Steel On Todays Country Music

Dave A. Burley · Post by **Dave A. Burley** » 14 Oct 2010 5:41 pm

Can anyone out there tell me of one country song that has been released in the last five years that features a steel guitar lick that we all want to learn? Remember back in the day, the steel pickers would concieve the licks in the studio that would many times make the recording. Hal with Loretta, Lloyd with everyone and so on. Webb Pierce's 'Slowly' is a great example of a song that the steel intro sort of identified the song.
I really don't listen to much modern rock/country but what I have hear, the steel is always good but nothing new. Are the producers telling the pickers what to pick? Another one....Apartment No. 9. You don't even have to sing a note. You already know what it is.....John Hugheys great breaks with Vince Gill. Am I just missing something? Is it still there?
Thanks,
Dave A. Burley

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 14 Oct 2010 10:06 pm

Brad Paisley's song "I'm Gonna Miss Her" features great steel licks and a steel solo by Mike Johnson(studio) and Randle Currie(live).

Brett

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 15 Oct 2010 1:51 am

oh yeh..

Cowgirls Don't Cry...

Still sends chills down the back of my neck

5 years is a long time, we are gonna need more bandwidth !

Ray McCarthy · Post by **Ray McCarthy** » 15 Oct 2010 2:03 am

Lloyd Green on Alan Jackson's "Remember When" (that might be more than 5 years ago, and Paul Franklin (I think) on George Strait's "River of Love".

But it's true, they're few and far between.

Jim Pitman · Post by **Jim Pitman** » 15 Oct 2010 6:53 am

In general I don't care for the "production" that's going on lately.
Most of it is "Wall of sound", ie steel player and keyboardist pad chords/guitar player's on crunch thickens the wall/drums and bass way out front to ensure you hear the "borrowed from rock" rythm hooks.
Gag me with 80's hair band production (Bon Jovi country).
The model for pop country production seems to be: whatever happened in rock 25 years ago.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 15 Oct 2010 7:47 am

The "Nashville Sound" these days is all about cranked up guitar and kick drum, pretty much whatever The Eagles did thirty years ago, just regurgitated and homogenized over and over and over and....

Ron Funk · Post by **Ron Funk** » 15 Oct 2010 8:18 am

I agree with prior post about steel intros becoming instantly recognizable. Anymore, they are few and far between.

One not too long ago was Josh Turner's "Your Man."

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 15 Oct 2010 8:27 am

Ray McCarthy wrote:Lloyd Green on Alan Jackson's "Remember When" (that might be more than 5 years ago, and Paul Franklin (I think) on George Strait's "River of Love".

But it's true, they're few and far between.

Yeah, that's Paul on "River Of Love".

Brett

George Crickmore · Post by **George Crickmore** » 15 Oct 2010 9:21 am

Just listen to Cowboy Eddie Long on any of Jamey Johnson's music and you will find tons of licks you wanna learn..

Michael McNeill · Post by **Michael McNeill** » 15 Oct 2010 10:01 am

Some nice licks on "Your Man" sung by Josh Turner. You are correct though. I had to think long and hard.

Have a great weekend

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 15 Oct 2010 10:08 am

Another great song with a great steel intro is "This Ain't No Thinkin' Thing" by Trace Adkins. Paul Franklin played it in the studio. Also, listen to Gary Morse on Dierks Bentley songs, like "Lotta Leavin' Left To Do"-great steel licks in the song, also Gary did some great steel work on "Suds In The Bucket" by Sara Evans, "Cowboys Don't Cry" by Brooks & Dunn.

Brett

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 15 Oct 2010 10:17 am

Michael McNeill wrote:Some nice licks on "Your Man" sung by Josh Turner. You are correct though. I had to think long and hard.

Have a great weekend

Michael, Steve Hinson played steel on "Your Man" in the studio. When Josh performs the song live, it's Justin Schipper, Josh's road steeler doin' the steel.

Brett

mtulbert · Post by **mtulbert** » 15 Oct 2010 4:59 pm

Take a listen to Daryl Singletarry's That Why I Sing This Way.

Excellent production and Mike Johnson plays the fire out his steel on every track.

Steve Stallings · Post by **Steve Stallings** » 16 Oct 2010 6:33 am

I'm playing for "Rosehill". Their CD "White Lines and Stars" was produced by Radney Foster. Steve Fishell did the studio cuts. There is nothing "cookie cutter" about the steel he did. You can preview cuts on itunes or at their facebook page.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 16 Oct 2010 8:58 am

It's largely a matter of where you're listenin'...

I've observed that a lot of great steel is coming out of Texas these days.

Heard some great steel on Lonnie Spiker's "Another Day in the Life of a Fool" last nite on XM-13.

Anyone know who's the steeler?

Stuart Legg · Post by **Stuart Legg** » 16 Oct 2010 9:44 am

A new dog doesn't have any tricks that the old dog doesn't already know. Speaking of country PSG.

A few years have past since the PSG first came into prominence and now I've heard so many licks that it's hard to find a lick that isn't at worst just an outright ditto of an Icon of PSG or at best just a rephrased mix of parts of other previous licks of Icons of PSG played faster or slower.

The studio players are just a little better at mix and match than others.

