The Steel Guitar Forum

sorry I haven't had much time to respond or read the comments here until now. So grateful to see some young players responding here. I know some of you guys and you are very good. Keep up the great work.

By the way, my answer is….

Less than 3 dozen "kids" in the United States that are truly students of the pedal steel guitar. What I mean by that more specifically is that they are actually advancing and on their way to becoming a steel guitar player. If we broaden the scope a bit to include players in their 20s then that number becomes much larger. Even still, it is a small number of players in the farm system.

I would guess the most likely place to find a fairly large amount of up and coming younger steel players aside from some of Americana/Roots guys would be church players in the Sacred Steel style.

Zane, I would agree with your assessment. When I was in college here in Nashville, there was one other steel guitar player (Abe Stoklasa) and a few others that started learning while they were there. Since then, there has been one other player that has since gone on to a career on the road that I know of (Alex Cordell) but no others that I'm aware of, so at least anecdotially, there is a population decline.

That said, when I started learning to play and really until I moved to Nashville, I had no idea there would be this many players near my age here. I suspect that many players in their 20s didn't start playing until their late teens.

I was eighteen when I started playing and now at thirty-four, I still love it! I wish I had started playing before eighteen, but because of cerebral palsy, I had to figure out what instrument would be best for my left hand. I was sixteen or seventeen when I got interested in playing steel.

Thanks for the mention Paul.

This is an interesting topic.

There are a few steelies I know under the age of 19.

Already mentioned here are Brayden and Jason's son. I also witnessed a player called Tobin on Facebook the other day. Age 14 I think?(all of them are playing great). There's also a kid at 13 looking to get started called Scotty. These are the US ones I know.

I myself am mentioned at 17 from England. My good friend Mathew Jut from the Netherlands is 2-3 years older than me so squeezes into this age range.

I reckon there are about 10-15 players under or equal to the age of 19. Many still haven't come out of the woodwork and I think they will sooner rather than later.

Thanks Steven Jr

23 here.

Anyone remember how good Emmons, Franklin, Jernigan, Tommy White, Terry Crisp, Chalker, Mike Smith, Mike Johnson,Wayne Hobbs, Herby Wallace, Bobby White, Pee Wee, Whitewing..I'll stop now. Were at 19? I can't think of any great player that wasn't very good at a young age.

My observation, we might be losing ground in the Great Players department. Does the world care? No. Only a few of us old steel pickers.

b.

Rather than it being the case of young players not coming around because they are not interested in old music, which I don't think is the case, they are turned off by the attitudes that tell them their music sucks and that they're doing it wrong.

Believe it or not, this is great motivation for a lot of younger players (it was for me when my old man put me down). They'll just go off to woodshed and learn amongst themselves. I think it's better that way.

Paul King wrote:For 25 years of age Eddy Dunlap is one fantastic picker. I saw him at the Texas show this year and it was great.

Eddy Dunlap is by far the hottest thing going these days. Fantastic player and one heck of a nice guy. He places an intelligent and artistic touch on the instrument.

He is, in my opinion,one of the next Torch Bearers for the Steel Guitar.

I heard Eddie play in Dallas ad he took the time to explain me how he tempered tunes. An amazing player and an impressive person as well. How he has accomplished what he has done in 25 years is phenomenal.

how many under 19 in the whole world ?

5 I think...

Tony Prior wrote:how many under 19 in the whole world ?

5 I think...

I wish I was 19 again, cause it’s gonna take me another lifetime, maybe 2 or 3, to finally master this thing...

Tony Prior wrote:how many under 19 in the whole world ?

5 I think...

In the United states alone, there are over 70 million people in the 5-to-19 year old bracket! I'd have thought it was a lot less, due to all the propaganda about the "greying of America".

Of the 5 players under 20 that have been identified, I know for sure 3 of the them are from dads or grandpa's that play steel or in a classic country band with heavy steel influence.

It seems the burden falls on the peole that play and love this music the most. We are likely the only group willing to have a spare guitar for son/daughter, or grand kid, or be willing to fork over a $1,000 plus for a chance their young family member will want to play. As this group gets smaller over time..... well, you get the picture.

My grandfather was performing professionally at age 13 - I'm not sure at what age he went from lap steel to pedal steel though. I'll have to ask him.

When he was 14 he was playing with Shorty Joe and the Red Rock Canyon Cowboys in San Jose, by 17 he was touring and recording with Lefty Frizzell, and before he was 19 he was on tour and in the studio with Hank Thompson and the Brazos Valley Boys. I might be a little biased, but from what I've heard every guitar player of whatever kind who knows him say, he's one of the best there's ever been.

His mom bought him his first guitar and taught him the cords on it at age 8, and by 13 he was playing lap steel for a living.

Good conversation!
Andie Whitewing

Herb Steiner wrote:Zane, I'd say you're shooting too young. I know there are many steel players in their 20's. Most don't go to steel shows because they're working musicians, which means 1) they're busy and 2) being musicians, they don't have the bucks.

