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Bill Monroe & The Steel Guitar Back in 71/72, I worked for Little Roy Wiggins at his "Music City" music store on lower Broadway. Little Roy, at the time, was also President of Grammer Guitar Co and trying to save the company (sadly it was unsuccessful). Being right around the corner from the Opry, we would put on shows on Saturday afternoons that often had a star from the Opry. Little Roy knew most of the performers at that time (he was still working the opry with the Willis Bros) and would get one to come over and do about an hour or so "to help him out getting his music store started". One Saturday Bill Monroe came over, after the Saturday Opry Matinee. and did about an hour with us - many times Little Roy would play steel, Bob Browning, who also worked at the store, would pick whatever he got his hands on and I would pick rhythm guitar. The big story here is that Bill Monroe worked with an amplified steel guitar! Little Roy kidded him about being the only time he ever worked with an "electric" steel guitar. With all the road stories about Bill being set in his ways and only using acoustic, this was a major event and probably the only time he worked with a non-acoustic instrument.
Jack Stoner (New Port Richey, Fl) |