Most of the club PSG players I hear are good and I like what they are doing even though it's mostly copy and paste playing.

I'm speaking here of country music only and I in no way mean to imply that any of this is bad.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 16 Oct 2010 12:55 pm

On the other hand, Joni Harms is still recording all of her CD's in Nashville and there's lots of great steel on every one of them, I understand mostly played by Sonny Garrish and Paul Franklin. Trouble is American radio won't play authentic western music because the sponsors and programmers, all located in major urban centers, don't believe that folks who listen to real country and western music will be drawn to the shopping malls by their advertising. Apparently real western folks still fix their own stuff when it breaks, only buy things that they actually need, spend money where they actually know and like the people they are doing business with and cook from scratch a lot, all good for a happy, healthy life but not so happy and healthy for the bottom line of the corporate money changers....

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 17 Oct 2010 6:17 am

I love the steel work on Martina McBride's "Broken Wing" which was Dan Dugmore I believe, maybe not. Also the steelwork on Garth Brooks "Shameless" and "Beaches of Cheyenne" which was probably Bruce Bouton. There's usually some nice work on George Strait's recordings......

It's out there if you look for it but you can't expect to find steel guitar in everything can you? It'd be nice but it's not practical. Even the old stuff didn't feature steel on everything, Johnny Cash's recordings are a testament to that!

Once more, let's get out of the past and start listening to some of the new stuff, if you give it a chance a lot of it will grow on you. I love Miranda Lambert's song about "The House That Built Me" or something like that. Then there's Trace Adkins great song called "You're Gonna Miss This". That's one of the greatest tunes I've heard in any decade and there's even a little steel here and there. You can even find some good things in (dreaded) Kenny Chesney's catalog. I don't like a lot of his stuff but there are some gems if you look for 'em! Even the old artists had some clunkers here and there...........JH in Va.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 17 Oct 2010 7:23 am

Well said, Jerry.

I like to keep an open mind about music. Certainly it's changing all the time, and 'country' is no exception, but there are still good songs, good performances, and some great players being heard on today's records.

Singers? Joe Nichols is a big favoutite of mine; I have three of his CDs and there's some wonderful steel playing on them!

Lots to be positive about in my opinion....

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 17 Oct 2010 8:42 am

Easton Corbin's "Roll With It" #2 on the charts! Great country with lots of steel.

David Evans · Post by **David Evans** » 17 Oct 2010 2:06 pm

As Jesse Lee Jones says at Roberts Western World "we dont do new country here because there aint no country" I know he's means in general. There is alot of real country especially on Willies Place on satillite radio . A new organization called Hillbilliesville says we should give up the country label, let corporate country have it and start saying we play hillbilly music. Thats what I'm going to do. If you think about it country used to include western and bluegrass and you dont hear that on corporate radio. Bluegrass just went out and started their own deal and seem to be doing pretty could. I hate to give up on the country name but I dont think it will reverse its goal to appeal to young girls.What will be the next evolutionary step , country rap, I wouldnt be surprised.

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 17 Oct 2010 7:02 pm

Who is Jesse Lee Jones?

Lem Smith · Post by **Lem Smith** » 17 Oct 2010 8:33 pm

Theresa Galbraith wrote:Who is Jesse Lee Jones?

Theresa, a quick google search brought up the following:

http://robertswesternworld.com/about/jesse-lee/

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 17 Oct 2010 9:32 pm

Jerry Hayes wrote:I love the steel work on Martina McBride's "Broken Wing" which was Dan Dugmore I believe, maybe not. Also the steelwork on Garth Brooks "Shameless" and "Beaches of Cheyenne" which was probably Bruce Bouton. There's usually some nice work on George Strait's recordings......

It's out there if you look for it but you can't expect to find steel guitar in everything can you? It'd be nice but it's not practical. Even the old stuff didn't feature steel on everything, Johnny Cash's recordings are a testament to that!

Once more, let's get out of the past and start listening to some of the new stuff, if you give it a chance a lot of it will grow on you. I love Miranda Lambert's song about "The House That Built Me" or something like that. Then there's Trace Adkins great song called "You're Gonna Miss This". That's one of the greatest tunes I've heard in any decade and there's even a little steel here and there. You can even find some good things in (dreaded) Kenny Chesney's catalog. I don't like a lot of his stuff but there are some gems if you look for 'em! Even the old artists had some clunkers here and there...........JH in Va.

Jerry, yes, Dan Dugmore played on Martina's "Broken Wing", and Bruce Bouton played on Garth's songs "Shameless" and "Beaches of Cheyenne". Bruce actually played all the steel parts on Garth's records. Russ Pahl did the steel work on Miranda's song "The House That Built Me". Sonny Garrish played on a lot of the Kenny Chesney songs-"Cowboy Eddie Long was Kenny's steel player for five years, and Jim Bob Gairrett plays steel with him now. I believe Steve Hinson played on Trace's song "You're Gonna Miss This" on the record-Wayne Addleman plays it live with Trace.

Brett

David Evans · Post by **David Evans** » 18 Oct 2010 3:25 am

Jesse fronts Brazilbilly , a band that does vintage country, western and some rockibilly. You should here him sing Marty Robbins material.They play at Roberts Western World ,the coolist place on earth,and sometimes you can hardly find room to stand when they perform.

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