American guitarist
Musical artist
Orville J. Rhodes
, better known as
Red Rhodes
or
O. J. Rhodes
(December 30, 1930 – August 20, 1995), was an American
pedal steel guitarist
.
[1]
Early life
[
edit
]
Rhodes' mother taught him to play the
Dobro
resonator guitar
when he was five years old. When he turned fifteen, he switched to the
steel guitar
. He was a
boxer
and an
oil company
engineer
before he settled into music.
Career
[
edit
]
Rhodes moved to
Los Angeles
in 1960 and became a
session musician
.
[2]
Rhodes played pedal steel on many
country rock
,
pop
, and
rock
albums of artists such as
The Monkees
,
Michael Nesmith
,
James Taylor
,
The Beach Boys
,
Seals and Crofts
,
The Byrds
,
The Carpenters
,
Spanky and Our Gang
, and many others, as part of the
Wrecking Crew
studio musicians. He is remembered for his work with former Monkee Michael Nesmith on Nesmith's solo albums in the early 1970s.
[3]
Rhodes is credited with the "other-worldly" effects created with pedal steel on
The Ventures
' "futuristic" LP
The Ventures in Space
, released in 1964.
[4]
In the late 1970s, Rhodes shifted his focus from performing to guitar electronics at his Royal Amplifier Service shop in
Hollywood
, California. There, Rhodes modified amplifiers and created his custom Velvet Hammer
guitar pickups
for
James Burton
,
Clarence White
, and other guitarists.
[
citation needed
]
His shop staff included future instrument makers
David Schecter
,
Michael Tobias
, and Bill Chapin.
[
citation needed
]
Rheumatoid arthritis
restricted Rhodes' public performances and recordings in the 1980s and 1990s, with the notable exception of his appearance on Michael Nesmith's
Tropical Campfires
album and tour in 1992. Rhodes fell ill soon after this tour, and died on August 20, 1995, from
interstitial lung fibrosis
.
[2]
Discography
[
edit
]
Solo projects
[5]
[
edit
]
Year
|
Title
|
Label
|
Number
|
Notes
|
1966
|
Guitars Go Country
|
Crown
|
CLP-5483, CST-483
|
LP
|
1966
|
Once A Day
|
Crown
|
CLP-5520, CST-520
|
LP
|
1966
|
Blue, Blue Day And Other Steel Guitar Country and Western Favorites
|
Crown
|
CLP-5528, CST-528
|
LP
|
1966
|
Steel Guitar Rag And Other Country and Western Favorites
|
Crown
|
CLP-5555, CST-555
|
LP
|
1968
|
Steel Guitar Favorites
|
Somerset/Stereo Fidelity
|
SF-31300
|
LP
|
1969
|
Live at the Palomino
|
Happy Tiger
|
HT-1003-S
|
LP
|
1973
|
Velvet Hammer In A Cowboy Band
|
Countryside
|
CM-102, CM-0598
|
LP
|
Session work
[
edit
]
- Skid Row Blues, Nothin', et al.'
, 1963, Hal Ford Forrest D Halford
- The Ventures in Space
, 1964,
The Ventures
- Begin
, 1968,
The Millennium
- Notorious Byrd Brothers
, 1968,
The Byrds
- The Wichita Train Whistle Sings
, 1968,
Michael Nesmith
- Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama
, 1969,
Cass Elliot
- Instant Replay
, 1969,
The Monkees
- It's Not Killing Me
, 1969,
Mike Bloomfield
- Hand Sown ... Home Grown
, 1969,
Linda Ronstadt
- Nancy
, 1969,
Nancy Sinatra
- Weeds
, 1969,
Brewer & Shipley
- The Blue Marble
, 1969,
Sagittarius
- Magnetic South
, 1970,
Michael Nesmith
- Loose Salute
, 1970,
Michael Nesmith
- John Phillips (John, the Wolf King of L.A.)
, 1970,
John Phillips
- Sweet Baby James
, 1970,
James Taylor
- Tom Rush
, 1970,
Tom Rush
- Nevada Fighter
, 1971,
Michael Nesmith
- Possum
, 1971, Possum
- Lead Free
, 1972,
B. W. Stevenson
- One Man Dog
, 1972,
James Taylor
- Hold On Dear Brother
, 1972
The Beach Boys
- Rhymes and Reasons
, 1972,
Carole King
- Son of Schmilsson
, 1972,
Harry Nilsson
- A Song for You
, 1972,
The Carpenters
- Summer Breeze
, 1972,
Seals & Crofts
- Tantamount to Treason
, 1972,
Michael Nesmith
- And the Hits Just Keep on Comin'
, 1972,
Michael Nesmith
- Willis Alan Ramsey
, 1972,
Willis Alan Ramsey
- Five & Dime
, 1973,
David Ackles
- Pure Country
, 1973, Garland Frady
- Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash
, 1973,
Michael Nesmith
- Valley Hi
, 1973,
Ian Matthews
- There's an Innocent Face
, 1973,
Curt Boettcher
- Calabasas
, 1974,
B. W. Stevenson
- L.A. Turnaround
, 1974,
Bert Jansch
- Black Bach
, 1974,
Lamont Dozier
- The Prison
, 1974,
Michael Nesmith
- Diamonds & Rust
, 1975,
Joan Baez
- Horizon
, 1975,
The Carpenters
- Midnight on the Water
, 1975,
David Bromberg
- Marriott
, 1976,
Steve Marriott
- Sweet America
, 1976,
Buffy Sainte-Marie
- Frolicking in the Myth
, 1977,
Steven Fromholz
- Road Songs
, 1977,
Hoyt Axton
- The Way I Am
, 1981,
Billy Preston
- Tropical Campfires
, 1992,
Michael Nesmith
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Orville Rhodes; Country and Western Musician"
.
Los Angeles Times
. 23 August 1995
. Retrieved
April 2,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Brennan, Sandra.
"Red Rhodes - Biography"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
April 2,
2023
.
- ^
"Biography for Red Rhodes"
.
IMDb
. Retrieved
April 2,
2023
.
- ^
Eden, Dawn (1992).
The Ventures Play Telstar, The Lonely Bull and Others/Ventures in Space
(CD insert). The Ventures. Hollywood, CA:
EMI America Records
. E2-80239
. Retrieved
April 2,
2023
.
- ^
Praguefrank (November 25, 2021).
"Red Rhodes"
.
Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies
. Retrieved
August 26,
2023
.
External links
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]
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Studio albums
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Soundtracks
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Live albums
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Promotional albums
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Compilations
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Singles
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Other songs
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Associated acts
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Related articles
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International
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National
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Artists
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