What's Your Favorite Steel Guitar Solo?

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 8 Jul 2014 9:19 pm

Buddy's version of "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" sounds really awesome! Heard it before I started playing and was amazed! Then there's his version of "Away In A Manger" that really amazed me! I had the tape when I started playing steel fourteen years ago.

George Schinler · Post by **George Schinler** » 9 Jul 2014 8:14 am

My favorite is always gonna be the one that introduced me to steel and that is 'Fire On The Mountain' by Toy Caldwell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpzoumcIFu4

I've heard plenty of folks putting Toy's playing down. I don't care if he was out of tune, the man had SOUL and played those parts with a lot of feeling.

Anything by Bobby Black, too.

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 9 Jul 2014 10:09 am

George Schinler wrote:My favorite is always gonna be the one that introduced me to steel and that is 'Fire On The Mountain' by Toy Caldwell.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpzoumcIFu4

I've heard plenty of folks putting Toy's playing down. I don't care if he was out of tune, the man had SOUL and played those parts with a lot of feeling.

Anything by Bobby Black, too.

The steel intro to "Fire On The Mountain" is great!

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 9 Jul 2014 6:36 pm

Favorite solos? too many to count, but for sheer elegance the solo on this performance of the Everly Brothers' "So Sad" , performed by Maestro Lloyd Green, with guest vocalist Junior Brown, wins my vote.

http://dvanet.net/audio/04%20So%20Sad.mp3

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 10 Jul 2014 7:43 pm

the exuberance and bounce of Jerry Garcia's solos, first on Teach Your Children and then on Dire Wolf really turned my ear at an impressionable age. What a sound! The Wheel was another.

other favorites include:

Buddy Emmons on 'I Gotta Get Drunk' by Willie Nelson & George Jones.

Sneaky Pete on 'It Just Might Be a One-Shot Deal' by Frank Zappa.

Weldon Myrick on 'I'll Come Running' by Connie Smith.

Ralph Mooney on 'Above & Beyond' by Buck Owens.

Jay Dee Maness on 'Satisfied Mind' by the International Submarine Band.

Al Perkins on 'Ooh Las Vegas' by Gram Parsons.

Hal Rugg on 'You Wanna Give Me a Lift' by Loretta Lynn.

Curly Chalker on 'You Are the Sunshine of My Life' from the live DVD.

Pete Drake on 'Apartment #9' by Tammy Wynette.

Lloyd Green on '100 Years From Now' by the Byrds.

Russ Hicks on 'Help Me Scrape the Mucus Off My Brain' by Ween.

and another vote for Skunk Baxter on 'Razor Boy' by Steely Dan.

the moral of this topic? it's impossible to choose just one!

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 11 Jul 2014 3:42 pm

Just two for now-Ed Black on the Ronstadt version of "Silver Threads",and Sneaky Pete on the FBB's version of "White Line Fever."

admin · Post by **b0b** » 11 Jul 2014 4:34 pm

Second favorite: "Teach Your Children" by Jerry Garcia.

Doug Jones · Post by **Doug Jones** » 11 Jul 2014 6:50 pm

A bunch of great ones here! Of my multitude of favorites I would add Mike Johnson's solo on "I never go around mirrors on Daryl Singletary's version and Franklin's solo on Eddie Rabbitt's "on second thought". This thread may go on and on . . . .

Les Cargill · Post by **Les Cargill** » 11 Jul 2014 7:12 pm

My personal favorite use of steel guitar is Ben Keith's work on Neil Young's "Albuquerque".

