Show Page 12—The Herald JoumalCache Sunday September 4 1988 Smithfield couple’s single makes the top 30 Lynnette Harris staff writer By Gene and Maureen Higham have come a long way from the days when they first sang together accompanied by Gene's roommates at Utah State University Since they married IS years ago theyhave sung together at parties churches and funerals but Maureen said she has always wanted to make a record Last year Maureen got her ' "Gene and wish MaureenCompanlons" in- cluding the single "Strangers to Lovers to Strangers" was recorded last year in Provo The single was released to radio stations nationwide in December and hit Cash Box Magazine's top 30 independent t label chart Country music has always been a favorite with Gene One of the things the Highams said they have learned is that country music is loved by people from all walks of life Jim Jolmaonf Hwatd Joumi The Smithfield couple is affilGene and Maureen Higham have recorded a country music album including a top 30 single d iated now with Country Pride Records and reading sheet music and more feeling into the songs” recording now because I think East West Entertainment working through a song these Maureen said "You’ve got to we could do so much better After people at the agency guys (musicians) work strictly wrestle tears out of people with now" Maureen said listened to a tape the Highams Gene said he didn’t realise by blueprints of the chords and your song" sent they asked them to come never how a lot learned "We music lode at sheet though” political the music busito Provo to check their voices ness "We is in terms of who gets worked Gene for added to demo listen the would They in the studio tape of a song once and then go five hours on the first song and played and promoted The still didn't have really good Highams mailed at their own Songs were selected next into the studio and play it" take But when we went back to expense 900 copies of their on our to work had hard "We from and studio musicians record the other five songs we single to radio stations nasaid Gene too" Nashville came to Provo style tionwide They got responses “We had to forget the sheet did all of them in five hours” was incredible" to to from about 400 who said they the listen "It’s hard on work to music and used Maureen said “We are putting Utah-base- "It Annual convention is high note for By John M McGuire It’s a shame you can't hear are sitting on a padded stool in a back room of Scotty’s Music Inc listening to the founder and guiding light of the International Steel Guitar Convention! Witt ’Scotty" Scott Heis playing a 1931 Rickenbacher "fry pan" or "pan cake" steel guitar By today’s standards the “fry pan” which gets its nicknames from its shape is an unusual steel guitar d It is made because it has a single neck and is of aluminum and is a collector’s item Scott is using it to demonstrate the most basic strains of pedal steel-guitmusic: Hawaiian and country-wester- n "Vibrato is what distinguishes the two sounds with the Hawaiian sound a little faster vibrato" Scott said And with that he demonstrates with his voice using an extended wavering quality Then he does country versus Hawaiian vibrato on the Rickenbacher “fry pan" and his point is unmistakable Scott starts with a standard country intro and it squawls and reverberates in familiar chords a sound used to dear the way for the likes of Waylon Jennings and Tammy Wynette Then he plays “Blue Hawaii’’ u a country pitch and it is easily distinguished from the Hawaiian version which has more of a wavering quality to it Scott’s allegiance is first and foremost to the instrument he nas helped promote perhaps more than any other single human the pedal steel guitar But from the photographs on his wall — Barbara Mandrell and Reba McEntire to name two — the country sound is more to his liking All this is by way of introduction to the instrument - this We LOUIS — lap-hel- ar Their plans for the immediate future include getting a band together and working fairs conventions and large parties and recording again in the future it would be hard “We knew work and expensive” Maureen said “But we’ decided even with the cost we had to try it because we didn't want to find ourselves 90 years old somedav wondering if we could have done anything great in the (music) business players steel-guit- ar where he continued to back up Grand Ole Opry grows at Johnny Rion’s' Hillbilly Park and The Iindy Is the ultimate thing a Ballroom In 1966 he started Scotty’s Music in the steel-guit- ar can this at do basement of his house and went on to become the play player store in the country A pedal steel-guitlot of convention people hear the largest his name Is known worldwide in steel guitar Today ” “ word convention and they think circles And he has taken his annual convention from That’s invited not true not shows held in American Legion halls and the basement they're ’ of Ramada Inns to major hotels with participants Everyone’s invited from all over ’ — DeWitt 'Scotty Scott coming The players who come here each year are lavish in their praise of Scotty Scott and his convention Five ago Herby Wallace a pedal-steplayer based i Chattanooga Tenn told a free-lanwriter that the that will be the centerpiece of Scott’s 17th International Steel Guitar Convention which begins here national gathering gives musicians exposure as soloists Wednesday and ends Sunday "This is considered the Super Bowl of all shows" "I used to work on the road out of Nashville" continued Scott who with his wife Mary six children Wallace said "The difference was you were always and and friends has put on the show with no just known as Donna Fargo's steel player Most people outside help "All my family's involved in this" he didn’t know who you were I got more from coming said "I'm not a guy to put on a suit and say ’Isn’t this here the first year than from playing 10 to 12 years on I on my work clothes It works out better the road Now I have albums out Instruction books Sreat?’ put I can make a decision just like that You can tie it all back tothis — and it’s not just me" “This is the ultimate thing a can "Everyone knows they have to come here" added player do play at this convention A lot of people hear the Jeff Newman founder of Jeffran College a pedal-steword ’convention’ and they think they’re not invited school in Hermitage Tenn "Once a year we get a That's not true Everyone’s invited" chance to see what progress has been made This year Scott expects a crowd of 3000 with individually Everybody learns" steel-guitThese same people credit Scott and the convention players coming here from at least 10 countries with increasing the popularity and musical reach of Scott began playing the steel guitar when he was an the pedal steel an instrument that has gone well in Amarillo Texas taken with the music of beyond its Hawaiian and n roots "He’s taken the time to leave home and evangelize a Jerry Byrd "Little'' Roy Wiggins Speedy West and Don Helms "I'm 56 now — my goodness 39 years" little bit" Newman once said “He's the hub of the He played clubs and radio and television in wheel Basically he's nosey He finds out what’s going Oklahoma City and in 1951 he moved to St Louis on and he spreads the news" Tis SLLpuisPoatiafiatch ST- played it on the air But the copies they sent to major record companies were returned unopened with a notes saying unsolicited material is not accepted "Sometimes it’s just a matter of luck and what kind of mood someone is in that determines if they listen to your tape or not" Maureen said "We’ve found out that talent is nice but money and connections are more important in the music business” Gene said They say they would love to record again but they can’t afford to right away Gene said it cost them $5000 to press one single and to have their producers promote it for one week "We're out of money now unless we get a contract with a bigger label" Maureen said “we haven’t made anything on this recording and right now everything we make would have to be put back into getting started in the business” ar el ce in-la- steel-guit- ar el ar Country-Wester- V |