Whatever happened to Red Shea?
mwestling
gorgeous accompaniment to GL's work in the late 60's and early 70's...
I have a specific wonderful memory of a concert in Santa Monica in the early
70's when GL launched into "Miguel"... I was only a few rows away from them
both... Magical stuff...
Mark Westling
Fiverowley
show. I saw Gord the first time he played at the Troubador in L.A. and sat
about four feet in front of Red and was mesmerized by his playing,
As a guitar player I made it my goal to be that good....unfortunately, I'm
still trying! --Tom
mwestling
I had heard through the rumor mill (probably highly inaccurate) that Red and
GL had some kind of falling out. But then I also heard the Red had simply
gotten tired of touring.. Whatever the reason, I still miss his touch!
Are you in Southern Calif?
Mark
Fiverowley wrote in message <19981113222448...@ng116.aol.com>...
mwestling
<<When David turned in his resignation, Ian hired a guitar player named Red
Shea. Red was the former guitarist with Gordon Lightfoot, semi-retired and a
Jehovah's Witness. Red had one of the wildest reputations in Canada. Ian
also got a new steel player, a young Canadian named "Pee Wee" Charles. Along
with Gordon Fleming, Red, Billy and me, this would be the new Great Speckled
Bird, 1973 model, and the last edition I would perform in. >>
Perhaps Red was indeed tired of touring (see "semi-retired" above...)
Mark
mwestling wrote in message ...
JenRivard
>gorgeous accompaniment to GL's work in the late 60's and early 70's...
>
Red was in the audience at Massey Hall this May, so if there was a falling out
it must be over by now.
Jenney
mwestling
How old is Red now? Do you know if he is still recording/performing?
Thanks!
Mark
JenRivard wrote in message <19981113234552...@ng15.aol.com>...
Acusticman
as Red and Terry played on the same albums for a time.
Brian Vartanian
playing IMO is just beyond compare, WAY beyond. I was lucky enough to be
sitting right in front of him on several nights back in the late 60's.
You just have to see it to believe it, that's all I can say!
Brian Vartanian
was no longer touring. Gord told me that Red was tired of the road and
just didn't want to be away from home that much. No mention of any
falling-out or anything like that.
mwestling
And I'm glad to know that there was no falling out between RS and GL...
Mark
Brian Vartanian wrote in message
<12394-36...@newsd-123.bryant.webtv.net>...
Tcquinn1
" Reds' playing IMO is just beyond compare, WAY beyond. You just have to see
it to believe it, that's all I can say!"
I don't want this to turn into a Red vs Terry affair, and I can't fairly
compare Red Shea to Terry Clements fairly, because I've never seen Red live.
But, Terry Clements, without a doubt, also one of the best in the business.
The way he can beautify songs like "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Canadian
Railroad Trilogy" in simply unbelievable.
Over the years, I've studied Terry's playing, and just marvel at his natural
talent. GL sure knows how to pick his sidemen.
Tim
Tony Meloche
I agree wholeheartedly about your comments re: both Red and Terry.
Terry is a musician's musician. Even reviewers who are less than kind to
Gord's music per se have said that he has "the best sidemen in the
business". On Red Shea, I could be very wrong here, and this is not to
start rumors, (corrections VERY welcome), but I though I read somewhere
that Shea had some problems with mental illness that incapacitated him
for a few years - anyone know if that is right?
Tony Meloche
--
Remove the "z",(if present) from e-mail address to respond.
Telekidd
In article <364DFE...@remc11.k12.mi.us>, Tony Meloche
<amel...@remc11.k12.mi.us> writes:
>On Red Shea, I could be very wrong here, and this is not to
>start rumors, (corrections VERY welcome), but I though I read somewhere
>that Shea had some problems with mental illness that incapacitated him
>for a few years - anyone know if that is right?
>
My understanding is Shea has been battling CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) for
quite a few years. He was doing some teaching for a time, though I don't know
if he still does. As far as I am aware, there has never been a falling out
between GL and any of the regular band members who have departed over the years
(Shea, John Stockfish, Pee Wee Charles).
Derek
Sundreme
Was he still as handsome as the tapes Ive seen of him from the late sixties? I
was too young to have actually seen him when he toured with Gord, in the
videos, Red had one of the most electric smiles Ive ever seen. Wow, What a
hottie!!(-:
Erica
schinpet
Sundreme wrote:
Hi Erica,from some of your former emails I know that smiles mean a lot to you.
Even only a few GL-smiles have found your approval. Well how about this one :-)
Pete
Tcquinn1
Didn't Red Shea appear on the "Endless Wire" album (after a 7-8 year layoff)?
