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27 Sep 07 - 11:00 PM (#2159004) Subject: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella' John Bassette From: johnross I am looking for either lyrics or a recording of John Bassette's song about "that 12-string Stella, like Leadbelly used to play." John was based in Cleveland, but he was a moderately well-known figure on the folk music circuit in the late 60s and early 70s, even though he never had a major record deal. He made a couple of private-label LPs, but I don't know if he ever recorded that particular song. Anybody have a pointer? |
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27 Sep 07 - 11:12 PM (#2159007) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella:' John Bassette From: Peace Have you seen this? |
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28 Sep 07 - 12:26 AM (#2159026) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella:' John Bassette From: Art Thieme I do remember John playing around Chicago in the early '70s. But I don't really recall this song---or any others actually. I always did wonder about the Stella guitar Leadbelly was said to have played. All of the Stella guitars I saw were extremely cheap plywood instruments. My first guitar was a Stella. I bought it for ten dollars from Joel Kanter at the Sammy house---University of Illinois at Champaign-----1959. I got rid of it as soon as I put the cash together to buy a Harmony Sovereign. Art Thieme |
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28 Sep 07 - 07:51 AM (#2159201) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella:' John Bassette From: GUEST,banjoman One of my early guitars was a Stella 12 string bought for £25 (new)in1963 in Frank Hessy's shop in Liverpool. It was plywood and the neck was a thick log without a truss rod. It played well but needed fingers like Mole Grip Wrenches to play beyond the third fret. Sadly it was lost when I loaned it to a travelling person whose Bender was set on fire by louts. Fond memories but it led me on to far better instruments and even to make my own banjos & guitars which all have necks which are truss rodded & playable |
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01 Oct 07 - 03:18 AM (#2160887) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella:' John Bassette From: Anglo Sorry not to be able to help, but I thought I'd add that my partner and I played for a week sharing the bill with John Bassette at the Earl of Old Town in Chicago, around '72 or so. I remember him as a strong performer. Don't remember much about his songs though, except one about the street he live on in Cleveland, and I can't even remember the name of that! "It's so neat, on ---- Street." As I recall he later got into some trouble with the law in Cleveland, and I don't think he's with us any more, though I'm not sure about that and I never heard any details. |
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01 Oct 07 - 12:54 PM (#2161247) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella:' John Bassette From: GUEST,J Here's a couple of links re John Bassette: http://www.johnbassette.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/john_bassette The line is "It's so nice on Hessler Street" http://www.hessler.org/fair.html The recording listed in one of the above posts is a compilation of various artists performing John Bassette's songs. |
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01 Oct 07 - 01:17 PM (#2161269) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella:' John Bassette From: PoppaGator Stellas, back in the 20s/30s, must have been considered "mediocre" (at worst) rather than "flat-out lousy" guitars, because the representatives of record companies who traveled the country scouting for blues and country artists often carried Stellas for their "discoveries" to play when being recorded. The idea, of course, was that the record company's Stella guitar would often be of better quality, and would provide a better recorded sound, than the backwoods artist's own instrument. My own limited experience suggests that your basic Stella guitar is pretty damn difficult to fret. A 12-string would probably be even more of a nightmare to play than a six; Leadbelly must have had quite a set of calluses! |
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01 Oct 07 - 02:16 PM (#2161304) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella:' John Bassette From: Art Thieme I'd like to think that the Stella guitars Leadbelly played came from a time when that brand was actually a better guitar than when it was being mass produced and made of plywood in the late 1950s when I got one. Mine was small and not a 12-string. Just a 6-string that was easy to learn on playing it at the first position. Art |
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01 Oct 07 - 04:00 PM (#2161367) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella:' John Bassette From: Phil Cooper I saw John play at the old Amazing Grace Coffeehouse in Evanston back in the '70's. I saw an album he put out on the Tinkerbell Label (his own, I believe). I recall him being a funny, charming performer. Jamie Brockett recorded his song "Remember the Wind and the Rain" on his first Capitol album (the same one with Titanic on it). I heard from another Cleveland friend that he did, in later life, have some economic hardships and legal problems. But, yes, John did pass away a few years back and I hope he's in a happier place. |
