How many sing while playing steel

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 29 Jun 2003 6:40 pm

Seems to me it would be an exceptional musician to play steel AND lead sing. I'm new around steele players, and am just learning to play a little myself, but curiosity makes me ask. Also, How many just play steel and backup sing?

Tony Orth · Post by **Tony Orth** » 29 Jun 2003 6:45 pm

James,

There was a thread on this a few months back.
If you do a search, you might find it.

I do quite a bit of back up vocals while playing steel. No lead singing, though.
It is a bit tough to play licks and concentrate on them while singing. Most of my singing is done while I'm comping chords.

I suppose there are a few who are accomplished at this but, for me, I think both the singing and the playing suffer just a little when I do both. It's not easy, but it can be done. And, like anything else, it comes easier the more you do it.

Best of luck
Tony

Steel Rockin' in Indiana

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 29 Jun 2003 6:45 pm

I sing lead on one or two tunes per set, in a 4-piece band, so I can't just stop playing. I sing very little backup and actually find it easier to sing lead for some reason. I've been singing a lot longer than I've been playing steel and always sang when I played standard guitar. It's a learned skill. You have to work on it, but I'm not sure it takes an exceptional musician to do it. It DOES take an exceptional musician to play exceptional steel while singing exceptionally, however.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Bob Blair · Post by **Bob Blair** » 29 Jun 2003 8:00 pm

I did a little singing even in my first tentative steel gigs. Quite a few players do it. Like Larry I was a singer first. You have to be careful not to be too ambitious about what you are doing on the steel though, especially at first. It's easy to drift too far away from the mic, I have found.

Tony Davis · Post by **Tony Davis** » 30 Jun 2003 4:21 am

Well..I have always had to stand up and put a regular guitar on..or one of those other unmentionable round things with a long neck and 5 strings.....but I have only ever sang comedy songs or told jokes whilst playing those......trouble was i could never tell if they were laughing at the songs.....the jokes ...or me singing........not only that but the guys in my band used to Boo the loudest !!!!!!!.......just cant win !

Still on the subject......a Buddy of mine.......Top steel player in Nashville,can sing like you wouldnt believe.......dont know if he can do it while he is sitting at the steel......but I have seen pics of him out front with Mic....and have a few tracks of him singing........he could have given them all a run for their money had he had the backing to be other than a steel player

What is his name do you ask ?..........well it is none other than..........er......just a minute.......I got to go look....Nah..its not there......maybe...its in......no ..nt there either.....

OK..I was just Kidding.......it is the WFSR......the World Famous Smiley Roberts !!!!!!!!.........should you somehow be able to prise some of his singing out of him...you wont be dissappointed..believe me.........and also his steel playing........fantastic !!!!!
Dont tell Smiley I wrote this as we dont have a "Be Nice" to each other relationship....let him think someone else wrote it !

OH...and yeh ! Should you read this Smiley........make the Cheque out to me !!!!

Fred Justice · Post by **Fred Justice** » 30 Jun 2003 4:28 am

I sang 40% of the lead and back up on every song while playing steel in our trio for three and a half years,it take's great consontration and useing an arey of effect's you get real tired of hearing so much steel.Fred Justice.[This message was edited by Fred Justice on 30 June 2003 at 05:30 AM.]

Tony LaCroix · Post by **Tony LaCroix** » 30 Jun 2003 6:10 am

Anybody do it like BB King, "call and response"?

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 30 Jun 2003 6:20 am

Here's some more discussion on the topic:

http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum15/HTML/000650.html

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Bill, steelin' since '99 | Steel page | My music | Steelers' birthdays | Over 50?

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 30 Jun 2003 7:13 am

Singing and playing I heard uses two different parts of the brain. From playing lead guitar for many years and also having to sing lead has conditioned my brain to think of it as one thing kinda. I can sing Hank Williams songs and also play Don Helms runs pretty easy because I'm used to playing and singing on guitar. I learn to play a song first as far as the parts go and then sing over that and it seems to come together o.k. When you first start learning to play any lead/chord instrument, singing will be harder untill your brain gets used to doing two different things at once.[This message was edited by Jesse Pearson on 30 June 2003 at 10:25 AM.]

Robert Thomas · Post by **Robert Thomas** » 30 Jun 2003 7:52 am

I sing lead and back myself on pedal steel.
I have been doing this for about 6 years now. It helps tremendously to have the instrumental part down so you just play it naturally and don't have to concentrate on what you are doing while you are singing. I entertain for nursing homes and used to just play all intrumentals and the people wanted me to sing also, so I some how mastered it. I think I had a lot of help and also encouragement.
I can truthfully say, I haven't had so much fun in all my life. I get to do whatever I want to do. I guess that sounds a little selfish, but I put in many years trying to make someone else look good and now I can do it for myself and the listening pleasure of a great bunch of people who appreciate musical effort.

