RIP Mike Perlowin

LJ Eiffert · Post by **LJ Eiffert** » 4 Aug 2021 7:46 pm

What a one of a kind of person Mike Perlowin is and on earth he was. True to his art of the steel guitar & his style of music. He worked for me at the Foothill Club in Signal Hill,California many times with my Crawfish Band that was with the Late Lou Martin,late Barbi Matthews. RIP my Musician brother.Prayers for his Family.

SwampWater Fox = Uncle Leo

Bob Watson · Post by **Bob Watson** » 5 Aug 2021 1:18 am

I met Mike at the St. Louis steel convention one year and we had a nice conversation about the Curly Chalker DVD. We are so lucky that he took the time to make that DVD and when I saw his name tag I instantly went over and thanked him for making it available to the steel guitar community. We were also Facebook friends and I always enjoyed his posts here on the steel forum and on FB too. His ability to keep his chin up while facing the various health problems that he had to deal with was inspirational. I miss seeing his posts and hearing his take on pedal steel guitar and life in general. May he RIP.

Jeremy Threlfall · Post by **Jeremy Threlfall** » 6 Aug 2021 2:27 am

Well played, Mike

James Ives · Post by **James Ives** » 6 Aug 2021 9:03 pm

It would be nice to do a short memorial service, but there is a big question of where.

Does anyone have a backyard we can use for a couple of hours?
-Jim

Ben Lawson · Post by **Ben Lawson** » 7 Aug 2021 6:48 am

Mike left a great impression on so many of us. He will be missed but not forgotten! R.I.P. Mike!

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 11 Aug 2021 6:58 am

So sorry. RIP Mike.

John Poston · Post by **John Poston** » 12 Aug 2021 7:46 am

My condolences to friends and family. It's always tough to click on the Gone Home link but it's nice to have the updates and the reminiscences.

Mike was very patient and helpful to me, especially as a beginning player coming to the forum and asking the same questions everyone asks every 6 months.

A wonderful guy and a great ambassador of the instrument.

James Ives · Post by **James Ives** » 13 Aug 2021 7:21 pm

I wonder if Mike and Jerry Garcia have met yet. Mike and I used to discuss Jerry alot, and we both agreed that Jerry, despite little experience, played the sweetest pedal steel.
Then again, maybe Mike is looking for Stravinsky up there.

Susan Alcorn · Post by **Susan Alcorn** » 14 Aug 2021 8:45 am

Mike was a dear friend. His death (which shouldn't have been unexpected due to his health challenges) hit me pretty hard. Mike was a an early supporter of my music, and we had been friends since the early 90s.

Mike was a visionary - who else would have taken on the task of recording Stravinsky's entire Rite of Spring on the pedal steel? He seemed to know almost everyone in the steel guitar community and was very supportive of everyone's music.

Mike was also not shy about his political views (which I share). He would engage anyone in the steel guitar community, most of whom didn't share his outlook, and was still able to remain friends with most of them. In that way, I think he is a model for us, one who will be deeply missed.

Dustin Rigsby · Post by **Dustin Rigsby** » 19 Aug 2021 3:04 pm

It's rough reading the gone home section anymore. Mike was an inspiration to say the least. His passing really brings home the lyric "who's gonna fill their shoes".

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 27 Aug 2021 1:25 pm

just saw this! one of kind player for sure. his classical renditions on steel guitar are amazing. met him once and enjoyed his playing. RIP mike. you did good for the steel guitar.

Dave Dube · Post by **Dave Dube** » 5 Sep 2021 1:02 pm

Just got back on the grid. Wow. Though this is late, I owe him my respect.

Mike was an integral part of my experience of the Forum, and a valued one. Though we had a few disagreements, he was a "must read." His accomplishments speak for themselves, but what I hadn't realized, and think speaks well of his quality, is his 52 years of marriage. My condolences to his friends and loved ones.

RIP Mike. The world isn't as musical without you.

Barney Roach · Post by **Barney Roach** » 3 Oct 2021 7:14 pm

I am just now finding this out, and am quite sad.

The Mike I know will be VERY ACTIVE in heaven!

Thanks for all your advice and sharing of visions Mike.

