The Steel Guitar Forum

awesome story Tab!

Ralph Mooney.

When I started taking Hawaiian lessons as a child of 13, it was a 6 string instrument.. Then by chance , one night on the car radio, on my way to a lesson, somehow the radio in the car was tuned into a station playing I think it was a segment of the Grande Ole Opry, and somehow, someone was playing a pedal steel !!I could tell by the sound of it, that that's what it was ...Right then and there, I was hooked, and knew that this was my gig !!Although I've taken a hiatus from playing a time or two, I'm still at it today...I love the things one can do with it, and it stands in a class all of its own...

Mom wrote in my baby book that when i
heard "hillbilly" music on the radio i would flail my arms in enjoyment. First exposure to real steel was at a Jimmy Heap dance at Rhineland, TX while in high school. Then came Hank Thompson at the MB Corral in W. Falls, Tx, then Ray Price at the 87 Club at Lubbock. Then Faron, Buck, and more RP at the Long Horn Ballroom @ Dallas. All with top flight steelers in their bands. Even met Julian
Tharpe at a RP gig in Dallas. While living in Dallas i felt the call into full-time church music. Strange path, huh? And now after hearing Lori Reynolds play steel with a country Christian band called Desert Reign, i am most eager to get good enough to contribute to that style where ever the opportunity comes along.

I went to a bar one Saturday Evening. The Steel Picker sounded wonderful, but really I was an Idiot, still am

Because styles changed from non pedal.

I started on lap steel in the early '50's, switched to guitar in '59, won a Fender Tele, and a Twin Reverb, from a Guitar Player Magazine, in '70, started trying to play pedal steel licks, but it wasn't cuttin' it. Tommy Bolinger at McCord Music in Downtown Dallas, who was a fantastic player, showed me the I, IV, V, sold me an MSA semi classic 3and1. That was, Jan. '74, and I truly love our instrument, although now I play an Emmons LeGrande II D10 8and5! Love the black and chrome!!!!!!

A couple of friends of mine since kindergarten days, started writing songs when we were about 13. I had played piano and trumpet in elementary school so when they said they needed a bass player, I said I’d give it a shot and bought a used Fender copy (1980). I didn’t know how to play or how to tune it. In fact, because I had been told that it was an “extension of the lower end of the guitar”, I tuned it with an E on top and backwards in 4ths from there. But I eventually figured it out and I played bass in Rock bands through High School and College.
During those years, one of those two and I developed an interest in Bluegrass, so I bought a Banjo for my own graduation present (1987). He started writing Bluegrass tunes that we wanted to record, so I bought a Dobro to add what few licks I could figure out to add a little flavor to the recordings (1993). We started playing some rock again now that our kids are starting to grow up, so I bought a lap steel 4 years ago (works much better than Dobro when the drums are banging away.) Recently that buddy of mine started writing country style tunes, so I bought a pedal about six months ago (with the advice of Mike Auldridge to whom I will always be indebted to for his insight and encouragement). Just another tale of a typical schizophrenic musician. I did tell my friend that if he starts writing Dixie Land, I won’t be taking up the trombone (but the tenor banjo might be fun.)

I too would have to credit Mike Auldridge. Found his Takonma record in my high school radio station archive and wore it out learning to play Dobro.
I inherited an interest in chord stack-ups from my mother was an awesome piano player and decided the PSG would be a great instrument to investigate that territory.
And of course, the whole counrty rock think in the early 70s fueled the obsession too.

Funny enough seeing the movie Crazy Heart ( Starring Jeff Bridges) was the first time my ears were opened to the steel and country music. I had rented it on DVD and I sat playing the parts of the movie with steel in it over and over. I went out and bought the soundtrack which included tracks from George Jones and Buck Owens. Then I had to get a steel! I wonder how many other young people from my generation might have seen this movie and had the same head over heels for country music experience that I did. And maybe for steel guitar too!

Hal Rugg, that's why....

Back in HS I saw Buddy Cage and Bobby Black in person a number of times playing with the Riders & Commander Cody, and a guy now known as Buck Dilly with a local band called the Womblers - I loved the sound - and it got worse in college when a roommate introduced me to The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, The Flying Burrito Bros. and Sneaky Pete, and also John David Call and PPL.

I played other instruments in bar bands for years when I was younger, but only now did I have the necessary combination of time, desire and extra cash to finally try to tackle the steel myself.

Two guys I love listening to are Greg Leisz and Eric Heyward. I listen to Bruce Bouton's solo on The Mavericks' "The Writing on the Wall" over and over, too. That's just a few. I just want to try to see if I can make that sound.

After hearing Tom Brumley's break in Together again changed my love of the sound of non pedal steel to pedal steel.