What song made you buy a steel guitar?

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 9 Sep 2002 3:14 pm

A band called Ricochet came out with three songs in 1996 that had great steel guitar parts. The songs were called "What Do I Know", "Daddy's Money", and "Love Is Stronger Than Pride." I knew, after hearing those songs that I wanted to play the steel guitar. A steel player named Teddy Carr played on those songs and I also wanted to play because I heard Paul Franklin playing with a lot of artists. Brett Day, Emmons S-10

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 9 Sep 2002 4:36 pm

Together Again and Touch My Heart. Buck and Ray in that order.

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1985 Emmons push-pull, Session 500, Nashville400, 65 re-issue Fender Twin, Fender Tele

Karlis Abolins · Post by **Karlis Abolins** » 9 Sep 2002 4:53 pm

The first song didn't have a steel. It was Clarence White playing his pull-string guitar on the Byrds' Chestnut Mare. That led to Sweeheart of the Rodeo, POCO, Burrito Bros. New Riders, Eagles, Gram Parsons and a pedal steel guitar. I never listened to country. All of my early stuff was country rock played real loud. The air was thick in those days and playing it loud made it sound better.

Karlis

Bobby Snell · Post by **Bobby Snell** » 9 Sep 2002 5:06 pm

Al Perkins playing "Devil in Disguise" on the live Burrito Bro's album.

Terry Wendt · Post by **Terry Wendt** » 9 Sep 2002 5:15 pm

ALL OF THE SONGS DID

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TheEarlyDays.com

and appearing regularly...
Jimmy Crawford/Russ Hicks... and Buddy Emmons on Bass! aLotOfSpace.com

Matt Martin · Post by **Matt Martin** » 9 Sep 2002 5:22 pm

Lets not forget Sneaky Pete or Rusty Young back in the 70's. Bad Wheather from Rusty and anything on Linda Ronstats songs from Sneaky.

Chris Robbins · Post by **Chris Robbins** » 9 Sep 2002 5:25 pm

Every lick John David Call played while he played for PURE prarie leauge'

Michael Haselman · Post by **Michael Haselman** » 9 Sep 2002 5:26 pm

I came in from the rock side, and the one tune that hooked me was "Pearl of the Quarter" by Steely Dan. Skunk Baxter was a very good steel player for the time. "Razor Boy" on the same album, "Countdown to Ecstasy" is also good.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 9 Sep 2002 6:09 pm

Al Petty's "Steel Guitar Wobble".
It was on some Arhoolie compilation I had. I couldn't find a pedalsteel in NYC so I went to St Louis. Al was there ! Then I bought my first steel from Buddy Emmons at the MCI booth.

Bob

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 9 Sep 2002 6:49 pm

It would probably be "One More Memory" by Wynn Stewart and a couple of his other things like "Wishful Thinkin" and "Playboy" all featuring the one and only Ralph Mooney.

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney tuning.

Ray Satterfield · Post by **Ray Satterfield** » 9 Sep 2002 6:53 pm

The Honky Tonk Downstairs- Rusty, and Teach Your Children Well- Jerry Garcia with CSN&Y. Who played on Elton John's Tiny Dancer?

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www.RedRiverBand.com

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 9 Sep 2002 7:23 pm

Uh, let's see...
1. Dunno what song, but whoever steel man backing Lawanda Lindsey (sp?) on the Opry, maybe '66-'67, playing a Sho-Bud Fingertip. That cat was burnin'!
then...
2. Pop a Top - Jim Ed Brown
3. Sing Me A Song About Jesus - Oak Ridge Boys
4. Lloyd Green's cut of Lynn Anderson's; Big Girls Don't Cry.

Joerg Hennig · Post by **Joerg Hennig** » 10 Sep 2002 8:10 am

I had been listening to steel for a long time, I first heard "Teach Your Children" when I was 15. I got into the Byrds and the Burritos in the mid 80s or so when I was in my early 20s, I had some stuff by Mooney with Waylon (even saw them live once) and also his album with James Burton, I even knew who Buddy Emmons is, I had stuff earlier than that, like Hank Williams and Bob Wills... but all I cared for was standard guitar. I was exposed to steel all the time, but never even considered actually buying one before I found the New Riders`"Powerglide" and "Home, Home On The Road". All the tunes on those two albums. Buddy Cage of course. That did it for me.

Regards, Joe H.

Tony Farr · Post by **Tony Farr** » 10 Sep 2002 8:34 am

No particular song, just liked what I was hearing on the radio in the 40's and wanted to do what they were doing, cause I fell in love with the sound.I still love the sounds after 50 years of playing and play just about everyday in my basement.

