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©2000 by Ely Music/Pub |
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Getting To Know You... UK's Norman "Kalama" Fletcher
I had always loved the sound of the steel guitar as a child, particularly in Hawaiian music. It was not until 1946 that I saw one being played. I was in the R.A.F., and one evening, while stationed in Penang, I visited the "City Lights" dance hall and was spellbound by the playing of Joe Loselle who was playing a twin-neck made by and R.A.F. technician. It was then that I became determined not only to play one when I returned home, but to front a band. In 1947, I got out of the R.A.F. and returned home. A search of the music shops produced only one steel guitar and matching amplifier at £25, far more than I could afford, working in the Civil Service at £20 a month less tax and insurance! I decided to try to make one. Experimenting was fun. I took out the coil, etc. from an old telephone and affixed it to a piece of broomstick. I stuck nails in the ends, fixed on a string as tight as possible, and plugged it into the pick-up jack of our Philco radio. The twang was highly satisfactory. (Ed Note: John Tipka, listen up!) From there, I learned about machine heads, pick-ups and scale lengths, and was quite soon making good guitars, using Brazilian mahogany for the solid bodywork. I taught myself to play, using a high-bass tuning, then the C# minor. I played in various duos and trios until 1956 when I was transferred to Cardigan in Wales, and joined a band. After a while, I took over the band by request and for nine years played lead instrument in four counties. I used two guitars, one my own make, a 6-stringer and a Gibson-Kalamazoo which was subsequently stolen. In the 70's, I was transferred to Basingstoke where I formed the "Southlanders", and later the "New Southlanders", playing on steel guitar everything from "Tiger Shark" as a samba, to the "Gay Gordons"! I still made steel guitars and sold them. A further transfer took me to Norwich in the late 70's where I formed a five-piece band which was called "Skipper". I then started to play at various conventions. Eventually, the band broke up and I continued to play in duos and trios. In 1993, I was asked by Gerry Hogan to play at the Country Convention at Newbury, where Americn stars came over and performed, like Lloyd Green, Doug Jernigan and many other brilliant pedal steel players. I used a 6-string lap steel, playing Hawaiian and standard numbers, and was very well received. I still play there each year on various 6 and 8 string guitars. In 1994, whilst at the 3-day Brecon "Hawaiian Convention", (Pat Jones' Annual event in Wales) I met Aldyth Leilani Vernon, a well-known hula dancer. Aldyth started hula lessons in 1980 at the "Magic Hula Studio", run by Aunty Rose Joshua and her daughter Lorraine Joshua Daniel. Aldyth visited Hawai`i every year, sometimes twice a year, to take lessons which she has done over the last 20 years. In England, she has a group called "The Aloha Dancers" who have appeared many times on television. I later became their steel guitarist. Furthermore, the beautiful, talented Aldyth became my wife. She was, and still is, very supportive and in 1999, I realized a life-long dream, and played in Hawai`i at the HSGA convention, both in Kapi`olani Park (Annual May Day Celebration), and on stage at the Queen Kapi`olani Hotel, playing an early 6-string Rickenbacker. Not only that, but we had our marriage vows renewed and blessed on the beach at Mokule`ia (Windward Northshore O`ahu) which was a beautiful occasion. Having heard a Canopus steel guitar being played by such celebrities as Alan Akaka, I recently had a twin-eight made in Japan, and now play this as well as my Rickenbacker. I still play, mostly at conventions and for the Aloha Dancers. I spend a lot of time recording in my music room, and producing tapes for John Marsden's Hawaiian tape club. I have two CDs out which have been successful, "Hawai`i Goes Latin", and "Steel Cocktail". I am now in the process of producing a CD of traditional Hawaiian songs. At nearly 75 years of age I have had to scale down! I find recording very rewarding and I produce all my own backings using Keyboard, `ukulele, and bass guitar, which is always a challenge, as I don't read music and play everything by ear. I hope to keep on playing to a ripe old age. (Norm's tunings, top to bottom, are E6 (G#-E-C#-B-G#-E-C-B) and B11 (E-C#-A-F#-D#-B-F#-B) 
HSGA * HAWAIIAN
STEEL GUITAR ASSOCIATION Homepage URL: www.hsga.org (hsga@lava.net) Last updated: 07/23/02 by Gerald Ross (gbross@umich.edu) |