Obsevations of an Old Steeler

[Fred Treece]

We can all forever believe that we lived in the golden age,

I think it’s important to recognize that we absolutely did.

Popular music evolved right alongside the evolution of the recording studio (and consumer playback equipment) from the 1920’s to the 1990’s. The resultant explosion in creativity was a gift to the generations that lived through it, like nothing ever before in history. Not much has changed in the quality of recording in 30 years since then, other than digital having nearly completely replaced analog. People can record decent sounding albums in their bedrooms now, and you can make it sound like 1920 or 1995 if you want.

What about the evolution of music itself? I hear good new bands playing, singing, and writing as well if not better than the average 60’s-70’s-80’s pop bands I grew up with, and they have the luxury of experimenting with their material and with affordable recording equipment in the comfort of their own garage. But honestly, I’m not hearing anything “new”. All these sub-genres that developed out of Folk, R&B, Country, Rock - it was all marketing, and I learned a long time ago that I am long passed the age of the target audience. The marketeers are smart enough to know that my musical taste is most likely stabilized by now. “New” music, being Not New to me, is meant for the much younger others to discover. All I do mostly is compare it to my personal standards.

I think it is important for musicians to be aware of what has gone before them. I believe the best and most creative ones do, and you can hear it in their stuff. These are the “New” artists that I am drawn to, across all genres that appeal to me. And incidentally, if it’s Country I’m listening to, there darn well better be some very prominent steel guitar in it. Other genres appear to be opening up to Steel. I know what I want to hear from a steel guitar. The genre has to be open to that, not the other way around, for me to listen and enjoy.

We don’t do anyone any favors by despairing for the future of music and the steel guitar here. Dustin Rhodes comment on the paradigm shift, and Mike Neer’s on the “gold standard”, are nails being hit square on the heads. Our job is to keep playing the music we love the best we can, and understand that we don’t live in a musical vacuum stuck on beat 3 of 4/4 time.

[Jack Stoner]

In my age, there were no theatrics, smoke, flashing lights, videos playing. The singer and the band were well dressed and "on their own" with their talents to do a show.

Clothes do not determine a musicians ability but, at least to me, its more professional for the band to be "properly" attired. Ernest Tubb's band's stage outfits comes to mind as an example. I even recall seeing pictures of studio musicians all dressed in coats and ties at a recording session.

Finally, not a knock on any musician (they are doing what puts bread on the table) but listening to the current commercial "country" music 99% sounds like the same producer, same studio musicians on every song.

[Doug Taylor]

Clothes do not determine a musicians ability but, at least to me, its more professional for the band to be "properly" attired. Ernest Tubb's band's stage outfits comes to mind as an example. I even recall seeing pictures of studio musicians all dressed in coats and ties at a recording session.
.

I have always thought you should be able to tell the difference in the audience and the musician by the way they are dressed!

[Stephen Silver]

I am fortunate to have hooked up with a band here in Asheville, some great musicians, The Uptown Hillbillies. Played my first gig with them this last Friday night. Deep cuts from Ray Price, Lefty, Stonewall Jackson (30 Links of Chain), Dave Dudley, Wynn Stewart, Conway, George Jones, Buck Owens, Eddie Arnold, Porter, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young, Roger Miller, Bob Wills, Marty Robbins, Jim Reeves. We had a packed house, dance floor was filled. I haven't had that much fun in more than a decade. Now, if I could only find a strapping young man to load and unload my gear, life would be perfect.

[David Mitchell]

I personally don't think anything has died. Country Music hasn't died nor have all the great steel players died and it's still on mainstream radio, hour after hour, day after day. What has died is what older musicians expect out of country music. I started playing steel in East Texas bars in 1972 and made all the money I wanted to make playing traditional country music. I'm 67 this year. Today I appreciate what the younger people are doing. They still do country but not exactly like the old players and that's a good thing. If George Jones had sounded just like Hank Williams we would have never had a George Jones. Music has always been for young people and I guess I'm still young because I enjoy today's music just as well. They have more traditional sounds today than they did in the 1980's with all the synthesizers on Country artist records.
No the producers and record companies didn't kill traditional country music, old people that love country music killed it. They stopped going to music concerts every month, they stopped buying at least one new record album at the store every week. If I was a record company I darn sure wouldn't spend a million dollars promoting a record to people over 40. Huge waste of money. Get the picture?

[Dustin Rhodes]

I personally don't think anything has died. Country Music hasn't died nor have all the great steel players died and it's still on mainstream radio, hour after hour, day after day. What has died is what older musicians expect out of country music. I started playing steel in East Texas bars in 1972 and made all the money I wanted to make playing traditional country music. I'm 67 this year. Today I appreciate what the younger people are doing. They still do country but not exactly like the old players and that's a good thing. If George Jones had sounded just like Hank Williams we would have never had a George Jones. Music has always been for young people and I guess I'm still young because I enjoy today's music just as well. They have more traditional sounds today than they did in the 1980's with all the synthesizers on Country artist records.
No the producers and record companies didn't kill traditional country music, old people that love country music killed it. They stopped going to music concerts every month, they stopped buying at least one new record album at the store every week. If I was a record company I darn sure wouldn't spend a million dollars promoting a record to people over 40. Huge waste of money. Get the picture?

Man you aren't joking. There are periods in the 70's and 80's that I find hard to listen to. Let's chorus the guitars, the bass, maybe the keys and drums. Double and pan the vocals and then rechorus the whole track.