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01 Oct 07 - 10:49 PM (#2161592) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: '12-string Stella:' John Bassette From: GUEST,J At a given point in time John Bassette WAS folk music in Cleveland. He was a great performer in his early career. Great voice, solid guitar player, wonderful stage presence and a big personality. His label was called TinkerToo, which he explained on his first release, a 4 song EP called 'Weed and Wine": "You're a tinker, I'm a tinker, he's a tinker, too. TinkerToo!" It had the song 'Hello Cleveland' on it that got alot of airplay at that time. Connect w/t links posted. I'm sure that someone involved in the compilation CD or the Hessler Street Fair will have better info. |
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23 May 12 - 05:56 PM (#3354894) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 12-String Stella (John Bassette) From: GUEST I know the first few lines are: I did not go to Woodstock. I might not go again. Too many people for the kind of shape I'm in. and I think the next part goes: But my troubles they are melting Like snowflakes from the sky. I'll just sit right here on my front porch and watch the world go by. 'cause it's so nice on Hessler Street. It's so nice on Hessler Street. |
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08 Apr 13 - 03:28 AM (#3500337) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 12-String Stella (John Bassette) From: GUEST,shane oneill dude i know like that whole song i cant find it anywhere my dad used to sing it to me as a kid but he wud change the name hessler to elm cuz thats where i lived " well i might not go to woodstoch and i may go back again but theres too many people for the kind of shape im in and my tear drops are falling down like rain drops from the sky so ill just sit right here on my front porch and watch the world go by cause it so nice living on hessler street yea its so nice living on hessler street now the street is made of cobble stone not anyone the same and the people you se comin just may never see again tommoros a long day coming and everything will change.... |
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28 Apr 13 - 09:01 AM (#3509902) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 12-String Stella (John Bassette) From: GUEST Whoa. So nice to go back in time and hear about John. I lived with John for years. I'm trying to remember which song those lyrics are in and I just can't. It'll come to me in the middle of the night probably. |
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05 Jan 18 - 05:29 AM (#3897468) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 12-String Stella (John Bassette) From: GUEST,John Grenville-Barker. Germany I can rememberJohn Bassette in London mid 1960's. He was in a show called Golden Boy, Sammy Davis Jr. starred. John sometimes came down to the Troubadour in Earls Court and a couple of times sang. Great voice and good guitar playing. The song about the guitar salesman trying to sell a young boy Martins,Gibsons etc. "just give me a 12 string Stella like Leadbelly used to play" was the reply. John also sang Buffy St.Marie's song "Until it's time for you to go " I wonder if anyone else was around then? Great forum. thanks John (Grenville-Barker) |
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22 Jul 19 - 02:00 PM (#4001600) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 12-String Stella (John Bassette) From: GUEST,Bob Jarvis Sadly, John Bassette passed away in 2006 after a series of strokes. He was a heckuva song writer. I only saw John play once, at (of all places) a Career Day at Rocky River High School, west of Cleveland, around 1973 or 1974. We were supposed to go to listen to different people talk about different careers throughout the day, and John was playing in the auditorium to give us somewhere to go to fill in between "interesting" career talks. Being a music geek I didn't manage to get out of that auditorium once I'd wandered into it. :-) Some of the songs he played were, shall we say, "inappropriate" for a bunch of high school kids - but I doubt he cared. He seemed to be having a good time, and nobody complained, so..? He did an a capella version of "The Dog's Party" which was hilarious and brought the house down. He did "Weed and Wine", the chorus of which has stuck with me ever since ("Weed and wine, to mellow out your mind..."). And he did a lot of other songs which I don't remember anymore, darn my lousy memory! RIP John. This dumb ol' white kid still remembers a bit of your stuff. |
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22 Jul 19 - 02:15 PM (#4001605) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 12-String Stella (John Bassette) From: GUEST,Starship YouTube has some of JB's songs. Here's one for shane oneill, albeit six years late: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZwvow0Ab8c |
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23 Jul 19 - 05:18 PM (#4001821) Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 12-String Stella (John Bassette) From: GUEST,Guest RS Stellas made back in the 20s & 30s by the Oscar Schmidt company were certainly cheap, but they were serviceable, decent-sounding instruments- I have a 6-string OS Stella Concert, & it has the definitive early blues sound, especially for slide ( Stefan Grossman always opted to play his Stella 6 or 12 rather than his Martin for slide ); circa 1940, the name was acquired by Harmony, & the quality began to decline, although the 12-strings were always solid woods, & ok-sounding, though not too slick to play. |