Johnny Pal · Post by **Johnny Pal** » 4 Oct 2021 10:27 am

Around a month or so before Mike passed, he called me & said he wanted to
start performing again. Because of his condition though he asked if I would
be willing to help schlep his gear and take him to gigs in exchange for
PS lessons. Wow, that would have been great except that I moved 60 something
miles from where I used to live near to where he lived in LA. Talk about the
one that got away! Next I heard he had transitioned. He was one of the smartest
persons and talented players I was privileged to know. I Remember him organizing
jam sessions at least a decade or two earlier when I was just learning lap steel.
Condolences to the family and his dog and may he have a good journey.
Johnny

Mickey Adams · Post by **Mickey Adams** » 9 Nov 2021 7:01 pm

One unique individual....RIP mike

Mark Durante · Post by **Mark Durante** » 18 Nov 2021 5:24 am

Wow, another loss to us all...

Bobby D. Jones · Post by **Bobby D. Jones** » 5 Dec 2021 12:32 am

Will miss Mike and posts here on the forum, He took the steel guitar to unknown area of music and made it fit. Mike, May you R.I.P.

Dennis Montgomery · Post by **Dennis Montgomery** » 24 Jul 2022 11:48 am

Just saw Mike's passing mentioned in another forum so wanted to pay my respects. For a period of about a year around 2019 I traded emails with Mike on a regular basis. It all began with me stumbling across his excellent PSG arrangement/recording of West Side Story (my favorite childhood movie soundtrack) and sending him a PM on the forum.

A funny story...he asked me to send him something classical of mine so I mailed him a CD of my all-synthesizer arrangement/recording of Mussorgsky's, "Pictures at an Exhibition" suite. He said he hated it because it reminded him of 70's Japanese synthesist Tomita. I told him Tomita was my biggest influence on arranging classical pieces for synthesizer and our friendship developed from there

RIP Mike and I hope where you've gone they never play Tomita

admin · Post by **b0b** » 24 Jul 2022 12:35 pm

It's funny that Mike didn't like Tomita. They were both doing pretty much the same thing - arranging classical music for a late 20th century instrument and playing all of the parts on that instrument. I wonder what his objection was.

Rest in peace, Mike. We miss you.

Dennis Montgomery · Post by **Dennis Montgomery** » 24 Jul 2022 1:00 pm

That's why I sent him my Tomita influenced work. When he told me he hated it I was completely shocked and asked why. Mike told me he didn't like how Tomita would take liberties with the sound/timbre of the orchestral instruments he was synthesizing rather than doing an accurate representation of the sound qualities of the original instrument. I recall debating with him whether a synthesizer interpretation of a classical piece should sound just like the original or be a completely new piece built on the same foundation. To my ears it's really the difference between 70's/80's albums from Tomita vs Larry Fast/Synergy. The Synergy albums sound like a synth sounding like traditional horn & string orchestral instruments where Tomita sounds like a synth playing the same notes as the original instruments but with completely different sound qualities.

I definitely miss trading emails with him

Bobby D. Jones · Post by **Bobby D. Jones** » 24 Jul 2022 9:39 pm

Never got to meet or talk to Mike, But some of the Classic he done really caught my ear. He took the steel guitar to places unknown in Classic Music. Mike RIP, bj

Paul Awalt · Post by **Paul Awalt** » 26 Jul 2022 7:33 am

I'll will miss his posts, the world just got a little more crazy!.........Rest In Piece Mike.

JERRY THURMOND · Post by **JERRY THURMOND** » 28 Jul 2022 5:04 am

I met mike in St louis, we both joined the forum at the beginning, there was only a few members he had a lot of knowledge about the steel guitar, i was not into his kind of music but like what he played an he was good to help any one who ask for help. We will miss him.
,

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 2 Aug 2022 11:50 pm

This is sad news. Mike and I talked several times in the process of my buying his MSA. The scope of his work is amazing--Spanish symphonic pieces, West Side Story, Debussy among others....

He was an interesting man and I enjoyed our friendship. Bon voyage, Mike.

Bob Shilling · Post by **Bob Shilling** » 29 Aug 2022 10:48 am

I've been away from the forum for a few years, and just heard about Mike's passing. He was an original. Mike, you will be missed.

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RIP Mike Perlowin

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