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Gordon Huntley

Gordon Huntley
Birth nameThomas Gordon Huntley
Born(1925-12-20)20 December 1925
Newbury, Berkshire, England
Died7 March 1988(1988-03-07) (aged 62)
GenresCountry, folk, pop
InstrumentPedal steel guitar
Years activeLate 1950s – 1980s

Thomas Gordon Huntley (20 December 1925 – 7 March 1988) was a British steel guitar player, best known for being a member of Matthews Southern Comfort. His early playing career was with the Hawaiian Serenaders in 1959, for whom he played a triple neck Fender lap steel guitar.[1] He converted this to a pedal steel by adding an accelerator pedal from a tractor connected with bicycle brake cable. He formed the Black Stetson Boys in 1959 with John Derek, the two later playing together in Johnny and the Hounders (later to become the Flintlocks).[1]

Around 1963, Huntley teamed up with Nigel Dennis (a Newbury solicitor) to manufacture Denley steel guitars (DENnis-huntLEY). The 1960s saw Huntley playing the "country" circuit, especially the USAF bases, with bands such as George Brown's Alabama Hayriders, the Saddletramps, Dougie Dee and the Dee Men.

In 1969, Huntley played as session musician on Keith Christmas's Stimulus album, and on Iain Matthews' debut album Matthews' Southern Comfort, subsequently becoming a member of the Matthews Southern Comfort band.[2][3][4] In 1970, he played on the band's single "Woodstock", which reached No. 1 on the UK record charts on 31 October and remained there for 3 weeks.[3][5] Also in 1970, Huntley played steel guitar on the track "Country Comfort" on Elton John's second album, Tumbleweed Connection.

Huntley was highly respected as a session musician and his steel sound was subsequently heard on recordings by artists including Elton John, Rod Stewart, Clodagh Rodgers, Barbara Dickson, the Pretty Things, Fairport Convention, and on the soundtrack of Cliff Richard's Take Me High.[3][6]

In 1974, Huntley released his own album, Sleepwalk: The Romantic Sound of Gordon Huntley,[7] with arrangements by Harry Robinson.

Huntley died on 7 March 1988 from cancer.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Watts, Derek (2008) Country Boy: A Biography of Albert Lee, McFarland & Co, ISBN 978-0786436583, p. 84
  2. ^ Jones, Mark (2009) Bristol Folk: A Discographical History of Bristol Folk Music in the 1960s and 1970s, Bristol Folk Publications, ISBN 978-0956353108
  3. ^ a b c d Cossar, Neil (2010) This Day in Music, Omnibus Press, ISBN 978-1849382458, p. 75
  4. ^ Erlich, Nancy (1971) "Southern Comfort", Billboard, 28 August 1971, p. 30. Retrieved 21 October 2017
  5. ^ Hinton, Brian (2000) Country Roads: How Country Came to Nashville, Senctuary Publishing Ltd., ISBN 978-1860742934
  6. ^ Dickson, Barbara (2009) A Shirt Box Full of Songs: The Autobiography, Hachette Scotland, ISBN 978-0755318650
  7. ^ "Gordon Huntley – Sleepwalk the Romantic Sound of Gordon Huntley (1974, Vinyl)". Discogs.
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