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 15 Jul 2014 9:46 pm

My favorite is Bill Hatcher doing the D minor chaconne with no pedals. Marvelous!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/bbusiak ... +steel.mp3

Terry Sneed · Post by **Terry Sneed** » 16 Jul 2014 12:33 pm

Two more, Mike Seigler's 'Girl In the Glass' and Rabbit Easter, and John Hughey playin 'Steel Heaven' It'll bring tears to your eyes.

terry

Ariel Lobos · Post by **Ariel Lobos** » 16 Jul 2014 4:28 pm

Paul Franklin on Dire Straits "walk of life", "The Bug" and all "On Every Street" album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIHMN1rFi9s

Jay Dee Mannes on jaggerÂ´s "Evening gown"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ26KCdJ8Us

Dan Cooper · Post by **Dan Cooper** » 16 Jul 2014 7:57 pm

At the moment: Moon on Wanda Jackson's "What Have We Done"

Igor Fiksman · Post by **Igor Fiksman** » 11 Sep 2014 6:24 pm

Joe Casey wrote:Lately ,I would have to say P.F.'s verion "Live" on the Opry of Together again with Vince.

Have to second this one. In March I had an experience of a lifetime. Was working a festival where Vince Gill/ Paul Franklin were playing on that recent Bakersfield tour. Needless to say I wasn't going to miss that, even got to watch it from the sound booth. When "Together Again" started, Vince's sound guy turned around and asked " which one of you guys is a steel player?". I raised my hand and he handed me the headphones with steel channel solo'd. I got to hear P. Franklin right in the front of the mix just as he went into that solo. My God, that was something, as close to perfect tone and feel as you can get... First, made me want to give the steel up, then it made me want to run home and practice, practice, practice....

Floyd Lowery · Post by **Floyd Lowery** » 12 Sep 2014 5:01 am

So many pickers. So many great solos. A lot of opinions and they are all good. What comes to my mind is Julian's lead on Ray Price's "Help me make it through the night".

Dave Hepworth · Post by **Dave Hepworth** » 12 Sep 2014 10:54 am

Hi folks,
My favourite solo has got to be Buddy Cage when he plays the solo on She's no Angel live on the album Home Home on the road .
Regards Dave.

Godfrey Arthur · Post by **Godfrey Arthur** » 13 Sep 2014 8:19 am

Since the topic is so broad, it was a tad difficult how to categorize a "solo" as in what context came to mind.

For-the-song category I would have to go with Dan Dugmore's Better Than I Used To Be Tim McGraw, where Dan starts his solo off with 4 "Darrels."

John Scanlon · Post by **John Scanlon** » 13 Sep 2014 12:47 pm

NRPS Dim Lights.

Can't believe I'm only the second to mention Buddy Cage.

I also love everything - including tone - about this: http://youtu.be/SIHtFySoo6U but I know I'm in a tiny minority here.

Gary Cooper · Post by **Gary Cooper** » 13 Sep 2014 4:55 pm

Anything by Buddy Emmons

Rich Upright · Post by **Rich Upright** » 30 Sep 2014 9:06 pm

OH MAN there are so many of them, it's hard to pick. But the one that really gets to me everytime I hear it: Neil Flanz' solo on the live Long Island radio broadcast of Gram Parson's "The New Soft Shoe". I had the priviledge of jamming with Neil in Tampa back in the early 2000s, with myself on bass, doing all the old Gram songs, & I asked him about the solo. If I remember correctly, he did it on an old Sho-Bud student model through a Twin Reverb. The tone is to die for.

Here are a few of my other favorites:

Sara Jory live video of "My Elusive Dreams"
Jay Dee Maness with Desert Rose "I Still Believe In You"
Ricky Skaggs "Country Boy". Bruce Bouton on steel
Alan Jackson "Job Description" I think PF, but not sure
Ray Price& Willie "Don't You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me" The Big "E"
Buddy Cage "Panama Red".
Jerry Garcia "Dire Wolf".

James Jacoby · Post by **James Jacoby** » 1 Oct 2014 1:19 am

The ones I play the most, are Buddy Cage in Hello Mary Lou, and Tom Brumley's solo in Buckeroo. -Jake-

Eddie Cunningham · Post by **Eddie Cunningham** » 1 Oct 2014 1:21 pm

In my humble opinion the best steel break ever was Jerry Byrds solo on Hank Williams "I'm so lonesome I could cry " done back in the late 40s !! - olde geeze - AKA Eddie "C"

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