And was that the last time he appeared on one of GL's albums?
Tim
mwestling
email from an anonymous sender. FYI...
Whatever happened to him, I wish him well... He's one of the most talented
guitarists I ever seen in any genre (folk, jazz, classical, etc.)
Mark
=====
>>Gord told me at a concert in Berkeley. Ca. that Red had "found Jesus"...
Red was a wild sort, so I think the religious "transformation" may be true.
Shortly thereafter I heard that Red played with a bluegrass group that
played at Disneyland... <<
=====
Telekidd
>Didn't Red Shea appear on the "Endless Wire" album (after a 7-8 year layoff)?
Yes, he played some snap rhythms and fills, and was also listed as a "musical
consultant" as he was on Dream Street Rose. He played on Cold on the Shoulder
in 1975, and then returned on EW (1978)
>And was that the last time he appeared on one of GL's albums?>
Yup!
Derek
Mcarl4444
in at a guitar clinic!). It seems to me that I remember seeing him throughout
the 80's as the band leader on the Tommy Hunter Show.
Both Terry and Red are at the masters level with different styles. And both
have their distinctive "signatures" on Gord's work. If I could do 1/10th of
their level, I'd be a happy camper!
Matt C
BlairDavid
In article <ey732.1602$tQ2.4...@news.rdc2.occa.home.com>, "mwestling"
<mwes...@home.com> writes:
>Just found this on the web at : http://www.nevessa.com/colegrove.html
>
><<When David turned in his resignation, Ian hired a guitar player named Red
>Shea. Red was the former guitarist with Gordon Lightfoot, semi-retired and a
>Jehovah's Witness. Red had one of the wildest reputations in Canada. Ian
>also got a new steel player, a young Canadian named "Pee Wee" Charles. Along
>with Gordon Fleming, Red, Billy and me, this would be the new Great Speckled
>Bird, 1973 model, and the last edition I would perform in. >>
>
>
What band is this referring to? Ian Tyson? Is Great Speckled Bird a band???
Confused...
--Blair
mwestling
Here's a larger excerpt from the Web page I found. Perhaps Jim Colegrove
(the owner of the web page) can shed some light on which band(s) Red Shea
was involved in... From my reading of these few paragraphs, I'd assume the
band was "Red Speckled Bird", but I've no idea why Red would leave Gordon
Lightfoot's band and go to a relatively unknown band called "Red Speckled
Bird"...
(Note to Jim Colegrove: This post is part of a thread on the Gordon
Lightfoot newsgroup on the Usenet (alt.music.lightfoot) wherein a bunch of
us GL fans have been wondering whatever happened to Red Shea. Any info you
could provide would be greatly appreciated! Thanks - Mark
=====
"David Wilcox came to Woodstock for a visit early that year. He and his
girlfriend, Trixie, stayed at the house and we got together with Joe
Hutchinson and Billy Mundi and did some playing together. I had already done
some recording with Joe at the studio with N.D. and also at the house with
N.D., Ben and Stephen Bruton. We had a great time with David and we agreed
we would form a band. David had left Great Speckled Bird so he and Trixie
decided to return to Toronto and settle their affairs, then come back to
Woodstock in April to work on the new band.
When David turned in his resignation, Ian hired a guitar player named Red
Shea. Red was the former guitarist with Gordon Lightfoot, semi-retired and a
Jehovah's Witness. Red had one of the wildest reputations in Canada. Ian
also got a new steel player, a young Canadian named "Pee Wee" Charles. Along
with Gordon Fleming, Red, Billy and me, this would be the new Great Speckled
Bird, 1973 model, and the last edition I would perform in.
We made another tour to the Canadian West Coast. Going to Vancouver Island
was a special treat because you had to ride the ferry boat to the Island.
You'd pull your car onto a huge ferry along with a couple of hundred other
cars and park, get out and go upstairs to a finely outfitted ferry boat full
of lounges, restaurants, shops and sightseeing decks. The ferries made their
way around rocky islands along the coast out to Vancouver Island. The trip
took around forty-five minutes, one way, and it really was a treat to
experience. Red had a friend who worked for the line and he got duty on the
boat the night we came back from the island. We hung out together in the
restaurant with the Captain and drank free Cognac."
=====
BlairDavid wrote in message
<19981116103306...@ngol02.aol.com>...
mwestling
You also might want to point your browser to
http://www.dfw.net/~coolg/gsb.html for more info on the Great Speckled Bird.
It does mention that Red Shea joined the band, but not for how long, etc...
