytime he was in Northern Ca, I remember when we drove down to L.A. to take Barbara her 4 neck Wright, she was 12 I think, I was 10 or so , we stayed a few days with them, Barbara was a tom boy , we ran a foot race and she kick my ass , she was a fast little one.

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[url=http://david_wright1.tripod.com/]My Web Page[/url]
Sierra S-12 9&7
Peavey-2000-PX-300

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 29 Jan 2002 1:19 pm

I met Chuck when he was with MSA in south oak cliff,dallas.Great stories he told CC

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 29 Jan 2002 6:40 pm

Cool story, actually there's something else I've been meaning to ask. The Jimmy Rivers 45 singles on the Cavalier label, did your father play on any of those sides at all?
I assumed that he did as they were mainly cut in the 1950s.

David Wright · Post by **David Wright** » 29 Jan 2002 7:04 pm

Jason, yes he did, jazz me blues was one and can't remember the other, he also played on Red Murell"s records, it was the Jimmy Rivers Band that backed Red...

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[url=http://david_wright1.tripod.com/]My Web Page[/url]
Sierra S-12 9&7
Peavey-2000-PX-300

Mylos Sonka · Post by **Mylos Sonka** » 29 Jan 2002 8:21 pm

David,

A year or two before Red died he sent me a copy of a tape he made for his daughter-- all the stuff he had that he recorded between ca. 1946 and 1974. Here are the tunes-- could you tell me which ones your dad is on?

I dreamed of an old love affair
greenback dollar
maiden's prayer
thou shalt not
i wonder why
talking guitar
where the blind meet the blind
wedding vows
charlie's side
a million years for you
yesterdays with you
i know i still care
sue city sue
don't blame me
get that chip off your shoulder
in her own peculiar way
don't pal around with me
you better get wise
jambalaya
sittin here along feelin blue
i'm sick and tired of you
good old country moon it'll happen to you
that's the way she got away
nobody but you
hide your face
paper heart
the letter i forgot to mail
sittin on top of the world
baby girl
covered wagons rolled right along
steel guitar rag
i learned my lesson today
moonsick buckaroo
walkin the floor over you

Red Murrell and Vance Terry died within a week of each other last year around this time.

The way I was told the story, Vance Terry took over from your dad on steel with Rivers on New Years Eve in December 1959. I think that Vance was still playing his Bigsby at that point (There are some radio station recordings of Vance playing the Bigsby in 1957.). Your dad built him a steel, and they would critique it and sell it and put the proceeds into building another, then another and another--your dad told me he built at least nine steels for Vance. The last one was the double-11 with the double-tiered banks of 19 pedals.

I have got pictures of Vance playing a couple of those steels in the early sixties. Do you still have a host site for photos? I could send you jpegs for posting them if you want to link them to this string.

Take it slow,

Mylos[This message was edited by Mylos Sonka on 29 January 2002 at 08:22 PM.][This message was edited by Mylos Sonka on 30 January 2002 at 06:05 AM.]