Bobby Black (guitarist)
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Bobby Black born Robert L. Black (May 11, 1934 - ) is a pedal steel Steel guitar guitarists. He was inducted into the California Western Swing Society Hall of Fame..[1] and the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame[2]. In 2021, Black received the Arhoolie Foundation’s Arhoolie Award celebrating America’s roots music.[3] He was the pedal steel player in Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen[4][5][6], Asleep At The Wheel Asleep at the Wheel[7], and the New Riders Of The Purple Sage New Riders of the Purple Sage[7]. He has also played with Barbara Mandrell Barbara Mandrell[8] Tom Waits,[9] and numerous other acts[9]. He has performed on television and radio programs including A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor[10].
During the years he spent playing with Asleep At The Wheel, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, and New Riders of the Purple Sage, he introduced the steel guitar to countless young music audiences in the 1960’s and `70’s.[11]
Black’s first genre was Hawaiian music.[12] He began his performing career in country western music[12]; he also plays rock, pop, jazz, Western swing, West Coast swing, and bebop.[2][7]
Influences[edit]
Hawaiian music Harry Owens and His Royal Hawaiians Harry Owens , Eddie Bush’s steel guitar.[7]
Spade Cooley’s Spade Cooley steel guitarist, Earl “Joaquin” Murphey.[7]
Texas Playboy The Texas Playboys steel guitarist Noel Boggs Noel Boggs[12]
Background
Birth Name Robert Lee Black
Born: May 11, 1934
Prescott, Arizona
Genres: Western, Country Western Swing, Hawaiian, Bop, Rock, Americana
Occupation: Musician
Instruments: Steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, piano
Years active: 1950 -
Labels: Dot/Paramount - MGM - United Artists - Dolton (Subsidiary of Liberty Records) Warner Brothers - Arista - Cumberland (subsidiary of Mercury)
Associated Acts (partial list): Asleep At The Wheel, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen,
New Riders of the Purple Sage, Blackie Crawford and the Western Cherokees https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29025649/blackie-crawford-red-hayes-paris/ , Barbara Mandrell, The Moonlighters, Shorty Joe and his Red Rock Canyon Cowboys http://cowpokeradio.com/shorty-joe-red-rock-canyon-cowboys/, Tom Waits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Waits
Website: https://www.bobbyblacksteel.com/
Early life[edit]
Bobby Black (Robert Lee Black) was born in Prescott, Arizona in 1934. His father, Robert Black, worked for Woolworth’s department store. His mother, Ruth, was a homemaker and played piano. Bobby’s brother Larry was born in 1936. Both brothers took piano lessons.[8]
During his childhood, Black listened to pop and big-band music on the radio. Upon hearing Harry Owens and His Royal Hawaiians, he decided he wanted to learn how to play the instrument.[8]
Black also listened to Western swing as played by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys Bob Wills and Spade Cooley, whose steel guitar player Earl “Joaquin” Murphey caught Bobby’s attention.
In 1947, the Black family moved to San Mateo, California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Mateo,_California . In 1948, on his 14th birthday, Bobby received a six-string Rickenbacker http://www.rickenbacker.com/model_all.asp?series=all steel guitar and amplifier. He heard Jerry Byrd’s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Byrd recording, “Steelin’ The Blues”[7] and wrote a letter to Byrd, saying that he’d bought Byrd’s record. Byrd wrote back and gave Black his C6 pedal steel tuning.[8] Using Byrd’s tuning, Black started playing by ear, copying the solos on the records.[8] He convinced his younger brother Larry to learn guitar so that they could play together as an act.[7]
Career[edit]
1950’s to 1970[edit]
In 1950, Bobby and Larry Black were invited to join the Double H Boys, playing swing music for dances in San Jose and around Palo Alto. Bobby was 16, Larry 14.[8][7]
In 1951, they joined Shorty Joe Quartuccio and his Red Rock Canyon Cowboys[13], the house band at Tracy Gardens. The brothers accompanied local amateurs, including George Jones, at that time stationed at nearby Moffett Field and billed as “Little Georgie Jones, the singing Marine.”[7][14]
In 1952, Black joined Blackie Crawford and his Western Cherokees[8]. He toured widely with Crawford, traveling in Texas and all over the mid-west. The band, who’d backed Lefty Frizzell and Webb Pierce, relocated to Beaumont, Texas, in 1953.[8]
