What song made you buy a steel guitar?

Russ Young · Post by **Russ Young** » 13 Sep 2002 4:23 pm

It was Buddy Cage playing on "Panama Red." I went out and bought every New Riders album. Then I heard Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen, featuring Bobby Black. Back to the record store! And then I saw David Lindley with this funny little Bakelite guitar in his lap, playing behind Jackson Browne...

The bad news is I procrastinated for the next 25 years or so before buying a lap steel -- the good news is I'm having a ball.

john buffington · Post by **john buffington** » 13 Sep 2002 10:12 pm

Buddy Charleton playing "Another Bridge To Burn", Buddy Emmons "Half A Mind", Sonny Curtis with George Jones. Jerry Roller doing the Charleton turn around by tuning the the E string down to Eb (before knee levers on his guitar).

John Buffington
Mullen D-10, Webb Amps

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 14 Sep 2002 4:24 pm

Marty Pollard wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>The song that made me decide to learn the durn thang was Lloyd Green's version of Steel Guitar Rag on a Readers Digest compilation set.

Now I can do a whole lot of things and am pleased w/my overall progress to date but I STILL can't play that song the way he did.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Maybe that was back when he played C6th. That would explain it, sort of.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Jerry Johnston · Post by **Jerry Johnston** » 14 Sep 2002 6:54 pm

With me it wasn't a particular song. It was all of Eddy Arnolds early stuff. Still inspires me.

Started with no talent--still have most of it.

Jerry

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Dave Horch · Post by **Dave Horch** » 14 Sep 2002 8:55 pm

Man! What a thread! Okay my two cents...

Rusty Young and Poco did it for me. I got the chance to see him/them in concert twice in the 1972~ days. Right up close (elbow on the stage, takin' pictures of the band. The way he moved between lap steel and pedal steel so quickly on "Grand Junction" really got me.

20+ years later, after miles of rock and roll on guitar and bass, I finally got a steel! (it was a money thing...). Best, -Dave

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Mullen (See! No "S") D-10 
<a href=http://www.davidhorch.com/music>Photo page</a> 

[This message was edited by Dave Horch on 14 September 2002 at 09:57 PM.]

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 15 Sep 2002 5:54 am

Everything Hal, Sonny, and Weldon played on the weekend!

Jerry Johnston · Post by **Jerry Johnston** » 15 Sep 2002 8:03 am

With me it was not a single song but all of Eddy Arnold's early hits. They still inspire me.

Started with no talent--still have most of it.

JJ

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John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 15 Sep 2002 10:53 am

Buddy and Sneaky Pete on the Linda Rondstat albuum that was 1/2 live (Sneaky) and 1/2 studio (Buddy), and also Red Rhodes on "Joanne"...

John De Maille · Post by **John De Maille** » 15 Sep 2002 11:13 am

What a revealing anthology of players ages, and locations of Americana. For me, it was Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Poco,New Riders, and all the country rock bands with a steel guitar that followed. It was a great learning curve for me.

David Wright · Post by **David Wright** » 15 Sep 2002 11:17 am

Maurice Anderson.........

Emmett Roch · Post by **Emmett Roch** » 16 Sep 2002 9:42 am

From the first time I heard steel on a song, I was permanently "damaged", but most of my life I couldn´t afford one...but the song that made me go ahead and save the money for that first old used MSA was¨"Lost In The Feeling".

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GFI S-12 extended E9

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 16 Sep 2002 10:09 am

Sorta interesting:

About 40 percent of the the guys posting on this thread got into steel because of the hippie bands coming out of California 30 or so years ago.

Bob

Rich Weiss · Post by **Rich Weiss** » 16 Sep 2002 10:17 am

And it's been downhill ever since.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 16 Sep 2002 11:20 am

Hey, John Macy! Which Ronstadt album are you talking about??? Sounds like a winner.

As for me, it was everything Jerry Garcia played on, including a tape of rehearsals from '87 with Bob Dylan, and a New Riders show from '70 where they played "Together Again" (if any of you have this tape, I really need another copy!!!)

