I was driving around Sydney and I heard the
song "Misty" come on the radio. The solo came on
and I had to pull over to hear the rest of the song. I found
out it was Ray Stevens and J.D Manness playing steel. The
following week I traded in my prized Gibson J200 and I bought
my first steel, a Showbud Single Neck.
First Influences
Hank Marvin from the Shadows.
My first Steel guitar influence was Hal Rugg. He played on a lot
of Loretta Lynn albums which I loved.
First Gig
I was in my school
band, around 1974 playing at Campsie Masonic Hall. Unfortunately
we had to pack down and leave early as a fire broke out!
Worst Gig
Playing at a
wedding and spent most of the night being pelted with cheese
by some guys. Needless to say they were drunk! I threatened
the biggest guy with the leg of my steel!!!. When he backed
down, all was cool and no more cheese was thrown.
Day
Job
I worked
at EMI Records at Homebush when I first left school. Then I
worked for Births, Deaths and Marriages and an insurance company
before I became a full-time musician at age 18.
Fav.
Food
Any good
fish curry or lamb vindaloo
Fav
Pickers
Hank Marvin,
Buddy Emmons, Albert Lee, Hal Rugg, Lloyd Green, Chet Atkins
Stuie French and a jazz picker called Jimmy Rainey
Fav.
Singers
Frank Sinatra, Merle Haggard, George Jones,
Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan and Emmy Lou Harris
Fav.
Instrument
My new Zum
Steel and my DeGruchy Dobro - a dead heat between the two!!!
Biggest
Buzz
I have two - The first is when playing a
great gig with the Ferals and we're not even thinking, Stu and
I are playing as one.
The other biggest buzz was at the St Louis International Steel
Guitar Convention - Feral Swing Katz are on main stage playing
"Stealin' Corn" written by Norman Hamlet & Roy
Nichols (Roy and Norman are the main guys behind the Merle Haggard
sound). We dedicated it to Norman knowing that he was at the
Convention 'somewhere!' I got the fright of my life when halfway
through the song, I felt a hand on my shoulder and there was
Norman on stage with me!