Starday Records https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starday_Records owner Jack Starnes recorded Bobby Black as backup singer on Arlie Duff ‘shttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlie_Duff “You All Come,” Starday’s first national hit,[8] He accompanied George Jones on the Starday session that kicked off Jones’ career.[11] Black left Texas and returned to California to get married.[8]
Black and his wife settled in San Mateo, and he went to work for Pacific Bell; Larry married soon after and worked at Lockheed. The brothers joined Big Jim DeNoon’s band on the local “Hoffman Hayride” TV show (later renamed “California Hayride”)[8], a widely watched San Francisco Bay Area live television show.[8]
The Black brothers put together a band they called the West Coast All Stars.[8] Both men were holding down day jobs, supporting their families, and working in two bands. The brothers were fired from the California Hayride, and the All Stars disbanded.[8]
The Blacks, both divorced, began writing songs and recording them on a home two-track Ampex tape recorder.[8] They shopped the tape around Los Angeles, and in early 1961, Dore Records issued several vocal singles of the Blacks under the name The Tides, and the instrumental “Gently My Love” under the name The Triplets.[8]
The Dolton label issued three of the Blacks’ instrumentals under the name the Five Whispers from 1962 to ’64. Their cover of Lionel Hampton’s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Hampton ballad “Midnight Sun” became a #1 hit in Bakersfield.[8]
In 1965, Pete Drake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Drake , one of Nashville’s top pedal-steel players, got them signed to United Artists Records.[8] However, Black was not happy with the material the band was playing, and he returned to the Bay Area. The Blacks’ band became the house band at Cowtown.[8]
1970 - 2000[edit]
At Cowtown, Wednesday Amateur Nights offered a $50 prize.[8] In 1971, contestants included some members of the Lost Planet Airmen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander_Cody_and_His_Lost_Planet_Airmen - Bill Kirchen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Kirchen, John Tichy, and fiddler Andy Stein https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Stein.[8] Andy Stein urged Black to join them, to replace the departing steel player Steve Davis.[8] Stein gave Black a copy of their first album, Lost in the Ozone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_the_Ozone. Black joined the band, transforming it from a bar band to a highly polished and professional troupe of musicians.
A series of hits followed, but the band began to encounter financial obstacles within the recording industry[8], and in 1974, Black left the Cody band and he and his brother Larry again moved to Nashville.[8]
Black played steel for Barbara Mandrell[8], then returned to California and joined the New Riders of the Purple Sage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New Riders of the Purple Sage#Vintage NRPS: 1969%E2%80%931982 from 1978-1980.[8] He played with Asleep At The Wheel from 1980 to 1981[8]. He also played with the Moonlighters, a Commander Cody spinoff band[15]
2000- current[edit]
Black has played continuously since leaving Asleep At TheWheel. He has worked with the Robert Gordon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gordon (musician), Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, Bill Kirchen, The Saddle Cats https://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/artist/saddle-cats/, and many others.
Personal life[edit]
Black married Marlene Bender in 1953. They have two sons, Robert Paul Black (b. June 6, 1954) and Kim Edward Black (b. September 6, 1957). They divorced in 1959. In 1973 he married Sheila Ann Owen.
Selected discography[edit]
Individual Albums[edit]
1978: "California Freedom"
1980: "Honky Cat"
1984: "Skull Orchard - The Black Brothers"
2001: "The Steel Guitar Of Bobby Black"
2011: “Steel Swingin’” with Paul Anastasio, Bobby Black, Tony Marcus
2022: “Bobby Black, 70 Years Of Swinging Steel”
Date Unknown: “Steel Guitar Paradise”
Notable Concerts[edit]
1972 Ann Arbor, Michigan with Commander Cody, sharing the bill with John Lennon, Stevie Wonder and Chuck Berry.
1973 Palm Springs, California with Commander Cody, Jerry Reed & Kris Kristofferson.
1973 Harlem, New York City with Commander Cody, opening for the Eagles and Earth, Wind & Fire.
1974 New York City, Carnegie Hall, with Doug Sahm.
1975 Played for President Nixon in Huntsville, Alabama with Barbara Mandrell.
1976 Winterland, San Francisco, with New Riders of the Purple Sage, sharing the billing with The Blues Brothers and The Beach Boys.
1977 Oakland, California, "A Day on the Green" concert with Commander Cody, opening for Elton John & The Eagles.
1978 Meadowlands in New Jersey, with New Riders of the Purple Sage, sharing billing with Willie Nelson and The Grateful Dead (77,000 in attendance).
