Jim Campilongo’s Vinyl Treasures Thumbs Carllile — On His Own
Thumbs Carllile showed his mastery of tone, touch and taste on 1973’s On His Own.
KENNETH RAY CARLLILE was born in 1931 and grew up on a farm in Harrisburg, Illinois. At age eight he began playing his sister’s resonator guitar, and when she hid the steel bar, young Kenneth used his thumb in its place, resulting in his nickname, Thumbs. This unorthodox technique spawned unusual chord voicings.
Eb Thumbs tuned his guitar down to and would sometimes incorporate a capo à la Lonnie Mack, where open strings and guitaristic phrases could
F#, Ab be available in and so on. It was one of the many aspects of his musicality.
I have about five Thumbs
Carllile records, and to be fair, some don’t achieve the raw musicality seen in his live performances available on YouTube. Of the bunch, however,
1973’s On His Own, on Gemini Records, is my favorite, as it showcases his versatility and distinctive style.
Thumbs played with dozens of great country stars, but his main gig for almost 10 years was with Roger Miller. Mundell Lowe, a great guitar player and friend of his, once proclaimed Thumbs “the most courageous guitar player for his unrehearsed swan dives into unfamiliar music.” Once while at Scotty’s Steel Guitar Convention in St. Louis, I met a musician who had played with Thumbs. While singing his praises, the man recalled a big industry showcase they were booked to play. Evidently there had been a long layover before the show, during which Thumbs relaxed, hung out by the pool and didn’t practice a single lick. A week or more later, Thumbs showed up to the gig and played brilliantly, if not better than ever. Ah, to be a natural! Certainly, to play like Thumbs would involve thousands of hours of practice, but I loved that story.
On His Own opens with the Carllile original “Wounded Knee,” a piece that juggles atmospheric blues lines that segue into huge rock chording reminiscent of Deep Purple organist Jon Lord (Thumbs had a cinematic compositional side). This is followed by “Son,” another Thumbs original in a country-funk vein reminiscent of Jimmy Byrant and Speedy West’s 1990 cut “Boogie Man.” Thumbs’ country-funk mastery is also displayed on “Mystery Train” and “Getting Your Ship Together.” His guitar snaps, pops and grooves, while his double-stops and superimposed jazz lines speak out. I suspect this twangy country-funk style is a lost art to another generation of guitarists, but maybe I don’t get out enough.
The Hank Williams song “Lost Highway” is another personal favorite on which Thumbs shows us how to play a melody. He also covers the Ventures’ hit “Raunchy,” itself a reworking of the classic by Bill Justis, who is On His Own’s credited arranger. Thumbs has a refreshing take on the tune, making it bluesy, uptown and sometimes almost sneaky sounding.
Being a big Karen Carpenter fan, I was pleased by his take on the Carpenters’ classic “Close to You,” presented here as well. It’s a real gem on which Thumbs displays a kind of Earl Klugh mastery, making a commercial sound perfectly palatable. On “Killing Me Softly,” he plays the creamiest octaves I’ve ever heard. I didn’t appreciate this Roberta Flack hit until I heard Thumbs unleash the beauty of its progression and melody. But to me, the standout track here is “Me & Memphis,” a jazz blues in F on which Thumbs plays doublestops that are absolutely lovely and hot. I learned the top of this piece and was shocked to find how difficult it was, because Thumbs made it sound so easy. I didn’t try to touch his Gatton-like shredding that followed.
Players like Thumbs, Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery, Phil Baugh, George Barnes and Howard Roberts, to name a few, come to mind as artists who can take any song and bring it to life instrumentally. From their example I’ve learned never to pre-judge a song as unworthy. If one can’t find all the nooks and crannies a song is offering, it’s not necessarily because of the song; more likely it’s down to the shortcomings of one’s imagination.
If I were to nitpick, I’d say some of On His Own’s songs are short and almost prematurely abbreviated. I suppose Thumbs left me wanting a little more. Likely he’ll do the same for you. If you’re unfamiliar with Thumbs Carllile, On His Own is a good place to start. It’s an album where you can enjoy a masterful guitarist as he tutors us with his unique musicality.
PLAYERS LIKE THUMBS CAN TAKE ANY SONG AND BRING IT TO LIFE INSTRUMENTALLY