Scotty's International Steel Guitar Convention 2016

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 28 Feb 2016 9:20 am

Here is a big salute to the Scotts and everyone else who helped to put on a great show for us.

Keith Hilton's post above sums it up very well. All things change and we have been privileged to see and be a part of it in our steel guitar world. Had it not been for Scotty and crew we may well have never seen a show on such a scale.

Scotty helped me quite a bit when I lived in St. Louis and was getting into the pedal steel a little deeper. We had lots of good lunch hour chats at his shop, and he and the store crew were all very good to share information with me. He let me try out guitars at my house and we had some good guitar deals over the years.

When I was getting my Stage One business going the St. Louis convention proved to be a very good place to have a display for a few years and to get acquainted with new friends and customers. I'm certain lots of other manufacturers will say the same thing. Of course we paid for the privilege, but that is how it should be. Had it not been for Scotty we would have not had a place.

Many many thanks to all for a job done very well. I hope your remaining years will be filled with great memories. You have certainly left your mark.

Jeremiah Hanley · Post by **Jeremiah Hanley** » 28 Feb 2016 11:47 am

Thank you, thank you, Michael and all the Scott family! Your years of hosting this great convention is a wonderful memory that all of us will have the rest of our lives. It's sad to see it come to an end, but we certainly understand that things do not continue forever. Thank you for the great steel guitar music you provided for us, and thank you for all your hard work!!!! We love you all!!!!
(Jerry and Venda)

Bob Watson · Post by **Bob Watson** » 28 Feb 2016 2:24 pm

Michael, I wish to thank you and the rest of the Scott family for all of the hard work that you have put in over the years to make the St. Louis ISGC such a success. Your father was a great man and every steel guitar player there is has benefited in some way from his endeavors. I went to the 3d one when I was 18 years old and I've probably only missed 7 or 8 since then. I'll never forget the first one I attended, walking into the room with the main stage and hearing a 14 year old Tommy White playin' a Bluegrass tune on a blue P/P Emmons. This is the end of an era. Best wishes to you and the rest of the Scott family and friends that made this great event happen!

Post by **Joey Ace** » 28 Feb 2016 3:46 pm

I'd like to add a big THANK YOU to the Scott family and all the extended "family" that made the ISGC.

I have friends and memories that will last a life time because of your efforts.

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 28 Feb 2016 3:48 pm

I am thankful I made it three timed and enjoyed it tremendously. Eventually all good things come to an end and this is a big loss for so many steel players. Best wishes to the Scott family and hopefully one day things will fall in place and start it back up.

Buck Grantham · Post by **Buck Grantham** » 28 Feb 2016 4:23 pm

Scotty had a vision,and with the help of Mary and the help of his family and a lot of other people , he took it all the way to completion. This dream that Scotty had changed all of our lives in a big way. Mitzi and I went to our first Scotty's Convention in 1979 and never missed one since then.As a result of us going to all of those shows, we have friends all over the world, and to us ,that is priceless. We love Scotty, Mary and the whole Scott family and will never forget all they did for the steel guitar world. They helped to make us a better world. May the Lord bless all of the hard work that it took to keep this convention going for all of those years. Our love, Buck and Mitzi Grantham

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 28 Feb 2016 8:30 pm

I'm so glad I had the chance to go to the ISGC in 2003. I've got many great memories of the ISGC in 2003-I'd met Lloyd Green, Sarah Jory, many other steel players. The highlight of the show for me was "test driving" a Carter steel. I remember Mike Brown at Peavey was showing me how to play chords, and then John Fabian and Billy Phelps noticed my Dunlop bar sliding around on the steel, so they helped me get my current bar, a bar with grooves in it-I think it's Sacred Steel-it's my main bar now and my favorite bar that I use.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 29 Feb 2016 9:32 am

The man we'll never forget.

We love you, Scotty.

james king · Post by **james king** » 29 Feb 2016 12:48 pm

I too would like to say a big THANK YOU to the Scott family. I crossed paths with a steel player named Spider from Sparta, IL and spent some time with him. He said I had to come to St. Louis if I wanted to hear lots of steel. I was blown away. That was in the late eighties and I went for several years. What a fantastic show! James King

George Rout · Post by **George Rout** » 29 Feb 2016 12:58 pm

Many great memories of magnificant times and made many friends. As has been said before, and I'm sure many will follow, I offer my sincere thanks to the extended Scott family for their tremendous effort and success with the conventions. Will be sadly missed.