Also John McFee on the Grateful Dead tune "Pride of Cucamonga", Buddy Cage on the 'Panama Red' album, and Pete Drake on Dylan's 'Nashville Skyline' album.
All of this made me aware of the steel.

The songs that made me finally get a steel came a little later when I was heavily into bluegrass (also thanks to Jerry!)...
I heard Mike Auldridge play some steel on his 'Old Dog' album, and Jeff Newman on the 'Slidin Smoke' album w/Auldridge.

The 'Sweet Moments' album by the Blue Velvet Band also made quite an impact (Bill Keith on steel) as well as Gordon Titcomb's steel on Bill Keith's 'Beating Around the Bush' album, and Larry Campbell's playing in an animated film called 'The Tune'.

Whew!

The first tune I learned was "Pleading" by Pete Drake.

Bob Schaedler · Post by **Bob Schaedler** » 18 Sep 2002 5:17 am

Always loved the sound, but aren't seen much around here. What finally made me search out and buy was hearing Junior Brown.

Chris Forbes · Post by **Chris Forbes** » 18 Sep 2002 6:53 am

It's kinda weird, I grew up on country, a lot of Haggard and Jones, but it was a song by a "rock" group that got me. It was Tears by the Pure Prairie League. That John David Call sure could pick a little!

Roger Osbourn · Post by **Roger Osbourn** » 18 Sep 2002 8:49 am

A song in the early 60s by Rocky Caple of Tulsa called Sawed-Off Shotgun. That song was on the local Bowl and Grills jukebox. You could get 6 plays for a quarter. They hated to see us come in cause we would play it six times in a row.We loved the song plus we were just a little bit mischevious. Imagine that!!!!!!!

Tony Orth · Post by **Tony Orth** » 18 Sep 2002 9:05 am

Buddy Cage (NRPS) breaks on "Hello, Mary Lou" and "Sweet Lovin' One".

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 18 Sep 2002 9:43 am

Scott--

It was the one with the brown cover. It was her third album, circa 1971, and is self-titled. The tunes were:

1. Rock Me on the Water
2. Crazy Arms
3. I Won't Be Hangin' Round
4. I Still Miss Someone
5. In My Reply
6. I Fall to Pieces
7. Ramblin' Round
8. Birds (Young)
9. I Ain't Always Been Faithful
10. Rescue Me

Some great playing on some great tunes

.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 18 Sep 2002 11:07 am

I think it was Bill Keith on Goeff & Maria Muldaur's "Pottery Pie", playing the song "Brazil". That whole album opened my eyes to the possibilities of the pedal steel, but "Brazil" probably pushed me over the edge.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 18 Sep 2002 1:47 pm

b0b,

I loved what Bill used to play. We played a lot of gigs together on a package show in the early 70's. He'd be warming up playing Charlie Parker and Bach on the banjo backstage, then go play his unique steel stuff. Way cool...

I guess he doesn't play steel anymore

[This message was edited by John Macy on 18 September 2002 at 07:11 PM.]

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 18 Sep 2002 6:15 pm

Actually I heard he's gettin' back into it.

Call 1-800-ASK KEITH and ask him yourself!

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 18 Sep 2002 7:43 pm

Red Rhodes playing "Don't Bogart That Joint"
from Easy Rider.

Rick Garrett · Post by **Rick Garrett** » 19 Sep 2002 1:32 am

Green Light with Hank Thompson and the Brazos Valley Boys. Bobby Garrett on steel of course. Also I loved the sound on Oklahoma Hills. Must have been about 4 years old when I heard those old classics and I still remember the feeling I got. The Steel must be the only instrument I've ever heard that reaches right down in your heart. We're all pretty blessed by this PSG and the rich sounds it makes. By the way I got that same feeling again when I finally got the hear Buddy Emmons do Night Life live in St. Louis. Just incredible.

Rick Garrett

Wade Medlock · Post by **Wade Medlock** » 19 Sep 2002 7:36 am

Curly Chalker's 'Danny Boy' with Charlie McCoy. Decades later, that ride still gives me chills.