The Steel Guitar Forum

I sing while playing six string guitar. I've done it on a very limited basis while playing steel; mostly harminies, but some lead singing. The real question should be whether I can play steel while singing .

Jim Cooley wrote:I sing while playing six string guitar. I've done it on a very limited basis while playing steel; mostly harminies, but some lead singing. The real question should be whether I can play steel while singing .

The real challenge is if you can play a Sax while singing

I used to sing harmony while playing steel in our Gospel Band about a hundred years ago, but NEVER enjoyed it. Always felt like doing both at the same time, (at least for me) caused both to suffer some. I'm impressed by anyone who does this well.

Forum Member and friend Mark Wayne (Wisconsin) does a mighty fine job


https://www.markwayne.biz/shows

The two best steel guitarists I’ve ever heard sing while playing are Rick Schmidt and Pete Burak.

Rick has a recording somewhere of him accompanying himself singing Goodbye Porkpie Hat that’s outstanding, and I’ve heard him perform several very moving songs in Phoenix.

Pete (any recordings, Peter?) can absolutely rock the vocals while playing steel, especially on Creedence tunes and Jerry Garcia Band tunes - very very good.

I learned many years ago to never sing under any circumstances because I truly suck.

Hell yes!

Surprised no mention of Joe Wright.

I second Skip's mention of Chuck Back. He blew me away with his voice and his playing at last years Dallas show. I recall Skip on piano during in fact.

Absolutely. But not for many years getting used to playing steel.

Steve Spitz wrote:Surprised no mention of Joe Wright.

Of course Joe isn't human, nobody else can do what he does!

To the extent that I can sing at all, yes. Unfortunately, I have about a 3/4 octave range. Fortunately, I have forgiving friends.

This thread set me to wondering if anybody has had the audacity to sing their solos as they play them. Like Nathan East or George Benson?

Given the lyrical nature of the instrument, that could be …….. uh, something different.

I've done a fair bit of it over the years, on pedal steel and also playing weissenborn and dobro. I second what Chris said about Rick Schmidt and Pete Burak.

And I should have mentioned you, Bob! Northwest Passage comes to mind…

I sing every weekend while playing armpit or resenator or lap steel but cant seem to carry a tune while playing psg.
Don't know which is worse psg playing or singing with it

Sam

One of the options should be "Yes, but in which case I can't do either exceptionally well"

There is a band in Germany called "Truck Stop" whose pedal steel player was the lead singer on many of their songs! Lederhosen, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3xSow3vWVk

A few years after I started playing steel guitar shows, people would ask me to sing from behind the steel. It was a little hard because I had to turn my steel's volume down while singing, while adjusting the steel bar to get a good grip in my left hand because of my cerebral palsy, then after the second verse and chorus, I would play a steel solo to whatever song I was singing at the time, turn the volume back down to sing the last few parts of the song, then close the song out. When I play dobro at jam sessions, if I'm singing lead, I'll sing a verse and chorus, another verse and chorus, and then, when I say, "let's pick it, y'all, I'm usually playing the solo on dobro, then singing the last few parts of the song, and while singing harmony, I add little dobro fills when I'm not singing, sing on the chorus with harmony vocals, then if whoever is singing lead asks me to play a solo, I'll play a solo, then go back to the harmony where harmony is needed

Our fearless leader Jim Palanscar sings a few with The Steamers!

The only song I can sing is Giddyup Go, but somebody else has to play steel. That's how the knee lever got busted off my Sho-Bud.