Mark
DAVID OSBORNE
>
> In article <ey732.1602$tQ2.4...@news.rdc2.occa.home.com>, "mwestling"
> <mwes...@home.com> writes:
>
> >Just found this on the web at : http://www.nevessa.com/colegrove.html
> >
> ><<When David turned in his resignation, Ian hired a guitar player named Red
> >Shea. Red was the former guitarist with Gordon Lightfoot, semi-retired and a
> >Jehovah's Witness. Red had one of the wildest reputations in Canada. Ian
> >also got a new steel player, a young Canadian named "Pee Wee" Charles. Along
> >with Gordon Fleming, Red, Billy and me, this would be the new Great Speckled
> >Bird, 1973 model, and the last edition I would perform in. >>
> >
> >
>
> What band is this referring to? Ian Tyson? Is Great Speckled Bird a band???
> Confused...
> --Blair
Wow,
It was very exciting to find out that Red, like myself, is a Jehovah's
Witness. I would so much like to see a big concert with everyone
(meaning all band members-present and past ) playing. That would be
neat. Can't wait to see Gordon again.
Chris Davis
mwestling
he's found peace in his life...
Couldn't agree with you more... I'd give almost anything to hear him and
Gord alone...
Mark
DAVID OSBORNE wrote in message <365087...@tecinfo.com>...
mwestling
Mark
Oksky
The talk of "Great Speckled Bird" reminded me of my childhood. My first music
memory is of lying on the floor at my dad's feet, listening to the Grand Ol'
Opry on the radio. Roy Acuff's Great Speckled Bird was a favorite. My dad
even drew pictures of big speckled birds for me. I miss that feeling....and
tonight I miss my dad.
Shirley
Telekidd
In article <19981116202616...@ng126.aol.com>, ok...@aol.com (Oksky)
writes:
>The talk of "Great Speckled Bird" reminded me of my childhood. My first
>music
>memory is of lying on the floor at my dad's feet, listening to the Grand Ol'
>Opry on the radio. Roy Acuff's Great Speckled Bird was a favorite. My dad
>even drew pictures of big speckled birds for me. I miss that feeling....and
>tonight I miss my dad.
Very sweet, Shirley. I read this and was inspired. I got out my guitars, and
played and sang all of my Dad's favorite GL tunes. Made me feel closer to him,
somehow.
Derek
DAVID OSBORNE
>
> Sorry, I meant to type JW instead of JH in my reply above...
>
> Mark
Sorry,
Mark , I didn't see your reply. I am interested, though. Will you
please repost it?
Thanks,
Chris
Jim Colegrove
BlairDavid wrote:
> In article <ey732.1602$tQ2.4...@news.rdc2.occa.home.com>, "mwestling"
> <mwes...@home.com> writes:
>
> >Just found this on the web at : http://www.nevessa.com/colegrove.html
> >
> ><<When David turned in his resignation, Ian hired a guitar player named Red
> >Shea. Red was the former guitarist with Gordon Lightfoot, semi-retired and a
> >Jehovah's Witness. Red had one of the wildest reputations in Canada. Ian
> >also got a new steel player, a young Canadian named "Pee Wee" Charles. Along
> >with Gordon Fleming, Red, Billy and me, this would be the new Great Speckled
> >Bird, 1973 model, and the last edition I would perform in. >>
> >
> >
>
> What band is this referring to? Ian Tyson? Is Great Speckled Bird a band???
> Confused...
> --Blair
The Great Speckled Bird was a band. It was a one of the pioneering Country-Rock
bands formed in the late 1960s by Ian Tyson. It lifetime was from 1968 to around
1975.
--
Jim Colegrove
co...@dfw.net
http://www.dfw.net/~coolg/
Jim Colegrove
mwestling wrote:
> Blair,
>
> Here's a larger excerpt from the Web page I found. Perhaps Jim Colegrove
> (the owner of the web page) can shed some light on which band(s) Red Shea
> was involved in... From my reading of these few paragraphs, I'd assume the
> band was "Red Speckled Bird", but I've no idea why Red would leave Gordon
> Lightfoot's band and go to a relatively unknown band called "Red Speckled
> Bird"...
>
> (Note to Jim Colegrove: This post is part of a thread on the Gordon
> Lightfoot newsgroup on the Usenet (alt.music.lightfoot) wherein a bunch of
> us GL fans have been wondering whatever happened to Red Shea. Any info you
> could provide would be greatly appreciated! Thanks - Mark
>
>
Great Speckled Bird was the name of the Country-Rock band that Ian Tyson started
in 1968. It was not exactly "unknown." It is considered by many to be one of
the bands that pioneered Country-Rock, Amos Garrett was the original guitar
player. When Amos left in the autumn of 1970 he was replaced by David Wilcox.
