Boomer Castleman

Boomer Castleman

Inventor: Bigsby PalmPedal, a steel guitar like string bending device for elec.& acoustic guitars.(Nat"l Public Radio 7/16/00)

The first palm pedal was incredibly simple.            " I wraped a wire coat hanger around a whammy bar unit and hammered a nail down into the wood of a Fender Telecaster.."

Boomer Castleman deserves recognition as one of the inventors of a truly worthwhile adaption to the guitar. He feels that his multileveled configuration is the best for a six-pedal string bender.

On September 8th 1971 Boomer recieved a letter that read:

"Dear Mr Castleman, I would be glad to try one of your multiple tone changers. I am sure I would be able to efficiently install it. I am not sure how often I would be able to use it but I would be glad to try it and give you an evaluation.

Regards, Chet Atkins"

This was a major acknowledgment from a world famous musician.

Boomer Castleman:

Inventor:  Bigsby PalmPedal

Artist:  The Lewis & Clark Exposition

 (Colgems Records) "Judy Mae" solo artist,

 (Mums Records);

"Summertime Blues"  solo artist,

(Cream Records)

"Nahville Guitars" 

A Showcase of Nashville's Hottest Guitar Players, (Nuance/WB Records)

"Mr Hyde" (guitarist in rock band on

Taxim Records);

"Personal  Notes"    

(An Instrumental CD on RLG Records)

Music Director: The International Country Music Awards Show; A live Audio/Vidio production featuring top international artist. Tom Jones hosting.

Musician: Played on recording sessions for Pop, Country, and R&B artist such as;  Linda Ronstadt, Vic Dana, Lola Folana, Kenny Rodgers, Merilee Rush, Michael Martin Murphy, George Hamilton, Tammy Wynette, David Alan Coe, Johnny Rodriguez, George Jones, Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Paycheck, Patti Page, Johnny Lee, Roy Clark, Mel Tillis, Earl Scugges, Trini Lopez, Dave Dudley, Hoyt Axton, Big Al Downing, Gerry Mulligan, and many more.

Live Performances: The White House, Washington DC December 29th, 2000; 2001 Super Blues Fest, San Diego; American Bandstand (One of  only two artists to perform live. The other was Jim Stafford); guitarist for flutist James Galway on the "Stranded in West Texas" show; Staff guitarist for the Smokey Mountain Steel Guitar Jamboree, Knoxville, TN (a yearly event).

Background Vocalist: "In the Heat of the Night" (Oscar for best sound track, 1968); "I Dream of Jeannie", "For Singles Only", "The Tiger Makes Out", guitarist on "Take This Job & Shove It", movie; "New Country", "Christmas on the General Jackson", "The Graham Parsons Notebook" (Vocalist & Guitarist).

Songwriter: Songs by Lyle Lovett, John Dever, The Monkeys, George Hamilton IV, Ronnie Prophet, Chad Evertt, Rusty Weir, Seldom Seen, Ray Wylie Hubbord,  Michael Martin Murphy, BW Stevenson, Mari Wilson, and the TV shows "Bonanza" & "I Dream of  Jeannie".

Producer: "Judy Mae" (Boomer Castleman,Mums Records); "Telephone Man" (Mari Wilson, BNA/GRT Records); "Say You Do", (Bobby David, 20th Century Records); "Hollywood & Vine" (Kim Morrison, Malalco Records); "Just Fir You" (Ronnie Prophet, Cachet/TeeVee Records) Records; "Peter the Meter Reader" (Mari Wilson WMOT Records); "Silent Partners" (Rodney Lay, Sun Records); "Summertime Blues" (Boomer Castleman, Cream Records); "Internet Man", "900 Song" (Mari Wilson WB/Giant Records); "Mr Hyde" (Mr Hyde, axim Records); "Personal Notes" (Boomer Castelman, RLG Records) "HOT LYX" (Boomer Castleman, RLG Records).

Awards: Vocals on Quincy Jones Oscar winning soundtrack "In the Heat of the Night", "Telephone Man" (Mari Wilson RIAA Certified gold record); "Just For You" (Ronnie Prophet CRIA Certified gold record); "Telephone Man" (Mari Wilson Ampex Golden Reel Award); "Just For You" Ronnie Prophet Ampex Golden Reel Award); "Telephone Man" (Mari Wilson UK Certified Silver); "Spotlight Guitar" (Boomer Castleman, Guitar Player Magazine June 1994); "Lick-of-the-month" (Boomer Castleman Guiter Player Magazine, March 1999); ("Rock & Read" Magazine Boomer Castleman 'Cover Story');

Organizations:  NARAS, AFTRA, NARM, AF of M, CMA, AFIM.

Record Labels: Owned BNA Records, a successeful independent label, sold to BMG, 1993; Head of Delta Disc Records A&R 1999, currently COO of Legend Records; also owns and operates Amria Records.

BB

Boomer Castleman

was not a complete unknown.  He had  composed "What Am I Doin" Hangin" Round" for the Monkees with Michael Martin Murphey.  Before that he'd been with a group with Michael Nesmith in California called The Survivors.  He was in a short lived Television Series called "The Kowboys" which was to have been like the Monkees, but in the Old West.  He had his own million seller hit in the mid-seventies with,

 "Judy Mae" 

     on

Mums Records

A docter suggested that Boomer start playing guitar to strengthen severd tendons in his left forearm and by the age of 16 he was leading bands around his Farm Branch, Texas hometown.

Still in his teens he went to Los Angeles and was a regular at Randy Sparks Ledbetters folk club along with John Denver. After lot's of studio work and songwriting, he relocated to Nashville and signed to,

CBS-distributed Mums Records via Vogue Productions. His rush-re-leased

"Judy Mae"

is another story song of rural decadence in the melodramatic minor-chord tradition of "Ode To Billy Joe" and "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia". The narrative ingredients here are a hot blooded 17 year old boy, his youthful stepmother and the mysterious accident or suicide of a shocked dad.