The Steel Guitar Forum

Santo Farina, David Hartley, Tony Arrowood.

Danny Stewart

My fascination for the steel guitar started with listening to him and he's still the one I'm listening the most when listening to instrumental steel guitar recordings, even more often than to JB's – although I really admire JB's playing I'm not so happy with the productions.

There are so many. From today, there's Mike Neer, Jeremy Wakefield, Cindy Cashdollar, Eddie Rivers, Bob Hoffnar, and John Ely. From yesterday, there's Herb Remington, Noel Boggs, and a bunch of names I can't pull up on the spot.

Favorites???? It depends on the day and the mood that I am in........Tuesday it was driving all day and listening to James Farmer playing behind Marty Robbins singing REAL country music of the early to mid '50's. Tom Brumley any day that I listen to him play his 'Hank Williams Medley'.....Jody Cameron on any day that I listen to him play 'Here's That Rainy Day' or his Dicky Overbey inspired 'Another Bridge to Burn'...... and of course, Buddy Emmons any time of any day.

Jerry Douglas and Mike Auldridge
Aubrey Ghent

David Lindley was my gateway drug who got me hooked, but I love so many of the greats, Hawaiian, Sacred Steel, Blues, Country, Western Swing... It depends on who I'm listening to at the moment.

Well, without including JB, my personal candidates are Dick McIntire, David Keli'i, Benjamin Rogers, and George de Fretes. I just cannot pick one of them! Outside of Hawaiian music, Bob Dunn's idiosyncratic style was one of my first exposures to early electric steel playing - and he still thrills me!

My favorite player will always be Speedy West. He roped me in to the steel guitar, thanks to Guitar Player magazine, which published a small but informative number of steel guitar articles back in the 70s and 80s. The most evocative player I've heard yet. Of all my favorites, he's probably the one I play least like, but conceptually I feel closest to him. Guitar Spectacular is a top notch LP and I can say that I tried to live up to that with my own record.

Next would be Sol Hoopii, Gabby Pahinui and Buddy Emmons.

Murphey!

Mike Neer wrote:My favorite player will always be Speedy West. He roped me in to the steel guitar, thanks to Guitar Player magazine, which published a small but informative number of steel guitar articles back in the 70s and 80s. The most evocative player I've heard yet. .

Speedy was rather unique!

He did some crazy good stuff with Jimmy Bryant, too.

Tom Brumley and Hal Rugg are the 2 pedal steelers I enjoy listening to the most. I don't know enough of the non pedal players yet....but the raw electric sound on many Bob Wills and Hank Williams cuts are what attracted me to lap steel. So Herb Remington for sure.

Perhaps this should be moved to the Steel Players section, since it isn't limited to non-pedal players and people are naming pedal players as well as non-pedallers. More folks will see it in the Steel Players section... Just MHO

Wayne the Train seems to have a talent for employing the great ones...

It depends on the day as there are qualities I admire in many, many players. But if you made me narrow it down, the list is Speedy West, Mike Auldridge, Curly Chalker and David Feet Rogers. There's a richness and depth to Speedy's playing that stays with me. Mike's Dobro first caught my ear at age 17 and the finesse and poetry of his Dobro playing still stands out from the crowd. I bow at the waist to Emmons but Curly's pedal playing (except for when he used a B3 simulator) slays me. Lastly, there are many beautiful Hawaiian-style players but there's something about the poetic, minimalist approach Feet had that always moves me emotionally.

So many favorites. Right now I favor Carlos Minor and Billy Bowman.

Jerry Byrd, Joaquin Murphy, and Tom Morrell, in no particular order.

I've always considered the 1st chair player and so much more.

Maurice Anderson

His ability to play a melody in every key in a single tune and improvise the most intense Swing - Bee Bop Lines is beyond Compare.

I agree with George. Reece Anderson is my favorite. Pedals or not, D10 or U12, country, jazz or pop, Reece brought unmatched elegance and a sense of luxury to his playing.

Besides being one of the finest people I've ever known, Reece was a master musician, teacher, scholar and innovator whose instrument happened to be steel guitar.

First message on site.Too old to understand process.My favorite steel (and dobro) players= C.E. Jackson and Shot Jackson.

Einar Baldursson wrote:Impossible to pick one of course but these days it's David Keli'i.

ditto. So many great ones who bring their own personalities to their playing, but the riffs just seem to flow out of David Keli'i. Virtuosity matched with seemingly endless ideas and stylistic flexibility...slow and sweet or blazing fast. His backup playing alone is uncanny. Often intricate and busy like he's playing a duet with the singer, but never gets in the way.

For a modern player, I like Jeff Au Hoy.

Roger Conant wrote:First message on site.Too old to understand process.My favorite steel (and dobro) players= C.E. Jackson and Shot Jackson.

Thank you Roger. I am highly honored and humbled. This old civil engineer never expected to be named anyone's favorite
steel guitar player.

C. E.

For some reason, I didn't list Chris Scruggs, my all-time favorite, in my post earlier in this thread.

Pedal Steel: Jimmy Day
Non Pedal Steel: Jerry Byrd

Bob Watson wrote:Pedal Steel: Jimmy Day
Non Pedal Steel: Jerry Byrd

Bob Watson, I would agree with you exactly !

So many greats to choose from! I'll break it down into two categories.
Legend players, Buddy Emmons and Lloyd Green
Soon to be Legend players, Mike Johnson and Tommy White.
Actually, Mike and Tommy are pretty much legends now.
While a lot of players have a signal path that goes from their head to their hands, these guys share a signal path that goes from their head to their heart, then to their hands. It makes a difference.