The Steel Guitar Forum

Cardio-Vascular specialist and accumulator of steel guitars.

I've been a carpenter for 37 yrs., 27 of them as a restoration carpenter for a privately owned mansion (museum). I also operate the bucketloader, backhoe, forklift, and numerous tractors for them, as, we're very shorthanded. It's the damn "non-profit" mentality.
I've been playing music for money, since I've been 16. In the heyday of the "Urban Cowboy" craze, I made enough money to buy a nice house with substantial property. I also have a BA in electrical engineering, but, never did a damn thing with it. I was having too much fun plucking strings and pounding nails. I am not and will never consider myself a "World Class Musician". I didn't have the balls to leave everything and play music full time. Sometimes I wish I had, other times I'm glad I didn't. You just never know what the road of life has in store for you. I do regret not playing more, though. Hope I didn't stray too far from the intended post.

Looks like not too many steel players are good old factory workers.Joe

I'm Electronic Security Systems Technician (ESST) last 21 years.

W.J. Copeland wrote:

Cardio-Vascular specialist and accumulator of steel guitars.

Then that should be Dr. W.J. Copeland M.D., F.A.C.C.

With the vast amount of study required to attain that status, I would certainly not be as humble as Dr. Copeland.

Spending one's life in study and continuing education to save the lives and better well being of others is quite a noble profession indeed! Many don't realize the years & expense of schooling to become one of the people that we all turn to in time of need.
Respectfully,
Dave

Fiscal specialist at a University (aka paper shuffler)

Before that I was an antiquarian paper restoration specialist. I repaired 16th and 17th century books and maps. The market for those skills is extremely limited tho outside of manhattan. It was infinetly more interesting than what i do now...but at least I eat and can (barely) pay my mortgage and do not have to live a sixth floor east village walkup.

I envy all you retired folk. I think many in my generation will never be able to retire. I know I wont.

I'm a Senior Software Engineer in Silicon Valley, CA.
But, being an ol' country boy and not caring for life in the big city, each morning I walk down the hall from the bedroom to the office and commute the 2000 miles via the net.

Next time you take a trip on an airline, if it is a good trip, it was planned by my software. If it is a bad trip ...... don't look at me, I'm just a simple steel player!

My other side lines include: flight instructor, web designer, hypno-therapist, and full time Dad to a late-mid life surprise!

Locomotive engineer for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway for the past 30 years. I am from the former Sasnta Fe.
Before the railroad I made all or part of my living playing music. I was young and single. When I went to work on the railroad I knew my playing would be shoved to the rear, but I have managed to keep my hand in music, constantly practicing and playing when I can.
Been playing steel now for about 33 years. Can't imagine not playing even if for my own enjoyment. Hopefully after I retire some one will want an old man to play in their band.

Oracle DBA. Just 'went live' with my first Real Application Cluster on linux on Nov 1st. Haven't touched my guitar since that project started though. Maybe next year...

Larry, working as a locomotive engineer,you probably have rode in the cab of the General Electric"dash"8 locomotives?

Brick~Mason. I'll lay about anything

Red, you already have.

Here's my day job.

Boy do I feel dumb

Casey's post prompted me to recall that an unusually high number of good steel players that I have known
worked for T.V. stations.

As for me, I was service manager for a Hobart Food Equipment agency before going into the food service repair business for myself. I have done
music for a living since 1975. (If you can call it
music and if you can call it a living.)

