Who played guitar on 'Goin' Steady'?

[RayL]

Take a listen to 'Goin' Steady' by Tommy Sands (it's on Youtube). From the opening, the guitar player mutes the lower strings and plays a neat little figure with a big, big, slapback echo that's timed to the beat. The singer sings the verses and choruses in an easy casual fashion.

Then the guitarist really breaks out on the solo and plays eight bars of frantic rock'n'roll. Who was it? Remember, this is only 1957. Guitarists with that sort of special skill wouldn't have been thick on the ground. It's a very clean recording, done in a major studio, so it's likely to have been a session player.

Who could have played a solo like that in 1957?

Ray

[rogera]

I can't help with who the guitarist is Ray but I agree with your thoughts about them being a session player and the solo is terrific.

I'd forgotten all about Tommy Sands.

[cockroach]

I think it would depend on where that track was recorded, to be able to have a guess at who played on it.

If it was recorded in LA , then it could be someone like Howard Roberts, Barney Kessell, George Barnes, etc etc...if it was done in Nashville, maybe Grady Martin or Harold Bradley, if it was done in New York, Vinnie Bell or one of many similar talented session guitarists)

There are loads of similar rock'n'roll lead guitar solos from the records of the '50's- I love that style and sound and play it today with that sound myself with my band - as well as Buddy Holly, Cliff & Shads material etc ! I use a Squier Tele and /or a Strat copy with a Marshall MG50DFX, using the excellent echo/delay in the amp...I was getting that sound last Friday and Saturday nights at our last gigs!

[JimN]

That record doesn't sound like it was made in Los Angeles. It isn't laid back enough and sounds too intense for the West Coast.

As already observed, it sounds more Nashville, so possibly Grady Martin, or maybe even Chet.

This is the very bottom of the memory barrel I'm dredging, but wasn't Tommy Sands married to Nancy Sinatra (Jnr)?

[RayL]

Jim,
The dredging of your memory barrel was successful. According to Wikipedia [can it be trusted?),"In 1960, Sands married Nancy Sinatra, from whom he was divorced in 1965. At that point in his career, Frank Sinatra had him "blacklisted" in the entertainment industry". Lucky for Tommy that he was only blacklisted!

Meanwhile, back to the record, Tommy Sands recorded for Capitol (which had been acquired by EMI in 1955). Capitol were based in Los Angeles and had studios at Hollywood and Vine.

On the other hand, Be-Bop-a-Lula (recorded by Gene Vincent for Capitol a year earlier) had been recorded in Owen Bradley's studio in Nashville (where Buddy Holly also recorded in 1956). So Nashville is also a possibility (especially in the use of slap-back echo).

Like dropping a pebble in a pond, the ripples of the internet are marvelous for bringing little pieces of information to light (like the George Barnes thread in the General section). If anyone finds out about that Goin' Steady guitarist, I'd be interested to know - it really is a tasty little solo (and the two-note 'sax solo' extended over four bars all adds to the fun!).
Ray

[Uncle Fiesta]

It's amazing how good some of that early stuff sounds, even today. Don't forget, this recording is nearly 60 years old!

Rock and roll is definitely not my sort of music, but even I would have to admit that, sound-quality wise at least, this puts many present day recordings to shame.

[JimN]

"Studios at Hollywood and Vine...".

Indeed