The Steel Guitar Forum

I was never much of a Deadhead. I know Jerry's work from CSN and some of the other songs that he guested on for artists outside of the GD.

I think his approach and his playing fit perfectly with the things I've heard him play on. I just don't think it would have been better had it been more polished.

Seems to me everything was pretty much aligned with him, the times and his performances in that era and I wouldn't want to hear it any other way.

I don't believe I'd ever heard the Dark Hollow cut by them, but I'm not surprised they did it. Pretty good tune around the folk and bluegrass crowd and a nice one too. I heard someone doing it on PBS just this week.

I feel the same way as Mr. Overstreet. That is what inspired me the most about Jerry's playing. He took a difficult and challenging instrument and played it his way. Taking elements of proper technique learned from Sneaky Pete, and adapted them to pursue his own unique style. He didn't need to do it, he was already a Rock Star. But I guess he was bitten by the same bug that got the rest of us here. That beautiful, haunting tone of the PSG.
Great thread, I enjoyed reading and thinking about . .

scott murray wrote:Jerry (and Deadheads too!) did plenty of woodshedding. he mastered the 5-string banjo in the early 60s and was known to practice guitar for 8-10 hours a day. if he was awake, chances are he was playing. he studied all the music and guitar books he could get his hands on.

he only played steel actively for a few years, from about '69-'73 and you can bet he put in countless hours behind the instrument. I'd say he did alright for a guy who toured as much as the Dead and was primarily a guitarist, singer, and songwriter.

indeed, by 1974 Jerry decided he would need another lifetime to become the steel player he wanted to be and the Dead did hire somebody. the great John McFee played steel on this excellent tune:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFSnOZy955U

Knowing me, I'm sure I posted this before. Me doing the tasty McFee steel track. I did the same note for note approach for all Jerry steel for my Dead On Live shows, Wheel, Sugar Mag, Brokedown, Dire, even Teach for last years show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lRzLFpkrOs Apologies for repost and/or thread derail.

I'm in a similar project here in NC, Marc. called Ton Of Hay

we originally focused on the Dead's "country" material, playing Workingman's and American Beauty from start to finish and anything else that had pedal steel on it originally.

but now we're covering the entire catalog and I'm playing steel on just about everything. we've got a show this week celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first album. we'll be playing one song from every official release, including solo albums with at least 2 members of the Dead involved (Rolling Thunder, Cats, etc)

I spent an hour or so last night brushing up on Slipknot!

go get em Scott. I have every note of every instrument on most all the albums written out. www.deadonlive.com
Crazy stuff. Now after all the transcribing I'm crazy too. Best of luck

Yes you must be crazy Marc. Great job on "Cucamonga Too bad that John McFee is not a Forum member.

Jerry certainly wasn't a technically advanced steel player, but he definitely had his own approach, style and sound. Maybe if he had had more time to dedicate to steel playing, he would have developed it further, who knows? Jerry was a musical innovator, one of those who come up with something of their own. It is most obvious in his guitar playing, but he sure had a certain thing in mind about steel playing too. You listen to one of his tracks and know it can't be anyone else but him, he had his own signature licks and everything. Now how many of us can claim that? Jerry's steel playing always brings a smile to my face, like, "there must be a better world somewhere". His successor in the NRPS, Buddy Cage, does the same thing to me, it is like some kind of spirit that permeates that musical scene. Same goes for John Cipollina, but looking at the title of the track, I can't hear much of him at all in there...

Regards, Joe H.