[Arty Passes]

And if there had been the Steel Forum in the 30s we'd be complaining about all the newfangled country swing music with horns and drums and electric guitars and some guy hollering in the background, and harkening back to the good old days of simple country music.
What's popular is ALWAYS changing and whatever music you came up with is the real music. I'm not a fan of most new stuff, but I am a fan of some of it. I admit to being stuck in the 70s country rock era, but I don't put down the new stuff as illegitimate just because it's not aimed at me. If country music didn't evolve it would die off. Of course there will never be another Merle or George, or any of those people, and there shoudn't be.

[Donny Hinson]

Chart songs in the past 20 years with a pedal steel intro? Where are they? Somebody give us a list!

Anyone? Anyone?

Buehler? Buehler?

We all know that chart songs are what drives the music industry, don't we?

[Shorty Smith]

I'm 89 now, been playing my 73 Emmons D10 for 30 years after playing my telecaster guitar, still got it, for 30 year and singing country songs. The latter 60's 70's, and early 80's were the heart of country music. The only bands that supports real country music with the Steel Guitar today are the bands that perform the music of these past years.

[Michael Sawyer]

Whitey Morgan and the 78's
Cody Jinks and the Tone Deaf Hippies
Tyler Childers and the Food Stamps

This is just a few.Plenty of pedal steel.
But they're not on your FM radio.

There are plenty more.
FM radio ,whether you like country or rock,is bubblegum,and has been for at least 20 years.
There are some great artists making great music out there,selling out shows everywhere they go.
But you ain't gonna hear it on mainstream FM.

[Dustin Rhodes]

I'm 89 now, been playing my 73 Emmons D10 for 30 years after playing my telecaster guitar, still got it, for 30 year and singing country songs. The latter 60's 70's, and early 80's were the heart of country music. The only bands that supports real country music with the Steel Guitar today are the bands that perform the music of these past years.

Takes quite a bit of artistic license to ignore the entire neo-traditional boom of the 90's. I'd say Alan Jackson, George Strait and Garth Brooks songs have kept more steel players in work for the past 20 years than anything made in the 70's except maybe Waylon.

[Dustin Rhodes]

Whitey Morgan and the 78's
Cody Jinks and the Tone Deaf Hippies
Tyler Childers and the Food Stamps

This is just a few.Plenty of pedal steel.
But they're not on your FM radio.

There are plenty more.
FM radio ,whether you like country or rock,is bubblegum,and has been for at least 20 years.
There are some great artists making great music out there,selling out shows everywhere they go.
But you ain't gonna hear it on mainstream FM.

Yep. And if you post a thread with new music on here guys will trip over them getting to the "post new thread" button to lament times past.

[Michael Sawyer]

Dustin ,we cover stuff by the bands i mentioned,as well as the guys you just mentioned.
From Skynyrd,to Luke Combs,Morgan Wallen,Cody Johnson...
We cover plenty of Waylon,Merle,Hank Jr.George Jones
And we get asked back everywhere we play...

By the way,I'm 57 lol...

[Dustin Rhodes]

Dustin ,we cover stuff by the bands i mentioned,as well as the guys you just mentioned.
From Skynyrd,to Luke Combs,Morgan Wallen,Cody Johnson...
We cover plenty of Waylon,Merle,Hank Jr.George Jones
And we get asked back everywhere we play...

By the way,I'm 57 lol...

I'm 35 and know plenty of people out there my age and younger who love the classic stuff but also are at Cain's Ballroom constantly to see bands that are playing traditional country music.

[Donny Hinson]

...Yep. And if you post a thread with new music on here guys will trip over them getting to the "post new thread" button to lament times past.

Many of us (including me) won't be around, Dustin. But I'm pretty sure you'll be doing the same thing 30 years from now!

[Dustin Rhodes]

...Yep. And if you post a thread with new music on here guys will trip over them getting to the "post new thread" button to lament times past.

Many of us (including me) won't be around, Dustin. But I'm pretty sure you'll be doing the same thing 30 years from now!

I don't know, my mom is an 80yo lap steel player who loves finding new music and is completely honest that there has always been terrible music in the mainstream as well.

[Larry Dering]

I haven't listened to main stream radio now for several years. Xm radio has some good traditional country including some new artists that sound traditional. Pandora plays the standard country older stuff if you choose. YouTube is my largest comfort zone watching old steel shows and our forum member posters.

[Donny Hinson]

I don't know, my mom is an 80yo lap steel player who loves finding new music and is completely honest that there has always been terrible music in the mainstream as well.

Yes, there has always been mediocre pablum in mainstream music, but at times it was quite minimal. Now, almost ALL music in the mainstream is mediocre and infinitely forgettable. Can you think of a country song that's come out in the last 5 years that will still be being played 10 or 20 years from now?

What most listeners fail to realize is that what we call "classic country" today is the same thing that was called "classic country" 30 or 40 years ago. Whereas, the stuff being recorded and played today on mainstream radio and TV will never be referred to as "classic" anything.

[John Palumbo]

Well said Donny!

[Ron Whitworth]

Donny said it - the way a lot of us feel about today's so called country music..

I don't know, my mom is an 80yo lap steel player who loves finding new music and is completely honest that there has always been terrible music in the mainstream as well.

Yes, there has always been mediocre pablum in mainstream music, but at times it was quite minimal. Now, almost ALL music in the mainstream is mediocre and infinitely forgettable. Can you think of a country song that's come out in the last 5 years that will still be being played 10 or 20 years from now?

What most listeners fail to realize is that what we call "classic country" today is the same thing that was called "classic country" 30 or 40 years ago. Whereas, the stuff being recorded and played today on mainstream radio and TV will never be referred to as "classic" anything.