When David left the band in 1973, Ian hired Red Shea. Great Speckled Bird
recorded 2 Lps prior to Red joining the band. The group performed on the road
and on the CTV television series "The Ian Tyson Show." Red later played with
Tommy Hunter on his TV show. I don't know where he is today but he was a great
guy and a lot of fun to hang out with.
It would be nice if there were video copies of "The Ian Tyson Show" but I have
searched around and asked CFTO but it seems none exist.
For more info on Great Speckled Bird see http://www.dfw.net/~coolg/gsb.html
mwestling
Jim Colegrove wrote in message <3651A19E...@dfw.net>...
BlairDavid
Thanks, everyone, for the info.This is probably not the same David Wilcox who
does the folk tour now? He's a fabulous guitar player, but he seems too young
to be the same guy...?
Here's the entire cut from the web site http://www.dfw.net/~coolg/gsb.html.
Facinating to me that both Red and Pee Wee were part of Ian's band!
Great Speckled Bird was a pioneering country-rock band that originated in
Canada in 1968. Ian and Sylvia Tyson, a well-known folk duo who rose to
popularity in the early sixties, began making records in Nashville around 1968.
Ian wanted his own band that played in a progressive country style. He formed
Great Speckled Bird, a group that was part of the country-rock movement that
emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Original members of the band were: Amos Garrett, guitar; Bill Keith, steel
guitar; Ken Kalmusky, bass and Ricky Marcus, drums. Ian and Sylvia were the
lead vocalists and Ian played guitar.
In 1969 Bill Keith was replaced on steel guitar by Buddy Cage and Ricky Marcus
was replaced on drums by N.D. Smart. They recorded their first LP, Great
Speckled Bird, in Nashville that year. It was issued on the new Ampex label
(Ampex A10103) produced by Todd Rundgren. Great Speckled Bird had their own
logo designed by Walt Kelly, the cartoonist who created the comic strip Pogo.
In January, 1970, Ian replaced Ken Kalmusky on bass with Jim Colegrove,
reuniting him with N.D. Smart. This band toured the United States and Canada,
playing concerts, clubs that included The Troubador in L.A., The Village Gate
in New York, The Cellar Door in D.C., Mr. Kelly's in Chicago and a host of rock
festivals. They appeared on The Johnny Cash Show, played Expo '70 in Osaka,
Japan and performed on the legendary Festival Express tour across Canada that
summer. That same year the band opened the four-year run of the CTV weekly
television series, Nashville North, which became The Ian Tyson Show. The first
season of the series was shown in various markets in the United States in 1970.
In the fall of 1970, Jeff Gutcheon joined Great Speckled Bird to play piano
on the television show. Amos Garrett left the group to join Geoff and Maria
Muldaur's new band in Woodstock. Amos was replaced by Toronto guitarist, David
Wilcox. The next member to leave was Buddy Cage, who left to perform and record
with both Anne Murray and The New Riders of the Purple Sage. Buddy was replaced
on steel by Ben Keith. This group performed on The Ian Tyson Show for the next
two years. In 1972 they recorded an LP for Columbia titled You Were On My Mind
(Columbia KC31337). The same players in this band also recorded for Bearsville
Records as Hungry Chuck.
Great Speckled Bird returned to touring in 1972 but the lineup changed. N.D.
Smart was replaced on drums by former Mothers of Invention drummer, Billy
Mundi. David Wilcox was replaced by Red Shea, former guitarist with Gordon
Lightfoot. Jeff Gutcheon was replaced on piano by Gordon Fleming. Ben Keith was
replaced by Nashville session player, Jim Baker. Baker was soon replaced by
"Pee Wee" Charles on steel. Jim Colegrove left the band in 1974 and was
replaced by Roly Salley on bass.
Ian kept the band going until 1976. Then Great Speckled Bird flew off into the
sunset leaving only two issued records. There were numerous performances on The
Ian Tyson Show that documented this band in most of its configurations. An
example can be heard on the recent reissue of Great Speckled Bird on the Stony
Plain CD (Stony Plain SPCD 1200). The cut, "New Trucker's Cafe," is a live
performance from the early TV show. Perhaps more of these performances will be
issued if they still exist.
Valerie L. Magee
contributed. I just thought I'd comment that it really isn't that surprising that
both Pee Wee and Red ended up working with Ian Tyson after they left Gord's band.
Remember that their departures, as we understand it, were not on bad terms and that
Gord and Ian went way back and have been friends for decades.
