Who's playing steel on this Merle video

[John Ray]

Just wondered who's playing steel on this sound check video of Merle at Greene Hall 1995.

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https://youtu.be/oNTZkSwK_8c?si=0Wj2pVZHRkDdKRgG

[Colton Stokley]

Norm Hamlet

[John Larson]

That's Norm Hamlet. Merle only had 2 steel players in The Strangers as far as I know. Ralph Mooney til about 1968 and then Norm from then on. Sing Me Back Home was the first studio album with Norm.

[Kenny Davis]

Fuzzy Owen also.

[Brett Day]

Norm came to The Strangers after Ralph Mooney was fired from the band-Norm joined The Strangers in 1969.

[Rick Campbell]

Norm came to The Strangers after Ralph Mooney was fired from the band-Norm joined The Strangers in 1969.

Had not heard this. Why was he fired?

RC

[Brett Day]

Norm came to The Strangers after Ralph Mooney was fired from the band-Norm joined The Strangers in 1969.

Had not heard this. Why was he fired?

RC

Ralph got fired from the band in 1967 because he complained to Merle about how he was tired of staying in a hotel room after being caught in a snowstorm, so he tried to steal the tour bus and drive it home, and got stopped, so Merle fired him, and one night, a year later, Merle was playing bass in a band, and after the show, Merle approached Norm Hamlet and said he needed a steel player in the band, and Norm joined the Strangers, playing in the band for 49 years until Merle died. Later, after being fired from The Strangers, Ralph joined Waylon Jennings' band. Mooney co- wrote "Crazy Arms" in 1949, which became a number one hit for Ray Price in 1956. Ralph played steel on Merle's first four records, which were all top 10 country hits