I have to second Herb on this. I started at 22 (way later than I would've liked), and I've been to 1 steel show in the last 10 years of playing. Young players are fortunate to have a lot of opportunities, which keeps them busy on the weekends, and generally unavailable to attend extracurricular shows.

On the flip side, in all my years of touring, I've only met a handful of forum members at shows. I'd say it goes both ways. Hopefully more young players will frequent the steel shows, but I'd also like to see more "older" players come out to the "new country" shows. It's always fun to talk steel after a set.

In the last few months I've seen some players under 19 popping up.

Here's for an updated list and where you can find videos in brackets. + Origin

Me (Here) England
Jacob King (Here) US
Braydon Roller (Facebook) US
Mathew Jut (YouTube) Netherlands
Tobin Hess (Facebook) US
John Musgrove (None yet) US
Ryan Zimmerman (YouTube) US
Aaron Mulherin (YouTube) US
Jayrick Sanchez (YouTube) Philippines
Scotty (Nicole Scotty YouTube) US
Jonah Turner (None Yet) US

Looking very promising indeed. Hoping to share the stage with these guys in the future! I'm always on the lookout.

Great to see guys in Nashville hitting it large too Kyle!

Steven Hicken Jr

I think everyone's reply has good merit! Here is mine. Traditional country and pop music from the past loaned itself to the development of the E9 tuning and the ability to play it in those classic songs. The time between chord changes and the ability to "answer back" the singer was the perfect means for the steel guitar and the majority of the common player to phrase and melody by. Same applies to swing and the 6th tunings. The fad music of today with its "Sweet Home Alabama" chord progressions is way to busy with more and heavier instrumentation, and quick and different key changes, to be able to play as sweetly as the instrument (and players) was evolved to do. Therefore the reason for taking the steel guitar off the stage in todays mainstream music. Until songwriters (such as Bill Anderson) can get back into the songs that tell the great stories of love, family, heartache, cheatin' and drinkin' then there is very little NEED for the BEST our instrument can do!

I don't really know if I can be considered a "player" yet, but I'm a fifteen year old steel guitar student.

Jonah.....So glad to hear that you are playing...I would really like to know how you are coming along...I might be at the VFW again this year if you want to visit....I hope you like the S10....It's a great guitar.....Dick.

My opinion (and everyone has one) is that in the so called Whiny and old music, the steel guitar (even before petals) was a very featured instrument. Some of the masters of this instrument have been amazing. I know there are some young players now that are terrific. However, the music I hear today may encourage some young pickers, but from what I have heard it does not make the petal steel guitar stand out as the older music did. Maybe I don't listen long enough to hear it. I can't stand to listen very long. It gets too jumbled for me.

Barry Blackwood wrote:

Whiney Ray Price songs??? I don't get that remark.

i get it.

I get it, but I've always thought Ray Price songs were among the least 'whiney' songs of the genre, so in that case, maybe I don't get it…
When the term 'whiney' is invoked, are we referring to the singing or the playing?

As it was described to me by a teenager (who didn't like old country music): "There's that whiney steel guitar!". I can see where they'd get that idea, not that I'd agree, from the tones used by Emmons, Hughey, Brumley, and many others back in the '60s. Out of habit and that desire for "cutting through the mix", the vast majority of what most of us do is on the high strings. I'd have to agree that the bottom strings are heard a lot more from straight guitars than from steel guitars.

I see several 20 to 30ish year old fellas play steel with bands guesting on the Grand Ole Opry through the year. I don't see most of them as dedicated to more than a single neck guitar with minimal pedals or wanting to learn or have a broader indepth knowledge for music of more than the artists they play for. Hopefully that will change with maturity, or probably not for some.
All of the young men mentioned in this thread are surely destined for success.
I am particularly glad to see Tyler Hall get mentioned. One of my favorites. He plays with such a mature soul, touch and tone. Tyler has his own thing going on and a really fine young gentleman as well.

Floyd Lowery wrote:My opinion (and everyone has one) the steel guitar (even before petals)... but from what I have heard it does not make the petal steel guitar stand out as the older music did.

here's part of the problem.

You can blame the steel guitar not standing out to the producers who are trying to attract the younger generations that spend money and buy CD's. If I were young, heck, I wouldn't play steel either because you can't hear it in the records anyway. I would play a distorted guitar, that gets the girls.

As Tommy W. stated, I've seen a few younger guys playing with bands but their knowledge of the steel doesn't go much beyond commercial licks. They have to be utility musicians and play 3 or 4 instruments even to get hired. No more one guy, steel man only in the newer country.

To answer the question, very few. The younger guys that were mentioned, Tyler, Eddie, Jonathan and Austin are all fine young men and great pickers but they are the only ones I know that are that young. Only one young guy within a 150 miles of here is all I know and he is more of a utility guy than a devoted steel player but good at them all.