George

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 29 Feb 2016 3:35 pm

Sadly, I never attended any of the Scotty's conventions but happily met and performed with Scotty at HSGA shows a number of times as well as in Hawaii. I was shocked indeed to learn of his passing ... he was a fine promoter of the steel. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed hearing him playing that old 6 string frypan ! Hopefully someone, somewhere might take up the torch and renew a great tradition.

Walter Stettner · Post by **Walter Stettner** » 1 Mar 2016 4:21 am

It has been said so eloqoently by all posters here - the steel guitar world has become a better world because of Scotty and his family. Never ending enthusiasm and countless efforts to promote the instrument and bring people from all over the world together who share the love for this instrument. The Convention was like homecoming, a family reunion which everybody was always looking forward to. Sad to see that it is ending but I am more than happy that I was able to go so many time. I am paying the highest respect to the entire Scott family and hope that you will be able to survive the financial struggle.

Respectfully,

Walter Stettner
Vienna, Austria

DG Whitley · Post by **DG Whitley** » 1 Mar 2016 5:53 am

I really do hate this has happened as I was never able to go in the past and apparently there won't be any more. So many losses in the steel guitar world in the past few years (guess I was born at the wrong time in PSG terms). So many good players and supporters are now gone and it doesn't appear there are folks to "fill their shoes".

If I could win the lottery I'd do my best to put PSG back on the map, but I don't want anyone holding their breath on that to happen.

So b0b, will we still keep this section open or will it close?

I am really saddened that I won't have an opportunity to meet a lot of you folks that post on here at a convention. I'm retired now and would have the time to go.

My prayers and best wishes to the Scott family for all they have done for the PSG world.

chuck abend · Post by **chuck abend** » 1 Mar 2016 7:52 am

I sadly miss the convention.I went 14 years straight
I met Emmons and all the famous artists.
It was a great pleasure.Thanks to Scotty Mary, Dewitt JR, and the Scott family.Chuck Abend Kansas City

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 1 Mar 2016 12:01 pm

I can't say it any better than Jerry, except to note that my first trip to the Chase Park was 1981 and the first steel player I saw in the lobby was Lloyd Green, checking in at the front desk.

Thanks to the Scott family for many great memories.

Jerry Overstreet wrote:I remember my first trip in '76 or '77 walking into the old Chase Park hotel about dusk on a Fri. night. The first steel player I saw that I recognized was Herb Remington, I don't know why I remember that, but I do. After that, I recognized one hero after the other walking around in the place. There were many I didn't know of however.

When the concert started, I was in steel guitar heaven. I had never heard steel guitar being played like that live and loud. Instrumentals of all styles of music. The players came out of those bars and just blew the roof off the place.

It was through exposure at the ISGC that I learned what the thing is really supposed to sound like, look like, about pioneer players, legends, those current and up and comers who would define my steel guitar goals for nearly 40 years. I also learned what great people steel guitar players are, including the famous....no, particularly the famous.

But for these conventions and the generosity of the players congregating there to school us, the friends and connections I made, I would never have become the musician I am today.

My expressions of gratitude to Scotty, the Scott family and the extended ISGC family who all worked so hard to make these events so successful over the years. It's a bittersweet adieu to the ISGC and I wish all of you the very best. Thanks again.

Gerry Hogan · Post by **Gerry Hogan** » 1 Mar 2016 1:34 pm

This is very sad news, Michael. I can quite understand how you all must feel. I am so grateful to the Scott family for the years of enjoyment they gave me with the Convention. I owe a huge debt to Scotty, in particular, for advising Barbara and me on how to get our own British Steel Guitar Festival off the ground and keep it running for 21 years! We can't imagine the effort the whole Scotty family put into keeping the ISGC going for 44 years!

We were privileged and pleased to play host to Mary, Scotty and Michael at various times over in England, at our "little Fest"! They were always gracious guests.

Thank you all so much and we wish you good health and much leisure in the future. You deserve it!

