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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Music Reviews »

Permalink Interview With Art Greenhaw in Which He Talks About Bob Bogle and Nokie Edwards - by Noel

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Interview With Art Greenhaw in Which He Talks About Bob Bogle and Nokie Edwards - by Noel

One of my Facebook friends is Art Greenhaw of The Light Crust Doughboys. What can I say? I like Western Swing. One day, I saw this pic of Art holding a Fender Jazzmaster.

image

I didn’t pass up the opportunity to comment on it, and Art replied, “This particular guitar is a USA-made Fender '62 Jazzmaster reissue. This instrument was used by me and Bob Bogle all during our La Me' Studio Dallas sessions. Bob made me a splendid offer: to set this guitar up in exactly the setup Bob uses. But we were recording for many, many hours, and we decided to keep recording instead of working on guitars. I'll always remember his thoughtful offer, though!”

Art mentioned Mr. Moto and I responded with Paul Johnston and one thing led to another.

Noel: The first time I realized you had a connection to surf and instrumental music was when you told me that you and Bob Bogle used your '62 AVRI Jazzmaster on a recording project. What is the name of the album you made with Bob?

Art: The album Bob and I worked on together was THE VENTURES, ROCKY! Later, and continuing on through the present, I re-arranged and re-recorded for my own band, The Light Crust Doughboys, ideas and songs Bob and I had explored and experimented with in Dallas, Texas. I put even more of my arranging and, of course, my own surf-style lead guitar and bass guitar playing on these new albums of mine, 80th ANNIVERSARY/THE LIGHT CRUST DOUGHBOYS and SPIRITUAL COWBOYS/THE LIGHT CRUST DOUGHBOYS. But, of course, Bob's bass and lead guitar playing are on the album ROCKY!/THE VENTURES. And on that album ROCKY!, I contributed keyboards, some production, some arranging, some rhythm guitar, a bit of lead guitar.

Noel: Is that album still available and how would someone get a copy?

Art: ROCKY! is available wherever records and downloads are sold. Our LIGHT CRUST DOUGHBOYS' albums, featuring my playing/arrangements/production - much of it inspired by Bob and Nokie and The Ventures---can be ordered at www.lightcrustdoughboys.org and wherever downloads are sold.

Noel: Can you tell us something of what it was like to record with Bob? Do you have a favorite Bob Bogle story you can share?

Art: Bob was always, always very professional, dedicated and serious. If we were scheduled to record at 10 am, he was always ready BEFORE 10 am. In addition to recording, Bob wanted to talk about philosophy and even theology (as long as it didn't interfere with recording!). Like a lot of us, he was seeking answers to life's deepest questions. He recognized that we in this world see "as through a glass darkly". Maybe he realized or believed that "night cometh". But I always remember and appreciate that Bob wanted to talk about "spiritual" things. Favorite memories for me were on the very first day of recording when Bob first heard me play keyboard. He would make very encouraging, cheerleading remarks like: "Now that's a Top Ten Lick!" and "Now that's a million-dollar INTRO!" and "You can take THAT to the bank!" Bob also said "If I'd only started recording with you 10 years earlier..." I reminded Bob that I had been writing The Ventures for 10 years with recording ideas and proposals - so it wasn't my fault! Bob also went into detail about "VENTURES-RHYTHM-guitar playing", demonstrated a lot for me, had me play in that technique for him...Very much a downbeat/on-top-of-the-beat thing, not a backbeat or a laid-back thing...Listen to our latest LIGHT CRUST DOUGHBOYS' albums for this style of rhythm guitar playing that I'm using more and more...

Noel: You mentioned that Bob offered to set up your Jazzmaster Ventures-style, but that there wasn't time. Did Bob explain what exactly is a Ventures setup? Have you ever played a Jazzmaster set up that way how would you describe the difference?

Art: Bob didn't go into the technical aspects of the setup, he just said he'd set it up! I believe he was quite OK, though, with the setup I had, since much of the rhythm guitar I played he used. I flip my Jazzmaster bridge around (upside-down), he seemed to like that. I rest my palm on the Jazzmaster vibrato, Bob sort of puts the vibrato between 2 of his fingers. Bob mentioned my vibrato technique and that he liked it. Of course, I love his technique, and learned so much from his records—and now, from him in person.

Noel: I'm really curious to know if you and Bob ever sat around playing Ventures hits to relax in-between takes or other times? If you did, what did you play?

Art: Bob and I didn't jam or play guitars off-session...We were too busy playing every day for the job and for the songs at hand! Wish we could have jammed and made music more - and could have played at night! And let me say playing for the soul and the spirit and for joy is really a NOKIE EDWARDS' thing-to-do - let's talk about Nokie soon, too!

Noel: I can't pass up an invitation like yours to talk about Nokie. But I have just one question before we start.Whatever gave you the idea to turn your Jazzmaster bridge upside-down? Does work?

Art: A Dallas, Texas guitar shop tech gave me the suggestion of flipping the Jazzmaster bridge around where the bridge saddles are upside down...He thought the strings would stay in place better...I think he's right (it's a bit of an improvement)!

Noel: When and how did you meet Nokie Edwards?

Art: When a kid grows up like me loving pop music and records, there are certain styles and looks and sounds of players that you just love. Nokie for me was this player on guitar. I just thought he and The Ventures were the coolest ever: laid-back, self-assured, a cowboy swagger in a good way; why, Nokie didn't even have to look at the fretboard! Coolness! I first met Nokie when The Ventures had a USA-revival in the early 1980s. There are pics of him and me during that period at www.artgreenhaw.com

Noel: What were your first impressions of him?

