Welcome to the Unofficial Red Rhodes Home Page!!!

An amazing musical innovator...both as a player and as a technician. He took the steel guitar to new heights while as a member of the First National Band, and was famous for his work on amplifiers and pickups (his Velvet Hammers and modified Fender amps are still talked about to this day!)

Red's work with Mike Nesmith was my introduction to the steel guitar, and his playing inspired me so much that I decided to take up pedal steel guitar in January 2000 (I have played guitar for much longer….. over 15 years now!). I am now addicted to the pedal steel guitar, and have Red to thank. I only wish I could have met him.....unfortunately, Red passed away in 1995.

THE ORVILLE J. "RED" RHODES STORY

Orville J. Rhodes was born on December 30, 1930 in East Alston, Illinois. He was trained on guitar beginning at the early age of five, when his mother taught him how to play the dobro using A-major tuning. He switched to a lap steel at 15, and soon after was playing clubs with his stepfather, who would play guitar and sing. Red's first booking with his stepfather was at the Bill Jones Bar in Illinois.

In 1960, Red moved out of small-town East Alston to play with the big boys in LA. He became a session musician and his first assignment was appearing on Curt Boetcher's "The Goldbriars" album. Red was soon signed to his own record deal with Crown Records around 1965. He released a number of LPs on Crown, including "Blue Blue Day", "Once A Day", "Guitars Go Country", and "Steel Guitar Rag". All the albums credited "Red Rhodes and the Road Runners", yet the band he worked with at the time was The Detours....thus, it may be assumed The Road Runners were simply session musicians. The albums showcased his unique playing style, so much that the Country Music Association named him Steel Guitar Player of the Year in 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1968. (Note: He shared this award with Tom Brumley in 1966 and 1967). Unfortunately for Red Rhodes fans, Crown Records was regarded as a "cheapo" label, as they used inferior quality vinyl, rendering a supposedly M- copy to sound like crap. Worse, they used generic photos for the covers (no "Red"....just shadows of guitar players, or maybe just a pretty girl), and the back covers were simply ads for other Crown LPs!

Red's popularity had soared in 1968, and he was quickly becoming an in-demand session musician. Many had the chance to hear Red play with The Detours at the Palamino, where he was a regular. In fact, an album of one of his sets was released on the Happy Tiger label around this time. Red then went on to play on over dozens more albums throughout the '70s (all are listed below), while finding time to record one more solo LP: "Velvet Hammer in a Cowboy Band" in 1972. Take a look at the busy schedule he had in 1972....appearing on 14 albums! This prompted the CMA to again award Red the coveted Steel Guitar Player of the Year award. It was deserved...take a look at the artists that Red worked with throughout the 1970s: Nesmith, James Taylor, The Carpenters, Carole King, John Phillips (of Mamas & Papas), Harry Nilsson....wow! From the late '70s until his death, Red ran a guitar shop in California. Red passed away in August 1995 of interstitial lung fibrosis resulting from rheumatoid arthritis.

RED RHODES AND MICHAEL NESMITH

Red is perhaps best known for his extensive work with former Monkee Michael Nesmith. Red had appeared on a few Monkees tracks (including the long unreleased "Steam Engine") and also was reportedly teaching Nez how to play steel. They formed a close friendship, and Nez was asked to join a band Red Rhodes had just formed with longtime Nesmith pal John London (bass) and Linda Rondstadt's drummer Johnny Ware called "The First National Band". The band had already released an 45 on Monument Records in 1969 before asking Nez to join. The name changed to "Michael Nesmith & The First National Band" and they quickly enjoyed great success....critically that is! Signed to RCA Records, the execs had trouble figuring out just what kind of music it was....partly country, partly rock, so they released the most mainstream-sounding single from the first album "Magnetic South", "Little Red Rider". The single flopped and RCA then went with Nez's choice first choice for the single, "Joanne", and it became one of the more popular songs of 1970, reachingCash Box's Top 20. The band released 3 albums in total, all poor sellers, yet received critical acclaim from some of the most acclaimed critics out there! The band's singles fared a little better chart-wise...."Silver Moon" hit the Cash Box Top-40, while "Propinquity and "Nevada Fighter" made the Top 100.

Reportedly, the band had a disagreement over the arrangement for the song "Propinquity" during the recording of the third LP, "Nevada Fighter". Ware and London left, leaving session musicians to finish up the album. Nez then used session musicians (and Red) to form the largely unsuccessful Second National Band. RCA then refused to pay for any more session musician and were demanding hits out of Nez. This prompted an album called "And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'", which featured ONLY Nez and Red! One more Nez LP was released on RCA with session musician from Nez's own label, Countryside (a label which Red recorded his last solo LP on). Nez then formed Pacific Arts Records in 1974, and released his biggest flop of his career..."The Prison". Red would make his final appearance on a Nesmith album (until 1994's "...tropical campfires...") with this release.

It is also notable that Nez and Red did a few shows together throughout the '70s. Red was also a member of Nez's band in the 1990's, which was a virtual conglomorate of country music all-stars! The band featured John Hobbs (keyboards) and John Jorgenson (guitar)! A video of one of these concerts is available..."Michael Nesmith---Live At The Britt".

RED RHODES AS A SESSION MUSICIAN

These are the LPs Red has played on in his career. In some cases, Red only played on a handful of tracks on the LP....where I know them, I will list them.