MCR Operator/Engineer for all 3 Sinclair Broadcasting Group Television stations (WZTV, WUXP, WNAB) in Nashville, TN. I also own 50% of a WEKT-AM radio in Elkton, KY which im in the process of selling. Nick

Painting, Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing. and some of the drywall. This is a building we just finished.

ernie

Day Job?-Whats that? How about all of us MIDNIGHT SHIFT workers
I'm a 26 Year Veteran of the
Oak Lawn Police Dept.
Emergency 911 Communications Division
Handling Combined Operations-Police,Fire,EMS
Multi-Juristictional Agency
Serving 4 municipalities for Police and 8 Fire Depts

I used to love handling police pursuits
Now I just like QUIET nights WITHOUT TURMOIL

Like many others I played music for 10 years and did ok..Wife worked and we did fairly well..When the bottom dropped out of the club scene in the Northeast in the mid 80's I went back to work as an auto technician which I had done in my teens and early 20's. I got very good at it and did it for 20 years, while playing weekends.
For awhile, in the late 90's I made good money at my day job wrenching, and made $200 + a weekend playing with a good local band with a big following, all of which went into an incredibly nice vintage guitar collection... You would be surprised at some of the gorgeous old guitars and amps I had... The gigs dried up, my back got too bad to keep wrenching cars, so I got out of the car business, got my CDL, and now drive a school bus... There are no gigs here at all anymore, and when I do play, I often make less than I did 20 years ago.

Frustrating to say the least,.. My vintage collection has been sold off, with little to show, but we still get by ok even though I make less than 20 K a year.. My wife makes about 10K... Good thing we own the house clear... Yeah it kind of sucks getting old.. The phone stops ringing one day, and all of a sudden you are playing by yourself instead of with other musicians.

Oh well, something may pop up.. or not.

hey no one does this forever... Some day we'll all be 85,if we are lucky.. plan on dragging your D 10,tele,lap steel, and 2 Session 500's into a club full of drunk kids, for $40???.. bob

Professional Soldier

United States Army 1986 - Present

Full time guitarist and steel guitarist with the US Army Band 1987-1997

US Army Recruiter 1997-2004

Project Mgr / Senior Human Resources Administrator 2004-Pres

In addition to the above, I am also a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt specializing in Customer Service based processes. I split my time about 60/40 between Project Managment and managing a Military Personnel Support Center

I am also play on a good number of recording sesions here in the Central IL Area.

I'm a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. I help people with disabilities get into (or back into) the work force. Been doing this 14 years and counting. It's a great job. There are a lot of people that need help in this world.

Played in the same band for 16 years and it was great. Just started playing in new group last year and it's been great also but different of course as it should be.

This thread confirms what I've known for a long time. Steel players are thinkers. It's a smart group and I'm not talking about education. Hard to play this instrument we love without wrapping a great brain around it.

Great post! N.

I have the hardest FULL time Job in the world. Taking care of an ill parent. Some of you may say, "Well He's your dad, that's not a job.". Well, then why do I have to pay someone else to do it when I go out and play? For me the job I do for my dad is more rewarding than any financial gain. Plus I get to spend a lot of time at home sitting behind my psg.

JW

I been a steel player/musician for the past 55 years. Retired and I'm a care giver to my sister and help take care of things around the house now that
Mary, my wife, has severe back problems. Get to play my SHO-BUD a four or five times a year.

Tony, a bit off topic but did you have LP called
" Playing the Farr Out Of It "
I loved that LP , it had some real fast picking ..

Johnny Cox, you're one of the smartest of all. You figured out how to get by playing and working on steel guitars, which is what a lot of us would like to quit our day jobs and do.

It does seem a little odd there are no factory workers in this thread so far. I guess one thing is that there aren't that many in this country any more. Maybe also they tend to live in the Northeast, where country music and steel guitar are not so prominent.

It does seem like there are a lot of steelers in brainy professions. I long ago lost any idea that people in such professions are actually smarter than anyone else. A lot of people in such professions are just plodders who worked hard through school and kept at it. A Ph.D. is really just a fancy union card for academia and research. But as far as playing steel goes, many people without a lot of self-esteem, who don't consider themselves smart, seem to be intimidated by it. They think you have to be a brain to play one, whether it's true or not. Also, we're just the ones hanging out here on the internet. There may be many steelers in menial jobs out there who don't care to hang out in e-space.

Qualified plumbing,heating engineer and was also a
registered gas fitter. 27 years in the British Prison
Service now happily retired .
Frank Bloomfield. Corfu. Greece