1987 With Jerry Byrd at the annual Hoolaulea in Hawaii for the "Best of the Hawaiian Steel Guitarists."
Further Associated Acts (not exhaustive)[edit]
Bobby Bare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Bare, Norton Buffalo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Buffalo, The Coasters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coasters, Eddie Cochran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Cochran, Hank Cochran https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Cochran, David Allan Coe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Allan_Coe, Cowboy Copas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_Copas, Blackie Crawford and his Western Cherokees , Big Jim DeNoon, Tommy Duncan, Arlie Duff, Danny Gatton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Gatton, Robert Gordon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gordon (musician) , Merle Haggard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Haggard, Maria Muldaur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Muldaur, Shorty Joe, David Gans https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gans_(musician), Larry Gatlin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Gatlin, George Jones https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Jones , The Jordanaires https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jordanaires , Bill Kirchen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Kirchen, Laurie Lewis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Lewis , Rose Maddox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Maddox, Barbara Mandrell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Mandrell, The Moonlighters, Willie Nelson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Nelson, New Riders of the Purple Sage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Riders_of_the_Purple_Sage, Buck Owens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Owens , Ray Price, Marty Robbins, Peter Rowan, Doug Sahm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Sahm , Lily Tomlin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lily_Tomlin , Merle Travis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Travis, Link Wray https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_Wray.
Movie Appearances and/or Soundtracks[edit]
1976: "Hollywood Boulevard" (appeared in the movie and on the soundtrack)
1977: "Thunder & Lightning" (soundtrack), starring David Carridine.
1980: "Roadie" (starring Art Carnie, Blondie, Meatloaf, etc. (appeared in the movie and on the soundtrack)
Television Shows[edit]
Grand Ole Opry
The Wilburn Brothers Show
Police Woman (Angie Dickenson & Earl Holliman)
Biography (featuring Barbara Mandrell,
and the then, Lady Bird Johnson)
Hoffman Hayride
California Hayride
Talent Prospector
The Les Malloy Show
The Del Courtney Show
The Black Jack Wayne Show
Bay Area Backroads
Don Kirshner's Rock Concert https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Kirshner%27s_Rock_Concert , Midnight Special (with Wolfman Jack) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Midnight_Special (TV_series)
Radio Shows[edit]
Big D Jamboree
Louisiana Hayride https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Hayride
Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor on PBS
West Coast Live (PBS)
Grand Ole Opry radio shows
10. Musical Stage Productions:
"Cumberland Blues" (1998)
"Chaps" (1998)
References[edit]
- ↑ "Last Name B". www.westernswingsociety.net. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame". www.scottysmusic.com. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ "Arhoolie Awards Honorees 2021". The Arhoolie Foundation. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.) (Concise ed.). London: Virgin Books. pp. 292–293. ISBN 1-85227-745-9. Search this book on
- ↑ Tamarkin, Jeff (2021-11-16). "When Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen Were 'Lost in the Ozone' (Again)". Best Classic Bands. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ "Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 "70 Years of Swinging Steel | Bobby Black's Music". Grateful Web. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 8.19 8.20 8.21 8.22 8.23 8.24 8.25 8.26 Kienzle, Rich. "Bobby Black | Vintage Guitar® magazine". Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Bobby Black | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ "Music Information - January 13, 2001". www.prairiehome.org. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Gilbert, Andrew (2018-02-07). "Bobby Black — for decades, at the pinnacle of pedal steel". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Legendary Country Guitar Player Bobby Black Goes Hawaiian". East Bay Express | Oakland, Berkeley & Alameda. 2019-12-10. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ Posted by Michael Limnios Blues Network on November 4, 2021 at 10:00am; Blog, View. "Q&A with pedal steel legend Bobby Black, one of the last members of the first generation of players to introduce it to American music". blues.gr. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ "Bobby Black, Crying Time celebrate George Jones in Berkeley". The Mercury News. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ↑ "The Moonlighters - Northern California". www.globerecords.com. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
External links[edit]
Tom Bradshaw, Hippies," Hopefuls, and the Hall of Fame : The Steel Guitar Forum
Rich Kienzle Vintage Guitar, Steel Before and After Commander Cody Bobby Black | Vintage Guitar® magazine
Bobby Black receiving the Arhoolie Award. The Arhoolie Foundation presents The Arhoolie Awards: Celebrating American Roots Music
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