1963---Curt Boetcher "The Goldebriars"

1964?---Jerry Cole & The Country Boys "Crazy Arms"

1964?---Norm Kass "Buckaroo & Other Guitar Country and Western Favorites"

1965?---Bobby Lowe "I'm Movin' On"

1966?---Bobby Wayne "A Boy Named Sue"

(above 4 all releases on Crown Records, the label Red issued 4 solo LPs on. Thanks to Jason Odd for this information) 

1968---Van Dyke Parks "Song Cycle"

1968---Millenium "Begin"

1968---The Byrds "Notorius Byrd Brothers"

1968---Spanky and Our Gang "Like To Get To Know You"

1968---Wichita Train Whistle (Nesmith) "Wichita Train Whistle Sings"

1969---Monkees (various sessions, most of which were released on Rhino Records' various Monkees reissues in the '90s)

1969---Lovin' Spoonful "Revelation:Revolution '69" (plays on "Never Goin' Back")

1969---Jeffrey Comanor "Sure Hope You Like It"

1969---Danny Cox "Birth Announcement"

1969---Dave Snaker Ray "Bamboo"

1969---Mike Bloomfield "It's Not Killing Me"

1969---Brewer & Shipley "Weeds"

1969---Danny Cox "Birth Announcement"

1969---Gene Vincent "I'm Back and I'm Proud"

1969---John Phillips "John Phillips"

1969---Nancy Sinatra "Nancy"

1970---Michael Nesmith & The First National Band "Magnetic South"  (plays on all tracks)

1970---Michael Nesmith & The First National Band "Loose Salute"  (plays on all tracks)

1970---Fresh Air "Fresh Air"

1970---John Phillips "Wolfking of L.A."

1970---Tom Rush "Tom Rush"

1970---James Taylor "Sweet Baby James"

1971---Various Artists "Suite Steel" (has one solo track, "Something")

1971---Michael Nesmith & The First National Band "Nevada Fighter"  (plays on all tracks)

1971---Ventures "Theme From Shaft"

1972---Michael Nesmith & The Second National Band "Tantamount to Treason, Volume 1"  (plays on all tracks)

1972---Michael Nesmith "And The hits Just Keep On Comin'"  (plays on all tracks)

1972---The Carpenters "A Song For You" (plays with Buddy Emmons on "Top Of  The World")

1972---Willis Alan Ramsey "Willis Allen Ramsey"

1972---Kim Fowley "I'm Bad"

1972---Curt Boetcher "There's An Innocent Face" 

1972---Carole King "Rhymes & Reasons"

1972---Seals & Crofts "Summer Breeze"

1972---B.W. Stevenson "Lead Free"

1972---James Taylor "One Man Dog"

1972---Domenic Troiano "Domenic Troiano"

1972---Redbone "Already Here"

1972---Harry Nilsson "Son of Schmilsson" (plays on "Joy")

1972---Spider "Labyrinths" 

1973---David Ackles "Five & Dime"

1973---Ian Matthews "Valley Hi"

1973---Michael Nesmith "Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash"

1973---Garland Frady "Pure Country"

1973---Free Creek "Music From Free Creek"

1974---Bert Jansch "L.A. Turnaround"

1973---Rod Taylor "Rod Taylor"

1974---Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers "Bongos Over Balham"

1974---Hoyt Axton "Life Machine"

1974---B.W. Stevenson "Calabasas"

1975---Joan Baez "Diamonds & Rust"

1975---Carpenters "Horizon"

1975---David Bromberg "Midnight on the Water"

1975---Michael Nesmith "The Prison"  (plays on all tracks)

1976---Steve Fromholz "A Rumor In My Time"

1976---Free Creek "Summit Meeting"

1976---Steve Marriott "Marriott"

1976---Steve Fromholz "Frolocking in the Myth"

1976---Holly Near w/Jeff Langley "You Can Know All I Am"

1976---Tom Pacheco "Swallowed Up In American Heartland"

1976---Buffy Sainte Marie "Sweet America"

1977---Tom Pacheco "Outsider"

1977---Hoyt Axton "Road Songs"

1977---Various Artists "Pacific Steel Co." (has solo tracks "Rio" and "Sheffield Steel")

1979---Michael Christian "Boy From New York City"

1981---Tom Johnston "Still Feels Good"

1992---Marchand Melcher "Shining Star"

1994---Michael Nesmith "...tropical campfires..."  (plays on all tracks)

RED RHODES AS A SOLO ARTIST

1963?---"Guitars Go Country"--Crown 483

1964?---"Once A Day"--Crown 520

1965?---"Blue Blue Day"--Crown 528

1965?---"Steel Guitar Rag"--Crown 555

1969?---"Live at the Palamino"--Happy Tiger HT-1003

1972---"Velvet Hammer in a Cowboy Band"--Countryside 0598

1978?---"Velvet Hammer in a Cowboy Band"--Alshire S 5370

1978?---"Velvet Hammer in a Cowboy Band"--Steel Guitar Record Club #10

1978?---"Steel Guitar"--Exact EX221 (same as above)

1978?---"Steel Guitar Favorites"--Alshire S 5359

1978?---"Steel Guitar Favorites"--Oscar OS-146

1978?---"Steel Guitar Favorites"--Somerset SF-313 (no reference to Red on album cover or label)

????---"Guitars Go Country"--ARA 11 (box of 3 LPs, Crown 520, 528, 555)

????---"Famous C&W Favorites Featuring Steel Guitar"--Vogue VS120ABC (box of 3 LPs, Crown 520, 528, 555)

????---45 "Steelin' Uptown"/"The Big Eye"(vocal)--Blue River BR-231

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