The Brevity Of Sustained Interest Is Worthy Of Note

[Bill Hankey]

Ken,

I disagree wholeheartedly with your statement concerning Chet Atkins' knowledge concerning steel guitarist in general. I interviewed Chet in Westfield, MA in 1985. He didn't hesitate for a moment to answer questions that very few others would have been able to do. I'm convinced that he was scoped in on country music, steel guitars, and the like, more than anyone you might name. Just try to imagine what the friends in Nashville, TN would say, if you made such comments in that vicinity.

[Ken Byng]

Bill
Chet's cosmopolitan 'Nashville Sound' productions rarely included steel guitar or fiddle. He probably knew many players in town, but stopped featuring the instrument unlike other great producers such as Billy Sherill.

I say this as a great Chet fan - I have all of his albums and love his playing, but you can't argue with facts. I am now reflecting that I have been sucked into an off-topic meander.

[Bill Hankey]

Ken,

Trying to determine the reasons for others becoming disinterested in a given subject such as thumb picks is a peculiar sort of behaviorism. I've messed around with scores of thumb picks after deciding that the manufacturers haven't a clue pertaining to the versatilities of small changes in configurations. The same rule applies to other manufactured goods such as musical instruments. There is always room for improvement.

[Bill Hankey]

Ken,

Your comments precipitated an urge within me to respond in kind. I'm not sure if you are aware that Chet was fired by one or two bands for his ferreting out others who were playing out of tune. Steel guitars detune unexpectedly during sessions. Could it be that because of his high position in the recording industry, a lack of tolerances made him avoid the problem by excluding the steel guitar from virtually all sessions? Now that I think about it, I've often wondered why so many other artists have chosen to exclude the pedal steel guitar. I always wished that Johnny Cash blended some steel into his hit recordings.

[Shawn Brown]

In the book "Are You Ready For the Country" Chet Atkins stated; "People like Hank Snow would say to me Chet, I think I should go back and record with a fiddle and steel guitar like I used to do, because all my fans tell me that's what they want to hear", "so we did, but they didn't sell".

Being RCA's A&R Manager, I think Chet Atkins just wanted to put out records that sold as many copies as possible in order for RCA to be successful.At that time honky tonk country music wasn't selling like pop music was, so he was just attempting to broaden the market.

[Fred Glave]

Bill, you do not need to have a user name on your posts. You're one of the few people we will be able to identify just by the title of your topic.

[Jan Viljoen]

Hi Blokes,

My conclusion after reading this thread and others similar, is that pedal steel players know a lot about pedal steels and guitar players and other stuff.

I enjoy all these discussions.
Is this tendency also apparent on other musical blogs?

O by the way, I have the Chet cd about the snowbird.
And the cd with Mark Knopfler, with Paul Franklin on psg and pedabro.

Let the games begin!

[Bill Hankey]

Jan, V.,

I am surprised to see the thread dropping down that features RAY PRICE and BUDDY EMMONS at the AUSTIN CITY LIMITS SHOW. The show was entered on the forum by RODGER McBRIDE. I don't believe that I've seen a better performance with the two giants of country music. There is a slight delay or time lapse before the show starts after clicking the link. The show is listed under steel players.

[Jan Viljoen]

Thanks guys.

Keep up your eloquent speeches and music.