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 10 Sep 2002 9:54 am

Dan Dugmore's Blue Bayou with some voices by Linda Ronstad

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 10 Sep 2002 11:55 am

Like Jimbeaux, Buffalo Springfield's version of Richie Furay's "Kind Woman" with guest artist Rusty Young on PSG...the first instance on record of some who would later become POCO (Who also later recorded Kind Woman hence the confusion)

but what sealed the deal was "Pickin up the Pieces" album by POCO. Title track to last cut. It was all over for me.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 10 Sep 2002 12:16 pm

"North Wind", by Bob Sandy and the Rhythm Rangers. That was released about 1954...steel guitar, but no pedals. Then, in the late '50s, I heard "Shanty Street", by Texas Ruby. That did it...I was hooked!

Ruby was married (I think) to the famous fiddler/bandleader, Curly Fox, and she was influential in that she sang country, but was the first female that didn't sing that "nasil country/twang" that was so popular back then. She had a clear, powerful voice, and excellent diction. The steelman on her records sounded like early Pete Drake, but I can't be sure. Could have just as well been Bud Issacs.

There's very little info available on Bob Sandy, and I don't know who his steelman was, either. Bob had a lot of records, though, and he sang a lot of songs popularized by other singers, such as Walkin' the Dog, I Walk the Line, andGreen Light.

I'd appreciate anything anybody might be able to add about these two stars.

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 10 Sep 2002 2:23 pm

I was always drawn toward the instrument regardless of genre but I have to say that Jerry Byrd's playing was the style I wanted to learn if were a steeler and his original recording of "Steelin' The Blues" by the Stringdusters on the Mercury label is the recording I blame for all this "mess". I just had to have a Steel and as they say, the rest is history...

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 10 Sep 2002 2:30 pm

"Sugarbabe" - Jesse Colin Young and The Youngbloods - "Banana" playing away on an old Fender - 'Shoot your dice'.......

Cape Cod: circa 1968. Excellent herb, BTW.

John Steele · Post by **John Steele** » 10 Sep 2002 3:15 pm

Hi Donny,
Texas Ruby was Ruby Owens, from near Decatur, Texas. Curly was indeed married to her. From about 1940 on they worked radio together, on WLW Cincinnati and the Opry. They even went to New York in 1948 to try an early television show, but they soon returned to Texas. They recorded for Columbia around 1945-6. (Blue Love, Don't Lie to Me, Nobody Else But You etc.) They also recorded for King in 1947, and during one of these sessions Curly recorded "Black Mountain Rag" to fill in some time while Ruby rested her voice, and it became a huge hit. I don't know who played steel on their sessions though.
They also did an album for Starday in Nashville in 1963. Shortly afterward Ruby died in a house fire in Nashville. Curly made sporadic appearances on Opry Old Time nights, until his death in 1995.

To veer back on topic, the Gram Parsons recordings my brothers listened to when I was little were the ones that made me want to play steel. Sorry for the digression.
-John

Al Burk · Post by **Al Burk** » 10 Sep 2002 3:38 pm

Can not remember the name of the song but it was on the Chicago III album. I'll have to go hunt for it now. My favorite instrumental album was Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. It had all the greats like Steel Guitar Rag, Bud's Bounce, etc..... I still play that album after converting it to CD. And then there was the great steel work with Johnny Bush and Johnny Rodriguez.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Al Burk on 13 September 2002 at 11:20 PM.]</p></FONT>

Gary Carriger · Post by **Gary Carriger** » 10 Sep 2002 6:47 pm

It was actually two songs that turned me on to steel guitar. First was the old Ray Price song "You took her off my hands" - beautiful ride. Second was "Crazy Arms" on "Duane Eddy play country" album - great ride also. Didn't figure out for some years later that they were the same player. You guessed it - Emmons.

tom anderson · Post by **tom anderson** » 10 Sep 2002 8:02 pm

I was hooked on the steel after Sweetheart of the Rodeo, but it wasn't until I saw Sneaky Pete play with the Flying Burrito Brothers at Cowtown Ballroom in Kansas City that I knew I had to buy one, & I couldn,t even play guitar. The song that really got me that night was 6 days on the road. My favorite period in country rock is still those few years in between Sweetheart of the Rodeo & The Eagles

Ricky0ne1 · Post by **Ricky0ne1** » 10 Sep 2002 9:12 pm

It was the summer of 1972(?), I heard Garcia's 'To Lay Me Down', followed by
'Wheel' while I was thoroughly ripped.. I decided then that I would have to play steel... unfortunately it took me 28 years to finally get one.. oh well..

Rick

Jussi Huhtakangas · Post by **Jussi Huhtakangas** » 11 Sep 2002 12:40 am

Hey Donny, I don't know either who was the steel player with Curly and Ruby, but the guitar player was Mose Rager, one of Merle Travis' heros.
The first Finnish rock'n'roll recording was a steel guitar instrumental called "Hawaiian Rock" by Onni Gideon in -57. That was the song, that got me hooked as a kid in the late 70's. Incidentally, my first steel was Mr Gideon's old Framus single 8.