The Steel Guitar Forum

Aside from Herb, who was a friend back when we were teenagers, Winnie was my oldest and closest friend in the steel guitar community. We met at the ’84 convention and bonded almost instantly.

This photo from 1994 was taken by our fellow forumite Mike Johnstone L-R Tom Morrell, Jimmy Day, Winnie (standing), me, Herb.



In 1988 or 90, Winnie was in the process of getting a divorce, and was very upset about it. We were at he convention having lunch together and he was telling me about it. As he spoke he got more and more emotional, till he was almost at the point of tears, when somebody recognized him, and interrupted the conversation to ask what the E to F raise did.

Winnie handled it better than I would have. He said that things like that happened to him every time he attended a steel show, and that it went with the territory of having written the book.

I was the last person in America (airport personnel notwithstanding) to see him before he went home for the last time. I miss him very much.

i too, am 1 among the many who owe it to Winnie
where would i have been without his book ?

I am also one who owes Winnie a debt of gratitude for his book and his contributions to steel guitar. In March of 1976, when I first started playing, I looked everywhere for anything that had to do with steel guitar. Finally, during August of 1976, I found a music store in Lawton, OK that had a couple of steel guitars and a few steel items. Fresh into the store was a brand new MSA Classic D-10 (red birdseye maple) with 8 & 4. Right beside it was a single copy of Winnie's book for sale. I bought them both on the spot and I've still got the book. Despite the years and the many times it's been read it still looks almost new (I took real good care of it). It even still has the little "floppy" 45 rpm record that came with it attached between the last page and the back cover.

I had the privilege of meeting Winnie a couple of times at a convention (I think it was the St Louis one) and he was the nicest guy. The only ink marks in my book are Winnie's signature on the front inside fly leaf and Buddy's signature on the back inside fly leaf. He seemed truly touched when I asked him to sign my book and we spoke for several minutes. Here I was, a complete stranger to him, yet he stood there and spoke with me as though he'd known me for years. I really admired him then and still do today.

I still have my original copy and the little record that came with it. This book is timeless. I still use some of the phrases today that I picked out of the book 3 decades ago, they have turned into stock auto pilot passages for me .

I met Winnie a few times and before his passing we communicated by Email a few times, wonderful guy to speak with and chock full of knowledge.

Winnie's contribution was huge and as Bill says, who cares how many books were sold, we are a pedal steel community, not the NY Times best seller book of the month club ! How many NY Times best sellers from 1975 or so are still recognized and still being sought after today, 2010 ?

thanks Winnie, RIP..

t PS..Mike, kool, picture ! Who's that guy next to Herb ?

I'm also a self taught steeler, who learned from Winnie and Bill. I got my copy in 1979, and still, occasionally refer back to some of the info in it.
He was the only resource that I knew about, at the time. I loved his arrangement of "She thinks I still Care".
He was a multi-talented man who influenced many, thru his music and teaching methods.
Rick

I can still hear Winnie saying, She thinks I still care or Nobody cares about my Cares......RAG".
I was totally amazed when I followed the tabliture in that book, I heard my little Fender Sho bud come to life the first notes I ever played on a steel I remember Winnie dropping 8 as he raised the 6th string on She thinks I still care,He covered everything in that book from Amps to Volume pedals had everyones tunings, pedal settings pictures what a treasure trove for someone wanting to play a Steel.
No one will ever write a better book or help more people..than Old winnie did.....I still have that little record someplace I think it went to cassette then a CD rom? Not sure

In 1991, after procrastinating too many years, I borrowed a friends Sho-Bud Maverick, went to the local music store and bought Winnies book, the only pedal steel instruction book they had. How lucky I was! I taught myself to play this wonderful instrument and have had many years of pure bliss and/or frustration. I had the pleasure of meeting Winnie in St. Louis and personally thanking him.I gave the book to a young man who was taking up the steel, and found another at a flea market for myself. Sadly, the floppy record was missing and I hope to find a CD of this somewhere.

This thread is bringing back many fond memories. I was fortunate to have known Winnie, meeting him when the book was just in the very early stages. We met on numerous occasions in his Philadelphia home, swapping licks and stories and ideas. I am fortunate to have just a small contribution to his book, and will forever be thankful for having that opportunity. I will always miss his warmth, his passion, and his humor.

Trivial point of order: A couple of people have referred to Winnie's, as they put it, "Nobody Cares About My Cares...RAG". I believe the book says it was Bill Keith's tune, and the original title was actually "Nobody Knows About My Cares, and Nobody Cares About My Nose, Rag".

Cal Hand's steel work behind Leo Kottke first sharpened my focus on the steel guitar, but Winnie Winston's book laid the instrument bare for me, made it understandable, de-mystified it and at the same time opened my eyes to the awesome potential for sound locked away in 20 strings, 8 pedals and 4 knee-levers.

Winnie's book also gave me the contact details for the man who would custom-build me my first D10, the late and great Len Stadtler.

