[78-L] Electric guitar before 1939

[Joe Scott]

You may be thinking of Andy Iona, because he was reportedly 1933. But didn't the Noelani also use electric steel on a 2/22/33 session?

Les Paul once (in an unusually generous mood) tried to recall whether it was Alvino Rey or Jack Miller who was more or less first -- they were both very important because they played with popular bands, Horace Heidt and Orville Knapp respectively, and there's no reason to think that didn't influence Dunn, Paul, and just about everyone else. After all, in the big picture, so-called western swing wasn't just about hillbilly taking in Chick Webbish influences, it was about hillbilly taking in pop influences (which echoes ukes already being accepted in hillbilly well before western swing).

Jack Miller recalled in 1936 that he first played electric guitar professionally in 1932, at Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Joseph Scott
----- Original Message -----
From: Cary Ginell
Sent: 12/27/13 11:37 AM
To: 78-L Mail List
Subject: Re: [78-L] Electric guitar before 1939

I recently acquired Decca 332 by Eddie Bush & His Biltmore Trio ("Object of My Affection"/Talkin' to Myself") which features electric guitar, played Hawaiian style. It was recorded November 1, 1934, which is nearly three months before Bob Dunn's initial recordings with Milton Brown (1/28/35). Hawaiian recordings were the first to feature electric guitar. If I'm not mistaken, the earliest were by the Noelani Hawaiian Orchestra, recorded for Victor on 9/14/33, but a nagging voice in my head tells me someone did it even earlier than that. Cary Ginell On Dec 27, 2013, at 10:19 AM, Joe Scott <joenscott at mail.com> wrote: > Thirties periodicals tend to identify the electric guitar with radio and with dance bands a lot. A 1938 article called radio performer Andy Sannella "one of the best of the electric guitar performers." Sammy Kaye's recording "When Twilight Comes" from 1938 reportedly has an electric guitar solo by Lloyd Gillion. This all ties in with how radio listener T-Bone Walker could have had his first encounter with electric guitar on a Fred Waring show. > Len Fillis recorded "Mood Ruby" unaccompanied on an electric Spanish (i.e., "regular") guitar on 4/17/36. > > The publication Mills Hawaiian And Electric Guitar Method was copyrighted on 1/15/38. > > Joseph Scott > _______________________________________________ > 78-L mailing list > 78-L at klickitat.78online.com > http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l > _______________________________________________ 78-L mailing list 78-L at klickitat.78online.com http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l