Tommy Detamore - color me impressed!

Bruce Bouton · Post by **Bruce Bouton** » 16 May 2023 7:04 pm

Tommy's a wonderful player!

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 20 May 2023 2:20 pm

This thread turned me on to The Return of Wayne Douglas. What a great album! I was listening to it yesterday and was truly blown away by Tommy's lick at 2:38 on this cut:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6-EkLR6e00
Steel guitar from another dimension!

Roy Peterman · Post by **Roy Peterman** » 21 May 2023 2:24 am

I have known Tommy since he started with Moe Bandy. He is a great picker, heck of a nice guy, and a great friend. And a man of many other talents, too I might add!

Johnny Cox · Post by **Johnny Cox** » 24 May 2023 5:44 am

Tommy is one of the finest men I know. A true friend to everyone he knows. He is also a beast of a musician, producer and engineer. I'm honored to call him my friend.

Mike Kowalik · Post by **Mike Kowalik** » 24 May 2023 3:17 pm

...and I can attest to the fact that Tommy D is a pretty good bowler!

Gary Wessels · Post by **Gary Wessels** » 6 Jan 2025 8:26 pm

Thanks to this thread, I've been on a deep dive into Doug Sahm and Jim Lauderdale, getting blown away by Tommy's playing.

I'm currently studying / transcribing his work with Jesse Daniel on "Only Money, Honey", which is truly amazing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw7Tg2zVxjQ

So much happens in this tune. Check out the lick from 1:06 to 1:09...which I can't figure out.

Anyone know how he played that?

Gary

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 7 Jan 2025 6:15 am

I have said many times how much I like Tommy's playing. I just listened to that Jesse Daniels cut of It's Only Money Honey. It sounds like Gram and Emmy! Good job Tommy, as always.

Jim Cooley · Post by **Jim Cooley** » 7 Jan 2025 8:22 am

Tommy is one of the best steel players there is. He is almost as good of a steel player as he is a person.

Tony Rankin · Post by **Tony Rankin** » 9 Jan 2025 3:48 pm

Super player and a super guy!

Brendan Mitchell · Post by **Brendan Mitchell** » 11 Jan 2025 7:57 pm

Tommy is right up there! I LOVE what he does on that last Doug Sahm record especially, not sure how to explain this. those stuttering runs usually going from 1 up to 4? I hope you can figure out what I mean!

Jim R. Harrison · Post by **Jim R. Harrison** » 11 Jan 2025 9:37 pm

Tommy was inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Assoc. Hall of Fame in 2019

Tucker Jackson · Post by **Tucker Jackson** » 12 Jan 2025 12:09 pm

Tommy is a killer player. Pure Texas vibe all the way.

Gary Wessels wrote:Thanks to this thread, I've been on a deep dive into Doug Sahm and Jim Lauderdale, getting blown away by Tommy's playing.

I'm currently studying / transcribing his work with Jesse Daniel on "Only Money, Honey", which is truly amazing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw7Tg2zVxjQ

So much happens in this tune. Check out the lick from 1:06 to 1:09...which I can't figure out.

Anyone know how he played that?

Gary

It's a couple of BC pedal licks. A lot of holding down B- while rocking on and off C-, all in the 1st fret:
Start with B-pedal down. Pick strings 3&5 and let them ring for the following; Come down on the C-pedal. Then off it, and then back on. Then release both pedals.

Quickly put both pedals back down and pick strings 4&6. Then release the C-pedal... and immediately hit strings 6&8. Then slowly release the B-pedal.

It's possible the first bit that's on strings 3&5 uses AB (yields the same notes as BC on those 2 strings), but the move over to the BC pedals for the next bit would have to be really fast, so I use BC for all of it to avoid the move. Try it both ways and do what's easiest.