Known as the Father of the Pedal Steel Guitar Alvino Rey was an innovative musician and bandleader whose
Posted in General on 04. Oct, 2010
Known as the “Father of the Pedal Steel Guitar”, Alvino Rey was an innovative musician and bandleader whose early work led the way to the exotic soundscapes of Martin Denny, George Cates and Esquivel. He was, in addition, the possessor of a keen eye for talent with many of the finest arrangers of the post-war years passing through the ranks of his orchestra, among them Billy May, Ray Conniff, Johnny Mandel and Nelson Riddle. In 1929 he adopted the sobriquet Alvino Rey in deference to a contemporary craze for Latin American music.Following short stints with Russ Morgan and Freddy Martin, in 1934 Rey joined Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights, based in San Francisco. By 1927 he was playing professionally alongside a local bandleader, Ev Jones, and in 1928 he joined Phil Spitalny’s Orchestra in New York. A banjo given as a birthday present not only sparked his interest in music, but also encouraged a fascination with technology; he removed the needle mechanism from his mother’s wind-up Victrola and used it as an amplification device within the banjo’s body. Among the first musicians to play an electric guitar on the radio, he added pedals to his standard lap steel to shift the tuning, thereby creating an instrument he dubbed the console guitar.
This led to a partnership with the Gibson Guitar Company that would culminate in the pedal steel that is today synonymous with country music.He was born Alvin McBurney in Oakland, California in 1908, the family moving to Cleveland when he was 10. Alvin McBurney (Alvino Rey), guitarist and bandleader: born Oakland, California 1 July 1908; married 1937 Luise King (died 1997; two sons, one daughter); died Draper, Utah 24 February 2004.
Known as the “Father of the Pedal Steel Guitar”, Alvino Rey was an innovative musician and bandleader whose early work led the way to the exotic soundscapes of Martin Denny, George Cates and Esquivel. Ofcom would be examining possible domination of the newspaper market and whether quality journalism can be assured to continue. The sale of the pornographic magazines could assist Mr Desmond with passing such a test.Despite the magazine sales, Mr Desmond ruled out selling his Fantasy Channel TV business.
In 2001, he came close to selling the porn titles but the deal collapsed.Mr Desmond was quoted last year as saying, when questioned on why he had yet to sell his magazines: “Would it be better to be a former pornographer rather than a pornographer? I’m probably being more honest by keeping them They serve a need You could start saying that celebrity is pornography You could start censoring everything. His subscription channels are a highly profitable part of his Northern and Shell Empire.There was alarm in 2000 when Mr Desmond bought the Express from Lord Hollick’s United News and Media for £125m. They have been working for a company that was not interested in the magazines. They now have owners who have put the money up and will do a good job.”Mr Desmond is in a battle with the owners of The Scotsman, the Barclay brothers and the Daily Mail and General Trust group, among others to purchase the Telegraph group.Last week, after a US court case prevented the sale set up by Conrad Black of the Telegraph stable to the Barclays, Mr Desmond was seen in some quarters as marginally favourite to take over the Daily and Sunday Telegraph.He has the advantage of owning a half share in the Telegraph’s printers, West Ferry, plus the right to buy the restMedia regulator Ofcom would conduct a public interest test if Mr Desmond’s bid for the broadsheets is accepted. Those magazines have previously been reported to have included such names as Nude Readers’ Wives, Skinny and Wriggly, Big and Black, Horny Housewives and New Talent.Mr Desmond has sold the titles to a company called Remnant Media, owned by Simon Robinson and Aroon Maharajh.Of the sale, Mr Desmond said: “It’s a nice thing for the staff. Richard Desmond, the pornographer turned proprietor of the Daily Express group who is bidding for the Daily Telegraph, took the first step towards reshaping his image yesterday by selling his pornographic magazines.
Suspicions that Rupert Murdoch will abandon Tony Blair at the next election were reignited when it emerged that Michael Howard, the Tory leader, will be the star guest at the tycoon’s global conference this month. “It’s the sheer doggedness and aspiration and ambition of these kids, who are prepared to withstand this brutal criticism but still go on,” she says.Those wishing to have their say on the BBC’s future should visit the dedicated website: .uk. One described her efforts as “embarrassing”.Since then, however, she has slowly got to grips with her complex subject matter, and Tessa, the social worker from Dulwich, did impress the telly folk with her performance at a recent convention in Oxford Perhaps that’s why she liked Pop Idol. The minister’s greatest TV dislikes are Chris Tarrant’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Ann Robinson’s The Weakest Link, BBC2’s Celebrity Mastermind (which featured her Cabinet colleague David Blunkett), and other such “boring” game shows.When Jowell appeared at a Royal Television Society convention in Cambridge in September 2001, television executives were shocked that she appeared hopelessly out of her depth at a question- and-answer session. Jowell’s new-found appreciation of the shows could be an attempt to be populist – or a sign that she is at last getting in tune with the telly business.She loved the BBC4 drama The Alan Clark Diaries (but doesn’t know that it has finished), and BBC1’s State of Play.