My second copy of Winnie's book rests on the Confederate flag which I use as a cover for my Fessy D12, permanently set up at home for me to practice on. All these years on I still refer to the book when I need to reinforce my less-than-perfect memory on some point.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Winnie, but the window into his knowledge of the steel-guitar remains open to this day because of his book.

He is far from forgotten.

I just remembered a story Winnie told me once.
He went someplace and a girl (Donna H or Sarah J).
Was playing great Speckeled Bird Winnie said to me .
"I thought that's nice....thats mine!",then he sort of laughed,thats when I told him just how many people his book had helped. To this day no one has ever used the second string like Winnie did in that song, or at least to me). I think I still have it someplace if I find it I will put it on a CD and pick with it,of course I will think about the first time I played it and how magic it seemed to get those chords and sounds out of my little Fender S bud.
That was a great beginner steel stayed in tune well and actually sounded good,I made a recording with it, and played a lot of what was in the book:). What does the new book come with??

I can't imagine anyone here forgetting Winnie Winston any sooner than Jeff Newman, John Hughey, Jim Crawford, or any of the names we all know, and who each in their own way gave and still give today so much to each of us.

Sad it is that they cannot live with us now, but there's no reason why they shouldn't live within us.

I knew Winnie Winston from when we were kids in the NYC folk scene during the late 1950's. I never heard him play the pedal steel, but he was a sweetheart of a guy and one s**t-hot banjo player. RIP, Winnie.

Chris

Bill Keith signed mine.

Winnies book was what got me started as well, it was the only thing available in this neck of the woods in the late 70's. So it was pretty amazing that he moved to New Zealand and I got to spend many visits with Winnie at my house - usually sitting in the lounge with our steels til about 3-30am hehe ! He used to come down for a big Bluegrass festival in my area every year to play a bit of banjo, but he always bought his steel with him. We all miss him a great deal.

OK, here tiz.

"Have Yourself A Good Time For Me"/ Jonathan Edwards, featuring the irrepressible Bill Keith, on pedal steel guitar.

I just love this song. What's not to love here?

If you can get a true stereo split, Bill's steel just soars. He was playing a D-10 Emmons p/p, I think, back then.

http://picosong.com/y3U

What happened, before, was I couldn't locate HYAGTFM. So that's why there are all the errors. Not to take away anything from Winnie, by all means.

The Jonathan Edwards album with HYAGTFM happened to come out at the same time that Winnie and Bills' "bible" came out as well. Roughly. I was reading about these guys, and wow, here's one of them playing on a great JE tune. JE was always a top-notch dude to me.

So, that's it.

I sent an email to Winnie's wife, Gwyneth, in New Zealand, to let her know about this thread. Here is what she replied, and asked that I share it with you all on the Forum:

Dear Jim

I finally got the time to check out the website link you sent. Thank you for that. Wonderful that so many people remember him so fondly. He lives on in those memories and he always said he would never be further away than a thought or memory after his passing.

I remember so well the trip to St Louis with him for the Convention some years back.

He surely did have that gracious way with him, signing books or talking about steel. He gave a lot.

And yes he did play a s*&^%#@t hot banjo!!! Spoiled me for listening to anyone else. Some evenings he would pick up the guitar or banjo and just play for me. Other nights it was the steel. I so miss him.

Thanks, Jim
Gwyneth

I bought Winnie's book when it first came out. At the time I was playing home-made non-pedal steels and the idea of buying such an expensive instrument as a pedal steel seemed a pipe dream to me. I was to read the book for about twenty years before I eventually bought a pedal steel.

Thank God for Winnie Winston and that he has NOT been forgotten! I got "the book" some time in the mid to late 70s and learned as much as I could absorb from it. It was definitely the only thing of it's kind at the time. I still have my copy and should really get it back out. I could use a refresher course!

What does seem to have been forgotten is "The Manual Of Style" a second book by Winnie and Jimmy Crawford (it's mentioned on Winnie's web site) I remember seeing it advertised via mail order back in the day but regrettably I never got around to ordering myself a copy. Boy, would I love to get a copy of that one!

JP

I believe the Manual of Style is still available from Scotty's Music.

Jim Cohen wrote:I believe the Manual of Style is still available from Scotty's Music.

Sure enough it is!
Thanks, Jim!

JP

You're very welcome. After all, that's what a Forum is for!

I admit I had never heard of Mr. Winston (I’m 32) until two weeks ago. I asked a local steel hero for some lessons and before we even start he wants me to buy Winnie Winston’s book. So… he’s still making an impact with the current generation.

I, for one, will never forget Winnie. I owe him a lot.

I'm with you guys. As a new player, the book was and still is incredibley important to me. I was privileged to attend a workshop and subsequent show with Winnie in Brisbane in a few years ago. He was not well but still gave us all a treat. I took my book along for him to sign and he opened it srtaight to the back page and changed his co-pendent and to another place in the book and changed another mistake. He then signed it with the insciptrion
"fancy! with a CD! .. enjoy! JW" ( mine was a later print with CD not record)I have just purchased SteelWool with CD and tab. Thank Winnie RIP