News

November 2011 Newsletter

I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather. We here in Texas even got some rain!! We learned this past Monday that Red Kilby passed away. We had a good visit with him in St. Louis and he seemed to be doing well. The last thing he said to me was “I’ll see you in March”. He was a guy that loved the steel guitar and the shows. Red will be missed!

I just got back from Ruidoso and the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium. It was nearly like being at a steel show. Bobby Koefer and Bobby Black were there, both of International Hall of Fame. There were also several TSGA Hall of Famers, again Bobby Koefer, Gary Carpenter, Jr. Knight, and myself. Other players performing were Rick Price, bobby Baker, Roger Edgington, and David Wright. There was lots of great music and steel playing. The crowd was over 30,000 people.

The Jamboree is coming up real fast now. Make sure you have your reservations at the hotel. The Sheraton Grand’s number is 972-929-8400. Paul Franklin will have 2 seminars this Jamboree. This will be completely new seminars, one for beginner/intermediate and one for advanced players. Contact Paul’s website, www.paul-franklin.com after Thanksgiving and be sure to get signed up.

Fred Jack and his daughter, Joannie, both lost their home in the recent fires here in Texas near Bastrop. The TSGA benevolence fund was able to help them. Fred asked us to share his thoughts as follows:

Dear Albert and Debbie,

I have tried to hand write a thank you to the TSGA but to many errors and changes to make so I have decided to try this. This is much easier to correct that handwriting.

To the members and Associates of the TSGA.

As some of you know we, Peggy and I, and Joni and Jade and their family all lost our homes to the fires in Bastrop. Nothing left but rubble and a lifetime of memories. The important thing is that we escaped unharmed physically. I am happy to report that I saved a Sho Bud pedal steel guitar, an amplifier and a ShoBud seat. Also a bar and some picks. All but the amp was at one time Ralph Mooney’s equipment. You know, I loaded the important “stuff” and sent back for the kids. (ha-ha)

Peg was able to grab about 18 photo albums and some other “stuff” but you can only grab so much in 15 minutes and the car will only hold so much. Jade lost all her fiddles except for three. They got some things and Aleph got most of his guitars. We were all scurrying around and the police and fire dept were saying,”OUT! NOW! and we got in the cars to leave and my phone rang. It was Jade. “Moms out of gas. Our car won’t start.” Grab a can and head for the station. Wow! On the move at last.

The next few days were hectic but some time in there I received a phone call from Albert. “What can we do to help?” I said that we were off the street and were waiting to see what the damage was. Eleven days later we saw the results for the first time. Completely gone. We can live with these losses. Peg and I had things saved from 1955 plus an accumilation of “stuff” from 56 years togetherness. While some people had early american furniture we had early matrimony stuff and that’s where we are again.

What I want to say is Thank you to the Tsga for the generous gift from the benevolent fund. I never gave a thought to our ever using this benevolent fund but here its my turn. I really don’t know how to convey my real feelings about this so I just have to use these two little words. Thank you, TSSGA! They look so small and seem so inadequate but that’s our language.

One last thing I want to say. The financial help is great. It is a must. Everyone has to have some money but I want to express my gratitude for something else also. It is really overwhelming when I answer the phone and a friend says “hey Fred, you doin allright?’ Or “Hows everbody doin” or just a greeting. Friends are what is getting us through these times. I’m sure there will be bad days for a long time, as some of you have already experienced, but I am sure that there’ll be one or more of you that I can call on for some conversation to get through.

Best Regards to you all!
Fred and Peggy Jack
Joni, Aleph, Jade and Elizabeth

I spoke with Fred this week and they were on their way back from Nashville where Jade and Mooney’s daughter and granddaughter accepted an award for Ralph from the Renuion of Professional Musicians.

Don’t forget to vote for the Steel Player of the Year. Your nominee must have lived in Texas for at least one year. Be sure to mail it back to us! Let us hear from you!

Albert Talley
TSGA President