Hank Ruf's Comments

 hi hank,

          thank you so much for your time and effort,you do a great job

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   hi hank,

           this is the only way i can find to get in touch with you,hope this is ok.

                                                                       alexander douglas

Thanks Hank I appreiciate it

continued from my post to Hank:

So, I'll again, simply say, "Thanks a whole lot" This is indeed, quite an Honor.....  Don

Hi Hank,

When I got the notice I was member of the week, my first thoughts were: "Hey!, What a great April Fool's day joke". Anyway, regardless, I want to thank you. However, I'm still a bit speechless. So, I'll again, simply say, "Thanks a whole lot" This is indeed, quite an Honor.....  Don

Hi Hank,

  I am new to pedal steel playing and have a small MSA student model.  Are there shops in NC that sell pedal steels.  I live in Raleigh, but would have no problem going somewhere else for a good selection.  The only shop that comes up on line is in Orange, VA.

Thanks,

John

Many many thank's Hank for the Birthday wishes, the time is "really" going way way too fast but what the hey.........the "twangin' " is the life to live eh?

Bob Mainwaring

Vancouver Island.

Dear Mr Ruf

I have posted two songs played by the legendary Lap Seel Guitarist Batuk Nandy. Below is the brife Biography of Batuk Nandy -

The Brief Biography of Batuk Nandy

Batuk Nandy, the guitar legend, India was born on the 01^st of January, 1929, Calcutta (Calcutta is called the Cultural Capital of India) in his ancestral house near Wellington Square called “Debendra Bhavan” named after his paternal Grand-father Debendra Nath Nandy, who came to Calcutta from Burdwan in the year 1845.

Batuk Nandy was raised in a family sharing his life with his 4 brothers and 1 sister.

Since a child Batuk took no or less interest in things which concerns commerce and things relates to daily life. He was young boy who took much interest in sports, poetry, acting and music. 

In his youth he used to play football for the Mohunbagan Club (a renowned club of India) and was trained under Md. Ismail. Batuk’s father was quite disappointed with his son, playing football instead of looking after the family business, but only because of Batuk’s mother’s indulgence Batuk could carry out with what he loved the most.

However, fate intervened. Batuk met with an accident along with a serious illness and his physician the legendary medical practitioner and the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, India, Dr. Bidhan Roy announced the end of Batuk’s career as a footballer in Calcutta’s Maidan (field). It is Dr. Roy who advised to take up Music, especially the Steel Guitar as a hobby during Batuk’s convalescence period which eventually made Batuk, the restless young footballer into the legendary Guitarist Batuk Nandy with more than 60 albums, including 78 R.P.M. / Long Playing Records / Music cassettes and CDs to his credit. He played the guitar and also contributed Background Music to many Bengali Feature films during the 60’s to the 80’s.

Batuk married his childhood sweet heart Nila on the 08^th of May, 1958, and their only son Nilanjan Nandy was born in 1963.

Batuk Nandy developed his unique style of Steel Lap Guitar playing, and he specialized in playing Rabindra-Sangeet and raised the quality of rendition to great heights.

Batuk Nandy had formed a music group titled SABS in the 60’s and soon it became one of the hottest bands playing in town. Batuk Nandy used to fly to Bombay (now Mumbai) to join his friends in song-recording sessions, in studios like the Film-Centre, Radio Gems and Filmistan Studios.

In the period from 1968 to 1995 Batuk Nandy was probably the only name in Steel Lap Guitar Playing which happened to be the closest to a human voice in terms of playing expression, tone, modulation and left-hand movement.

Though initially Batuk Nandy was trained under Dr. P.Chakraborty and also under Sujit Nath, for some period he also took lessons in Rabindra-Sangeet from the legend Debabrata Biswas.

He was trained under Garney Nyss in Western Style Playing, specializing in Hawaiian Melodies following the Staff Notation with Palm Harmonics, Diagonals and Intricate Slide techniques. In the mid 70’s and then again in the 80’s he performed all over France, England, United States, including the Columbia University, New York City and  all over Canada. He also performed in Chittagong, Bangladesh in the year 1986.

Most of his live recordings are archived by his son Nilanjan Nandy.

Batuk Nandy built a Custom Guitar with the Pick-Up that he brought form America himself and Pine wood that he got someone to bring for him from Kuala Lumpur way back in the mid seventies. This guitar had a unique mellow tone which he and his guitar maker friend Tanmay (now departed) took more than a year to build. He did not part with this instrument till he breathed his last on the 23^rd of September 2001, on the 13^th day after his wife Nila passed away in a sudden heart attack on the 10^th September 2001.

Batuk Nandy suffered a cerebral stroke on the 12^th of January 2001, which left him completely paralyzed for the next nine months or so that he was alive.

In his entire musical career Batuk Nandy has shared stage with legends like Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, Manna De, Hemanta Mukherjee, Van Shipley, Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, Uttam Kumar, Biswajeet, Bappi Lahiri and many others.

Batuk Nandy died at the age of 72.

Dear Mr Ruf

Hi, this is Kanak Kanti Sen, your member. I pay my deepest respect for what you are doing for the Steel Guitar community. Now, I would like to introduce one of the best Lap Steel Guitar player of the world. Probably he is the best of all. However, that is a matter of taste. His name is Batuk Nandy (now late). He lived in India. I have more than 30 years experience of playing and listening Steel Guitars. With full confidence, I can tell that no one in the entire world could take the Lap Steel Guitar playing to such a higher level. If you want to introduce this legendary artist to the community, I can send you his brief biography and some samples of his playing. Previously I sent some of his playing samples to some leading American Steel Guitar players and they expressed their surprise regarding the quality, accuracy, melody and sound. I am sure Lap Steel Guitar community will be immensely benefited if they listen to this legend keenly.

With best regards,

Kanak K. Sen
Chittagong,
Bangladesh.

Loved the late great Curlie Chalker. Used him on my first record in 1969

Thanks, Hank, for the welcome and birthday wishes. Don't know how I clicked February instead of January. Oh well, better late than never.

Gilles

Thank you very much for the Birthday wish.. I had a great day..

Johnny

Hi Hank, I would like to know how to get music from the mail page player on to the player on my profile page . I have done it in the past but I don't remember how I did it. 

Thanks,

Danny

It don't they are right next to each other, dont know if any members know my buddy Bob Shearer. He is the one that got me going on the steel and is a great teacher if you can keep up with him, he's been playing for almost 70 years. Not much that he dont know about playing the steel, just finding time to spend with him is the hardest thing.

Thanks Hank maybe we can do that sometime.

Hi Hank. Thanks very much for the warm welcome! Much appreciated. I guess my next challenge to get some pics and other stuff of myself up here. Looking forward to using this website.  You have some great sutff on yorue page.

Quentin.

Happy B'Day Boss and many more...Gary