Barbara and Gerry Hogan

Donna Sherrard Williams · Post by **Donna Sherrard Williams** » 1 Mar 2016 7:21 pm

I know my daddy looked forward every year to St Louis.... Sad closing of this book.... But understand.... God bless all Daddy's friends from the steel guitar world â¤ï¸

Greg Vice · Post by **Greg Vice** » 2 Mar 2016 4:15 pm

So sad to hear, I always looked forward Labor day wk. end just for the convention. I hope nothing but the best for the Scott family. I learned so much other players and made many friends over the 10 yrs. I have been. rest in peace Scotty

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 3 Mar 2016 6:46 am

With regard to the SGHOF....I second b0b's suggestion that there still be an annual concert and award ceremony.

As for the plaques themselves, perhaps they can find a permanent home with the County Music Hall of Fame or the Musicians Hall of Fame (both in Nashville) so they can be seen and admired?

As the HOF is meant to remember and honor the innovators, supporters and musicians that have propelled the instrument over the years, I hope the ceremony DOES continue and the plaques are properly displayed in a permanent locale.

Jim Means · Post by **Jim Means** » 3 Mar 2016 12:08 pm

I haven't posted anything until now because I have had a hard time finding the right words to say. This has been a hard post to write. It's sad to see the ending of this yearly event for steel players from all over the world. I went to my first convention I think in '79 at the Chase Park Plaza and missed only 2 or 3 (because of playing that weekend) until about 2012. The last 3 or 4 years I have played that weekend also and haven't gone.

About '81 or '82 I took my family with me after having gone by myself or with a couple of other guys up to that point. I was afraid they would be bored. How wrong I was. We parked ourselves on the front row and there we stayed for the whole weekend. We were about the first ones to bring our kids and they loved it. The girls were about 4 and 7 at the time. They grew up at the convention and even got a chance to take their children. They still talk about those times and all the players they got to MEET & see. One year our oldest daughter got a tee shirt and got several players to sign it. Big E had signed his name large right on the front. She wore it to school and had kids asking who these people. She was appalled that they did not know! They knew by the time she got done explaining!

I didn't mean to ramble, but I wanted the Scott Family to know how special these conventions were to our whole family. May you find comfort in knowing that these conventions were not in vain.

Jim and Helen Means, and our girls (now married with kids of their own) Amy and Tracy

JERRY THURMOND · Post by **JERRY THURMOND** » 4 Mar 2016 6:46 am

I will miss seeing all my old friends, many moved away years ago, but they came to Scotty's show because it was just a few hundred miles from St Louis. All the friends I met at the Conv, the only time we got to see each other was at the St Louis Conv. I will try to go to other Steel shows how ever I know that some folks can't go to some of the smaller shows, it is sad to know I won't ever see some of my friends again. If it had not been for Scotty I would never met some of my friends, for all the good times I thank you Scotty.

Larry Baker · Post by **Larry Baker** » 4 Mar 2016 9:17 am

I too started going to the ISGC when it was at the Chase Park, I only missed ONE show at the downtown location, and missed last year due to illness. The Show will really be missed. Like Jerry T. said, that was usually the only time I seen a lot of our friends. Larry.

Thanks to all the Scott family for the past great years.

Bruce W Heffner · Post by **Bruce W Heffner** » 5 Mar 2016 5:16 am

Thanks to the Scott's for all those great years of conventions. Seeing Emmons, Green, Rugg, Hughey, Day, Crawford, Anderson, Byrd, Overby, Newman and all the others was all made possible by Scotty. Now it is our duty to keep the steel guitar out there in peoples ears, hearts and minds.

Barry Westerfield · Post by **Barry Westerfield** » 5 Mar 2016 5:45 am

We all owe so much to "Scotty" and his entire family for all the years of putting on a great show every Labor Day weekend. I have attended four shows myself and met some wonderful players and vendors. I know this is difficult times for the entire steel guitar community and especially the Scott Family. I believe that we need to figure out a way to properly end the Steel Guitar Convention and dedicate it to the Scott family. What will it take to see this happen?

Chris Templeton · Post by **Chris Templeton** » 5 Mar 2016 10:14 am

Thank you to the Scott family for your hard work over the years and providing a place for people to get together and share their mutual love for the instrument.

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Scotty's International Steel Guitar Convention 2016

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