Blue Ridge Rangers

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 11 Oct 2001 1:26 pm

This is from 1973 and has only one person playing every instrument. This is all John Fogerty. (Even the steel)

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Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 11 Oct 2001 4:49 pm

Yep, Steve is right, John plays fiddle, drums, bass, dobro, etc, etc.
A real talent.

That album is a real classic, there's some backing singers (maybe just one overdubbed a few times) on songs like "Workin' On The Building."
A majestic set, much like Leon Russell's 'Hank Wilson's Back' LP of the same year in that it was a diversion by a hit artist into a more country rocking venture which has pretty much been overlooked in their general career after the initial success.
(Fogerty's produced a mild hit, Leon was selling gold albums at the time).

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 12 Oct 2001 7:56 am

I had a young student at the time the BRR album came out, who loved it! He wanted me to figure out the steel parts for him, he wanted to learn all the songs on the record.
When he ask me when they might be "doing a concert in LA" so he could go see them, I realized he didn't have a clue that it was all JF and there wasn't ever going to be a live show!
JE:-)>

Brandon Roper · Post by **Brandon Roper** » 12 Oct 2001 9:08 am

Sorry for my ignorance on the subject, but why would fogerty have trouble getting the steel to intonate while dubbing? Just wondering.(mabey I am incorect on what intonating is) -Brandon

Brandon Roper · Post by **Brandon Roper** » 12 Oct 2001 9:09 am

Sorry for my ignorance on the subject, but why would fogerty have trouble getting the steel to intonate while dubbing? Just wondering.(mabey I am incorect on what intonating is) -Brandon

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 12 Oct 2001 9:14 am

Probably because he couldn't just sit down and play it like other instruments!

Ziggie · Post by **Ziggie** » 12 Oct 2001 10:11 am

I just did a gig with Nashville songwriter Bernie Nelson a couple of weeks ago and the first thing he asked me was if I had a copy of The Blue Ridge Rangers LP. I had lost track of it over the years and it was a major influence on both of us years ago when we had a band together. Anyway it got me thinking so I found a copy on CD. It's got some great moments on it. It's the nicest John Fogerty album I ever heard. IMOHO Ziggie

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 13 Oct 2001 11:32 am

Hi Rayman, yeah that's it... I think that the CCR fans among us would know the James Burton inspired dobro playing that John would add to the CCR album cuts.
I imagine he thought the steel wouldn't be too much harder than the dobro when he first started the project!

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 13 Oct 2001 7:16 pm

Having had the wonderful opportunity to spend some hours with John doing some playing and dealing in guitars-when I asked him about his pedal steel playing on that album he told me that he played the steel parts on a Sho-Bud Maverick

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 15 Oct 2001 12:38 pm

Rayman-having had done set ups on more than a few Mavericks I can say that they can function as a basic instrument when they have been properly set up and tuned-the earlier maple finished body models with the wood neck and standard Gumby keyhead (preferibly with nut rollers)can be made playable

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 15 Oct 2001 1:40 pm

Right. My Maverick plays in tune. I don't ask much of it, though. No more than one pull per string. Also, I added a roller nut. That helped a lot.

I haven't heard "The Blue Ridge Rangers" in many years. I don't remember even noticing the steel parts. They must have been pretty unspectacular, as I was soaking up all the steel I could find back then.

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<small><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
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Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 16 Oct 2001 8:56 am

Bobby Lee-when the Blue Ridge Rangers album came out-the song Jambalaya was released as a single and got some limited airplay as a crossover in country and rock-the song also featured Johns most memorable pedal steel solo on the album-sounds like he only used pedals 1 and 2

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 16 Oct 2001 10:49 am

It's all A + B ped's, I worked it out for the student I mentioned in an earlier post.
JE:-)>