Art: Nokie had a winning way with fans, putting his arm around their shoulder in photos, making them feel appreciated. These images would be my first impressions of Nokie: very warm with fans, quietness and rugged individualism in his manner, technically spellbinding in his playing.

Noel: I love your comment about him, "playing for the soul and the spirit and for joy is really a NOKIE EDWARDS' thing-to-do." Was there a particular event that formed this feeling?

Art: "The playing-from-and-for-the-soul Bit" - this is a quality that many of the greats have, Nokie has it, Elvis had it...The personal attitude that you as a musician want to make music as often as possible just for the joy of making music, for the healing it brings to your spirit, and for the magic and happiness it brings to others; in other words, you just love to play, and you're not just playing for the money or the job...; as late as 2006, Nokie and our team would have been recording day and night, and yet, long past midnight, Nokie would break into a little concert for anyone who wanted to experience his guitar playing; one-on-one with the person, or the small group, it didn't matter...

Noel: Nokie is recovering from a very harrowing health crisis he experienced in Japan. I saw him perform with The Ventures in early April of 2012 and he looked extremely frail. So I wasn't shocked to learn his pacemaker wasn't working well. All reports of his health at Don Wilson's recent birthday party say Nokie is doing very well and looks good and seems a lot stronger. Have you spoken to Nokie recently and is he looking forward to getting back in the studio and performing any time soon?

Art: My mom had a very, very serious bout with almost all the same heart-pacemaker issues as Nokie, and he called me the day before her very major surgery to console; it was perfect timing, so appreciated, and I'll always remember it...And this was even in the Spring of 2012 before his health episodes in the Fall of 2012; And I've talked with him since he returned home this year from Japan and those crises; Along these same lines, Nokie admires and respects older people, senior citizens, the wisdom of the aged. When he first saw my dad at the 2006 Grammy Awards (GRAMMY NOMINATION, SOUTHERN MEETS SOUL album), and Dad was moving slower due to age, he was very, very glad to see him - and it was genuine and sincere gladness, you could tell...

Noel: Do you have a favorite Nokie story? Or two, or three?

Art: Many Favorite Stories! Here are just 3 favorites: 1) At one of our first recording sessions together in Oregon, Nokie would put in 13 hours straight...and fresh-as-a-flower after 13 hours in the studio! Another Favorite story: 2) Nokie and I did some Gospel Guitar church services as part of my Guitar Festivals in Texas; I'll never forget just our 2 guitars: his Hitchhiker, my Mosrite twanging away in a church sanctuary
with traditional choir in front of us, people sitting in pews all behind us...; another Favorite story: 3) Nokie at a session pulling out his original Red Rhodes fuzz box that was used on the FABULOUS VENTURES, WALK DON'T RUN VOL. 2 and other albums I loved - and first hearing that buttery sound on our cuts that landed on our eventual album, CHRISTMAS IN GUITARLAND. It was heavenly, heavenly!

Noel: Shortly after the original incident in Japan, I somehow ended up speaking to Jimmie Fadden and Jeff Hanna about Nokie after a Dirt Band concert. They had noticed my Ventures T-shirt, and immediately started talking about back in the day when they played surf music and made some records with Nokie. They had heard a little about his illness and were concerned, and were greatly relieved by the prognosis for recovery. It was clear they both relished their memories of those days. Nokie Edwards has impacted so many guitarists, both musically and personally. I can't stop thinking about a project with you, Jimmie and Jeff, Nokie and some others from those early days, and maybe even some modern guitartists who've been inspired by him. Have you ever thought about doing something like this?

Art: In response to this question, I believe the best thing we could all do is come together for an annual NOKIE EDWARDS APPRECIATION SOCIETY MEET & PLAY - for which I could provide the building and the space and the format - in metro Dallas, Texas, a good central USA location. NOKIE STUDENTS/FANS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!!

Noel: Are there any new projects in the works or ideas for something surf musicians might find exciting?

Art: Would love to do new projects, but it's so difficult to even pay back top-drawer recording costs - unless several of us Nokie disciples could email multi-tracks and files back-and-forth. Also, I'd love to have some fans commit to some quantity purchases of our CDs that we could use to help defray Nokie's hospital expenses. Corporations, banks, businesses, etc. that might take 50-100 or more customized CDs, this sort of thing. I have my favorite Nokie records on Greenhaw Records which are Gospel; Surf Guitar fans might particularly go for our albums GUITARS OVER TEXAS and GUITAR BAND CLASSICS and CHRISTMAS IN GUITARLAND. To see our Catalog, go to www.theconnextion.com/artgreenhaw.

I want to thank Art for agreeing to share these wonderful memories of Bob Bogle and Nokie Edwards. I hope everyone enjoys reading this interview as much as I enjoyed talking with (okay, emailing) Art to put it together.

Recordings with Bob Bogle and Nokie Edwards are at
http://www.theconnextion.com/artgreenhaw/

Art Greenhaw is on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/mcwhortergreenhaw?fref=ts

Art Greenhaw Records are on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-Greenhaw-Records/134528256707806?ref=ts&fref=ts

The Light Crust Doughboys are on Facebook (check out the Shell Pink Mosrite Art is playing) at
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-Greenhaw-Records/134528256707806?ref=ts&fref=ts#!/GreenhawDoughboysPromotions?fref=ts

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Last edited: Dec 16, 2015 20:09:40

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