Red Rhodes

Orville J. Rhodes, better known as Red Rhodes or O. J. Rhodes (December 30, 1930 – August 20, 1995), was an American pedal steel guitarist.[1]

Red Rhodes
Birth nameOrville J. Rhodes
Also known asRed
Born(1930-12-30)December 30, 1930
Alton, Illinois
DiedAugust 20, 1995(1995-08-20) (aged 64)
Los Angeles, California
GenresCountry, country rock
Instrument(s)Pedal steel guitar
Years active1960s - 1990s
LabelsCrown; Countryside; Exact; Happy Tiger; Alshire

Early life

Rhodes' mother taught him to play the Dobro resonator guitar when he was five years old. When he turned fifteen, he switched to the steel guitar. He was a boxer and an oil company engineer before he settled into music.

Career

Rhodes moved to Los Angeles in 1960 and became a session musician.[2]

Rhodes played pedal steel on many country rock, pop, and rock albums of artists such as The Monkees, Michael Nesmith, James Taylor, The Beach Boys, Seals and Crofts, The Byrds, The Carpenters, Spanky and Our Gang, and many others, as part of the Wrecking Crew studio musicians. He is remembered for his work with former Monkee Michael Nesmith on Nesmith's solo albums in the early 1970s.[3] Rhodes is credited with the "other-worldly" effects created with pedal steel on The Ventures' "futuristic" LP The Ventures in Space, released in 1964.[4]

In the late 1970s, Rhodes shifted his focus from performing to guitar electronics at his Royal Amplifier Service shop in Hollywood, California. There, Rhodes modified amplifiers and created his custom Velvet Hammer guitar pickups for James Burton, Clarence White, and other guitarists. His shop staff included future instrument makers David Schecter, Michael Tobias, and Bill Chapin.

Rheumatoid arthritis restricted Rhodes' public performances and recordings in the 1980s and 1990s, with the notable exception of his appearance on Michael Nesmith's Tropical Campfires album and tour in 1992. Rhodes fell ill soon after this tour, and died on August 20, 1995, from interstitial lung fibrosis.[2]

Discography

Solo projects[5]
Year Title Label Number Notes
1966Guitars Go CountryCrownCLP-5483, CST-483LP
1966Once A DayCrownCLP-5520, CST-520LP
1966Blue, Blue Day And Other Steel Guitar Country and Western FavoritesCrownCLP-5528, CST-528LP
1966Steel Guitar Rag And Other Country and Western FavoritesCrownCLP-5555, CST-555LP
1968Steel Guitar FavoritesSomerset/Stereo FidelitySF-31300LP
1969Live at the PalominoHappy TigerHT-1003-SLP
1973Velvet Hammer In A Cowboy BandCountrysideCM-102, CM-0598LP

Session work

References
  1. "Orville Rhodes; Country and Western Musician". Los Angeles Times. 23 August 1995. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  2. Brennan, Sandra. "Red Rhodes - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  3. "Biography for Red Rhodes". IMDb. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  4. Eden, Dawn (1992). The Ventures Play Telstar, The Lonely Bull and Others/Ventures in Space (CD insert). The Ventures. Hollywood, CA: EMI America Records. E2-80239. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  5. Praguefrank (November 25, 2021). "Red Rhodes". Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.