Junior Brown to play a pedal Guit-Steel

Dave Burr · Post by **Dave Burr** » 26 Nov 2001 9:16 pm

Jeff L.,
Junior is currently reaching an audience that might not be exposed to the steel guitar if not by him. It's possible that a few youngsters might be compelled to further investigate the steel guitar.

Where would the Pedal Steel be without Don Helms or Jerry Byrds' influence on the likes of Buddy Emmons or Jimmy Day? Maybe where it's at today... but maybe not.

Pedals or no pedals, I think that Junior's influence is a positive one.

Respectfully,
Dave Burr

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 26 Nov 2001 9:22 pm

And is Junior "Delegitimizing" electric Spanish guitar by combining it with pedal steel too??? Speedy West was also characterized as "Gimmicky" by some narrow-minded-yet he did so much for steel guitar-from what I have heard from the "Sacred" players just sounds rather like standard blues slide guitar to me-but I am sure that these players love the instrument as well as you or I so I will not insult them by saying that they fail to legitimize pedal steel to what someone may construe as to being a cause<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by PAUL WARNIK on 26 November 2001 at 10:12 PM.]</p></FONT>

Bobby Snell · Post by **Bobby Snell** » 27 Nov 2001 5:14 pm

Jeff L:

I'll agree to disagree with your opinion. But there is some background.

Junior's long career playing 6-string as well as pedal steel in bands (and the obvious difficulties of switching during/between songs) prompted the whole guit-steel concept. He still labored in relative obscurity even with the new beast for a while. I think his rise to popularity can be attributed more to talent than to the instrument's uniqueness. That freed him to stand and sing, switching back and forth steel and guitar, as not previously possible.

Junior's wonderful pedal steel playing can be heard on his albums, so there should be no danger of him using the pedals only as gimmicks.

Anyways, just my opinion. (insert smiley face with cowboy hat here.)

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 27 Nov 2001 6:13 pm

Let me pose what may be an interesting question (or a stupid one) that some of the senior members here can answer:

In the heyday of non pedal steels, was the idea of adding pedals considered a gimmick?

db · Post by db » 28 Nov 2001 12:47 am

The Pedal Steel guitar is the most recently developed instrument in popular use to date!
It is younger than many of its players.
It will be going through adaptations and changes!
Why are the players of this, the newest of all "country" instruments, so stuck its (short) "tradition"?
Let it grow!
db

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 28 Nov 2001 4:32 am

Answer to HowardR's question:....Yes!!!!