Any guitar player in the world today who uses a string bender owes at least a small debit to Boomer Castleman. The man is too often overlooked when the origins of guitar benders are discussed. Many people are aware of Clarence White's contribution, the shoulder strap B-string bender, which he invented in 1968 with the help of Gene Parsons while they were members of the Byrds. But too many people are unaware of the fact that Boomer Castleman, another country/rock musician in California was in a group with Michael Martin Murphey called "The Lewis & Clark Expedition". That group was not nearly as well known or critically acclaimed as the Byrds and Boomer readily admits that Clarence White was a better guitarist. Though the palm pedal, which allowed the bending of any or all six strings, had more capabilities, it did not receive the public attention that White was able to bring to his innovation. Castleman feels that is the main reason the B-bender was marketed more successfully. The palm pedal had no highly visible artist playing it on a regular basis. Add to the fact that the Byrds are regarded as significant innovators in the history of popular music and the result is continued attention given to White.

Boomer Castleman was not a complete unknown. He had composed "What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round" for the Monkees with Michael Murphey. Before that he'd been in a group with Michael Nesmith in California called "The Survivors". He was in a short-lived television series called "The Cowboys" which was to have been like The Monkees but in the Old West. He had his own mid-seventies hit with "Judy May". Over the years he's produced and played for many artists.

Boomer Castleman may not have been the stand-out guitarist that Clarence White was in the late sixties, few are, but he is a world class stylist today. He can be heard on the new "Nashville Guitars - A Showcase Of Nashville's Hottest Guitar Players" CD produced by Louie Shelton on Nuance Records http://www.nuancerecords.com/. Boomer's track, "Fender Bender" is shaped around the concept of utilizing benders on each string. A fascinating study in the craft, it stands out on the album. Although they feature great pickers, most of the tracks sound similar. Jim Olander from Diamond Rio is the only other bender player on the CD> Boomer's ideas come out of left field and that's good in this time of Nashville's cookie cutter rubber stamp tendency to make the same record over and over again, or at least nearly identical. He makes a point of utilizing every bender, all six strings, as a showcase of the capabilities of the apparatus. He takes the listener on a wild and crazy ride through warp space.

 The first palm pedal was incredibly simple. "I wrapped a wire coat hanger around a whammy bar unit and hammered a nail down into the wood of a Fender Telecaster. Then I glued two nuts on each side of the hanger." Castleman recalls. "The base of the guitar was in the inactive position. In the active position the screw stopped it."

The idea was not immediately snatched up. Castleman pitched it to Sho-Bud in Nashville and they turned it down. Some people mentioned they didn't like the idea of screwing things onto the face of a guitar. That notion seems odd in the light of the fact that there are already things attached in such a way to every electric guitar. It's just another way to affect sounds.

"When Bigsby Guitar Accessories agreed to manufacture the product they stipulated that I come up with a user friendly model of no more than two pedals that would go on their existing base for a tremolo arm," he explains. "They removed the bar, adapted the unit and named it the Bigsby Palm Pedal. I named my 1968 prototype the "Boomer Riser". I was already using six pedals back then. I still have it on my Stratocaster." Boomer still fashions his own benders. He put one on a Roland guitar in which he used a Mosrite bridge to make fit properly.

When Boomer Castleman applied for a US patent on his invention he learned that a steel guitar manufacturer in San Diego named Tony Zitinick had a similar idea. Castleman's lawyers informed him that his bender would infringe upon three out of eighteen aspects. Instead of battling in court that two men joined forces. The patent was issued in 1970. Zitinick, who was not a performer, had done nothing with his invention. Boomer was able to sell the idea. So they shared the royalties.

In 1971 Guitar Player Magazine touted the innovation. "Make your electric guitar sound like a pedal steel guitar with the new palm pedal from Bigsby. It has two levers, which can be set on any string. This is done by means of adjusting screws to raise or lower the selected settings up to a full tone, letting you modulate chords, slur notes, etc. The pedals are easily reached while you pick." This was the leading item mentioned under the heading of "New Products".

The Bigsby Palm Pedal caught on for a few years. In 1971 the cover of the NAMM show catalog featured a Gibson SG with one on it. It was advertised in musician's magazines. There was even a model designed for acoustic guitars.

On September 8^th, 1971 Boomer received 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. Interest among guitar players was growing. Boomer received glowing endorsements from Barney Kessel, Tony Mottla, Al Bruno and others.

He was featured playing it on David Allan Coe's album, "I've Got Something To Say" and more significantly on "Geronimo's Cadillac" and "Cosmic Cowboy Souvenir" by Michael Martin Murphey. In fact Murphey, along with Larry Cansler, is one of the witnesses on the patent application. The true genesis of Boomer's bender technique and style is found on this early work with Murphey.

 Trouble arose in 1976 when a guy who worked for Gretsch unsuccessfully challenged the patent. Norland Industries, who had been distributing the Bigsby Palm Pedal up until that time, dropped the account in fear of further challenges. Though no further challenges transpires the damage was done. Bigsby went direct to retail from then on and sales suffered. The patent ran out in 1986. Now anyone can make such a bender. And many do. Joe Glaser is well known for his work in the field. Dave Evans made a model called the Evans Bender. The most famous of all has to be the Parsons/White model usually referred to as a B-bender. Gene Parsons has taken to selling this model as the "Classic Bender". That's a shame to take Clarence White's name off of it.

Castleman has nothing but high praise for Clarence. He regards the man as one of the true greats of guitar. It is perhaps a bit ironic that White is often best regarded for his acoustic bluegrass work. Boomer has also made more records as an acoustic guitar accompanist without bender. Of particular note is the fact that he plays that instrument on the classic "Wildfire". Obviously string bending does not fit every song. Strong, solid acoustic chopping usually does.

These days, as always, Boomer Castleman is constantly playing music. He can be seen and heard around Nashville at writer's nights, showcases and various other gigs. He plays with his own distinct bend on things (pun intended of course). Sometimes his note selection and approach are so unorthodox that it raises eyebrows of wonder. But the man is adept and rooted in chordal knowledge and theory. The music world can always use a maverick who doesn't sound like anyone else. He produces artists on a regular basis. He operates his own studio and to say he stays active is an understatement. He's a workaholic.

Boomer Castleman deserves recognition as one of the inventors of a truly useful, worthwhile adaptation to the guitar. His idea was similar to Clarence White's in desired end but altogether different in the means with which to achieve it. He is currently pursuing a design patent on his multiple string bender. He feels that his multileveled configuration is the best for a six-pedal string bender. "Demand was down for awhile" says Castleman, "but lately it's coming back up". When asked how he feels about so many people borrowing his ideas and manufacturing different guitar string benders, Boomer replies, "It's gratifying to see it all come to fruition. It was a good idea. It's nice to get some notoriety for that."