BlairDavid wrote:
--
Visit my Gordon Lightfoot webpage at:
mwestling
activities!
Now, if we could get him to join the newsgroup!! <g>
Mark
Valerie L. Magee wrote in message <3651D069...@mindspring.com>...
Jim Colegrove
BlairDavid wrote:
The David Wilcox from the Great Speckled Bird was not the David Wilcox, folk
singer. Check this web site http://www.virtualnoise.com/wilc/index.html
Jim Colegrove
mwestling wrote:
Blair,
Here's a larger excerpt from the Web page I found. Perhaps Jim Colegrove
(the owner of the web page) can shed some light on which band(s) Red Shea
was involved in... From my reading of these few paragraphs, I'd assume the
band was "Red Speckled Bird", but I've no idea why Red would leave Gordon
Lightfoot's band and go to a relatively unknown band called "Red Speckled
Bird"...
(Note to Jim Colegrove: This post is part of a thread on the Gordon
Lightfoot newsgroup on the Usenet (alt.music.lightfoot) wherein a bunch of
us GL fans have been wondering whatever happened to Red Shea. Any info you
could provide would be greatly appreciated! Thanks - Mark
=====
"David Wilcox came to Woodstock for a visit early that year. He and his
girlfriend, Trixie, stayed at the house and we got together with Joe
Hutchinson and Billy Mundi and did some playing together. I had already done
some recording with Joe at the studio with N.D. and also at the house with
N.D., Ben and Stephen Bruton. We had a great time with David and we agreed
we would form a band. David had left Great Speckled Bird so he and Trixie
decided to return to Toronto and settle their affairs, then come back to
Woodstock in April to work on the new band.
When David turned in his resignation, Ian hired a guitar player named Red
Shea. Red was the former guitarist with Gordon Lightfoot, semi-retired and a
Jehovah's Witness. Red had one of the wildest reputations in Canada. Ian
also got a new steel player, a young Canadian named "Pee Wee" Charles. Along
with Gordon Fleming, Red, Billy and me, this would be the new Great Speckled
Bird, 1973 model, and the last edition I would perform in.
We made another tour to the Canadian West Coast. Going to Vancouver Island
was a special treat because you had to ride the ferry boat to the Island.
You'd pull your car onto a huge ferry along with a couple of hundred other
cars and park, get out and go upstairs to a finely outfitted ferry boat full
of lounges, restaurants, shops and sightseeing decks. The ferries made their
way around rocky islands along the coast out to Vancouver Island. The trip
took around forty-five minutes, one way, and it really was a treat to
experience. Red had a friend who worked for the line and he got duty on the
boat the night we came back from the island. We hung out together in the
restaurant with the Captain and drank free Cognac."
=====
BlairDavid wrote in message
<19981116103306...@ngol02.aol.com>...
>
>In article <ey732.1602$tQ2.4...@news.rdc2.occa.home.com>, "mwestling"
><mwes...@home.com> writes:
>
>>Just found this on the web at : http://www.nevessa.com/colegrove.html
>>
>><<When David turned in his resignation, Ian hired a guitar player named
Red
>>Shea. Red was the former guitarist with Gordon Lightfoot, semi-retired and
a
>>Jehovah's Witness. Red had one of the wildest reputations in Canada. Ian
>>also got a new steel player, a young Canadian named "Pee Wee" Charles.
Along
>>with Gordon Fleming, Red, Billy and me, this would be the new Great
Speckled
>>Bird, 1973 model, and the last edition I would perform in. >>
>>
>>
>
>What band is this referring to? Ian Tyson? Is Great Speckled Bird a band???
>Confused...
>--Blair
Not to be picky but did anyone notice this disclaimer on the Nevessa
web site?
Excerpts from an autobiography by Jim Colegrove. Copyright ©
1997 Jim Colegrove. All rights reserved.
No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission of Jim
Colegrove. co...@dfw.net
BlairDavid
In article <3651D069...@mindspring.com>, "Valerie L. Magee"
<vlm...@mindspring.com> writes:
> Thanks to all who
>contributed. I just thought I'd comment that it really isn't that surprising
>that
>both Pee Wee and Red ended up working with Ian Tyson after they left Gord's
>band.
If I have my dates right, according to the article, Red went to work with Ian
after leaving Gord, but Pee Wee went from Ian to Gord's band.... I ordered a CD
of Great Speckled Bird from CDNow-- I'll report when I get it!
--Blair
BlairDavid
>Not to be picky but did anyone notice this disclaimer on the Nevessa web
>site?
Sorry, Jim! Hope no offense was made as it certainly was not intended!
--Blair