My early days in the Lehigh Valley Music Scene

I got interested in the steel guitar as a 10 year old child, watching Mid Western Hayride on a 10” round black & white TV, in Allentown PA.

At age 13 I started playing steel guitar (single neck, 6 strings Gibson, BR9) with the Lehigh Valley Rangers, who afterwards changed their name to The Country Cousins. Over the next 8 years I played steel guitar and lead guitar with the Country Cousins and occasionally with Curly Gibson, The Broadway Buckaroos, Willis Meyers and The PK’s.

I also played lead guitar and electric bass with Ernie Kern and his Dance Combo during 1961. During these musical years I had the opportunity to backup a number of Nashville and Wheeling Country Music Stars, to name a few….Grandpa Jones, Cathy Dee, Dotti West, Wilburn Brothers, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Justin Tubb.  In those days many of the “Big Acts” didn’t have Bands and Buses. The Country Cousins were connected to these travel “Stars” through Cook and Rose Theatrical Agency in York, Pa. We played at all the local Parks, Festival, Carnivals, Church Picnics along with the Sleepy Hollow Ranch, Dorney Park, Hershey Park, several local and State Fairs and Sunset Park.

Musical Break

There were gaps in my music playing years. After High School I worked as a journeyman machinist and later I became a Manufacturing Engineer. Shortly after my wife and I were married I started playing steel guitar again for six more years, then I quit again and didn’t hold a bar in my hand for over 25 years. During that nonmusical time, I only played rhythm guitar and sang “Old MacDonald had a Farm” when our tiny grandchildren would visit and run around and dance to that old familiar tune. 

Work Life Chronology

1957 to 1960 Votech Trade School, studying to become a machinist

1960 to 1964 Machinist Apprentice at the Aldrich Pump Company 8000 hours of hands on and correspondence studies, written testing and grading by the school.

1965 to 1971 Worked as a machinist and got knowledge and experience with CNC Production equipment.

1971 Joined the Industrial Engineering Department at Ingersoll Rand ( IR merged with the Aldrich Pump Co.) I did methods engineering and CNC Programming. Also helped in the shop to help train machine tool operators and machinists.

1972 to 1991 became part of the Manufacturing Engineering Projects Group, where I designed several Manufacturing Cells and proposed Capital Equipment Specification, had them approved and purchased and helped implement the equipment that made up the Cells.

In 1991 IR joint ventured with Dresser Rand and decided to relocate to Virginia. I believe I was one of 23 employees, out of a couple hundred, that were offered relocation and an Engineering job. I decided to resign, and I took an Industrial Engineering job with Spirax Sarco Company, their product consisted of all kinds steam handling equipment.  I worked there for about two years. Again, working with designing Manufacturing Cells.

In 1994 a friend and business owner, name is Harold Keeney, his business is ATLAS Machining & Welding, started in 1984. Phoned me and asked me to join his “Management Team”, which I did and in a small family-owned business, each of us did “whatever it took” to keep the business moving forward. It was quite a welcome change, no more three piece suits and ties each day, changed to blue jeans and a sport shirt, and each day everyone working there “plugged in” their skills and experience to make the business move forward and be successful. I shoveled snow off the roof, helped built coal bins, created new employee pre-employment tests and interviews, hired new employees, fired a couple over the years, Harold and I surveyed and bought new CNC equipment, bought and used the first cell phone as a support for management contacts to respond quickly to “pager alerts” from customers in need of repairs or Service…It was wonderful, since Harold would allow Management to Dream and He was interested in the Dreams. 

I retired from ATLAS in 2009…to start up a local Dobro Guitar Association. 

The start of the Dobro Era

My wife bought me a Dobro in 2003 to see if I could learn to play it (this is a work in process). I met a number of Bluegrass and Country musicians through my friends Joe Sullivan and Lynn Peters, but the Dobro players were few and far between except for my friends Lynn Peters and Tom Flynn (Slideman). I considered myself a “closet” Dobro player and singer, but occasionally will play and sing in our church.

The Dobro Meetings - Lehigh Valley Dobro® Resophonic Guitar Association

In 2009 I decided to start a Dobro® Resonator Guitar Association. I scheduled and invited folks that were interested in the Dobro, played Dobro, or sang or played other related instruments, and we would have meetings several times a year at our church, St Paul United Methodist Church in Hellertown, Pa. 

Professional players, beginners and visitors who had an interest in the Dobro® were welcome to attend these meetings.

Dobro Radio Jockey

In 2011, my friend, Dick Saylor, a well known and admired local Bluegrass entertainer and disc jockey invited me to join his Internet Bluegrass Broadcast and do a Dobro® music portion of his 24/7/365 Broadcast. This new adventure of Disc Jockeying for The Lehigh Valley Dobro Resophonic Guitar Association Show was a wonderful opportunity to reach out to Dobro and Steel Guitar players and Bluegrass & Country music listeners. This was a real honor and privilege, being invited to do this 3 hour broadcast each week. 

Happy pickin’ & slidein’. 

Tom Engleman