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 30 Jun 2003 7:59 am

I sing a little bit while playing steel. If I'm playing along with a CD when I don't hear the steel, I sing, but when the steel comes in, I stop singin' and play. When I sing, I turn the volume down with my volume pedal. Brett Day, Emmons S-10, Morrell lapsteel

Nicholas Dedring · Post by **Nicholas Dedring** » 30 Jun 2003 8:22 am

Interesting to refer to B.B. King as doing a call-and-response thing... I've heard him interviewed, and he said he just never could play and sing at the same time. No kidding

Jesse Pearson · Post by **Jesse Pearson** » 30 Jun 2003 9:31 am

Edge from the rock group U2 was amazed when BB King told him he really doesn't know chords that well either! Just go's ta prove, "make the most of what ya got".

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 30 Jun 2003 10:08 am

He's ridiculously talented.
Some of the stuff on his records is overdubbed and he even plays pedal steel occasionally, but Junior is a force to be reckoned with -- both on 8 string straight steel or pedal steel AND on guitar.

MONSTER picker. And he does it while singing all the lead and fronting the band (usually 3 or 4 piece).

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Tony LaCroix · Post by **Tony LaCroix** » 30 Jun 2003 10:43 am

Yup. Junior Brown is incredible. I once saw him play some crazy lick in D on guitar, starting way up high on the fretboard, working his way down with lighning speed. When he got to the low E string, he plucked it,looked up at the crowd, smiled, and reached his hand over, tuning the string slowly down to D.

Like Eddie Van Halen once said, "I look at the guitar each day and say, 'what ELSE can it do?'"

Larry Robbins · Post by **Larry Robbins** » 30 Jun 2003 12:21 pm

I dont sing when I play steel, but
I have been known to curse!!

Hans Holzherr · Post by **Hans Holzherr** » 30 Jun 2003 1:02 pm

Billy Phelps = Bill Greene??? If yes, he does a terrific job singing lead and backing himself up.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 30 Jun 2003 3:03 pm

I do sing harmony while playing chords sometimes, which I think is harder than singing lead and playing chords. But that's about it. I've always admired musicians that can play piano, for instance, and carry on a conversation...all the while never looking at their instrument and not missing a single note. Are they really thinking of (and doing) two different things at the same time, or is their playing just "reflex"? I dunno.

When I was in Nashville last fall, I had a great conversation with jazz guitarist Mel Deal. He had no problems playing lead in his combo, and (at the same time), talking to me all about pedal steels...nice guy and a great musician, by the way! [This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 30 June 2003 at 04:11 PM.]

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 30 Jun 2003 7:27 pm

I do sometimes sing and play steel simultaneously. But there's "playing" and then there's "PLAYING"... I can comp on steel while singing, and do some limited fills but to really play good fills around the vocal line, when it's me who's doing the singing, well, I think you need an extra brain for that... Maybe Jr. Brown and Joe Wright qualify, but I sure don't!

BoFrazer · Post by **BoFrazer** » 1 Jul 2003 10:31 am

Just when I was already wowwed completely by hearing Wally Murphy in person for the first time, in a little bar band in Disney Orlando, he then sang rather high lead on some country shuffle and NAILED it. Can't remember whether he was doing any fancy fills at the same time, but you can be damned sure he played a killer solo. What an amazing player.

Rick McDuffie · Post by **Rick McDuffie** » 2 Jul 2003 5:38 am

I sing BGV's while playing steel. No lead singing from the steel. You can't front a band from a Pac-A-Seat!

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Rick McDuffie
Tarheel Jazz Q-tet
Debbie Elam Band
www.tarheelmusic.com

[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 02 July 2003 at 06:40 AM.]

Drew Howard · Post by **Drew Howard** » 2 Jul 2003 5:53 am

me

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www.newslinkassociates.com
www.drewhoward.com

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 2 Jul 2003 9:45 am

I can't even listen to the phone ring while I play steel.

Bob

Earl Yarbro · Post by **Earl Yarbro** » 3 Jul 2003 4:37 am

Billy Phelps does a heck of a job singing along with his steel playing. At the next Texas Jamboree, go the the Carter booth and listen to him. A very talented feller who can play about 9 or 10 instruments.

Earl