The Steel Guitar Forum

Here's a few who haven't been mentioned that don't play the Nashville tuning: Santo Farina, Freddie Roulette, Alvino Rey, David Lindley. They're all real distinctive.
For the guys who have been mentioned, I can usually identify: Emmons, Byrd, Helms, Chalker, Murphey, Brumley, Mooney, Speedy and Sneaky.

Lloyd Green
Sonny Garrish (I have never been mistaken in identifying him!)
Hal Rugg
Weldon Myrick
Pete Drake
Buddy Emmons
John Hughey
Doyle Grisham (I have picked him out correctly quite a few times)

I would have mentioned some of the younger players, but I am not sure that I'm sure. A quick story: I remembered this great 30 year old Gospel album that had some of the greatest steel playing I have ever heard. I knew that it was Lloyd Green. I asked Lloyd if he would like to have a copy and he said he would. So, I went and dug the old album
out to make a CD copy. I looked for the credits and guess what? No credits! But, even as a green teenager back then, there was no doubt!

Tonight after my gig I was hanging out at a bar and they were playing a bunch of early western swing. I could sort of ID the Noel Boggs and Leon stuff but there was one track that could have only been Juaquin Murphey. That hamonicaly advanced single note stuff of his really put him apart from the rest of the pack to my ear.

Bob

Ralph Mooney, John Hughey, Jimmy Day, Buddy Emmons, Lloyd Green and Curley Chalker<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Charlie Vaughn on 10 November 2002 at 08:53 AM.]</p></FONT>

Jerry Douglas also belongs on this list!

DEFINATELY Jay Dee and paul F.!!!!!!!!!!!

LLOYD GREEN!!!!!!!!!

ME!!!!!!! <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by John Sluszny on 18 November 2002 at 10:50 AM.]</p></FONT>

Lloyd Green for sure has the most recognizable style, with the exception of Buddy Emmons.

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If You Keep Pickin That Thing, It'll Never Heal!

Bobby Koeffer
Tom Morrell
Joaquin Murphey
Ralph Mooney
Don Helms (classic non pedal work)

As has been mentioned, the big names have influenced so many people that it's sometimes hard to distinguish them from those who are copying their style.

The 1 player I can easily identify is Curly Chalker. Mainly because there are not a lot of players who sound like him.

All great players have been mentioned.

If going back to the "Original" guys and their styles,

-Alvino Rey,Curly Chalker,Maurice Anderson, Speedy West, Herb Remington, Hal Rugg, Lloyd Green and Buddy Emmons.

Nowadays there are so many good players copying all these great stars, that I can't hardly tell one from another.

I guess that's ok really. It just shows how far steel guitar has come....al

Buzz Evans!

James

I knew I wanted to play like Jim Vest before I knew what a steel guitar looked like. Also, I can definitely pick out Lloyd Green, John Hughey, and Paul Franklin. I know it's me playing when it sounds like somebody stepped on an electric cat.

To be real honest I don't believe any...for sure.

John I don't mean to disrespect your playing in any way because how many players have their style. But on your CD "John Hughey", the first song "Half A Chance" sounds a lot like Emmons. My favorite intro of all time is your "15 Years Ago".

And I would guess any of the top players could sound real close to any of the top players. So i'm going say none.

Bob.

Brett Day
You said that you recognized John Hughey's playing on "When I Call Your Name". I also thought it was John till I saw on the credits that it was Paul Franklin. Just goes to show you how versatile these guys are.

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D10(8+10) D10(10+9)

Sonny Garrish:I can always tell his tone from Gospel albums he does.

Mike P. I too can recognize Curley's one of a kind playing but I remember getting fooled in the early 70s on Carl Smith's double album that had Curly and Jim Murphey and Murph did some great C6 work that had me fooled for a while because he did some outstanding stuff. The only give away aside from the same killer tone was, Murph had the Thompson pedal and Curly approaches it backward and which gives it a different sound.

Tom, Don, Buddy

Earl

Hey Guys, If you put all the players mentioned, behind a curtin, and had them play, they can do the style you want to hear, there would be a lot of bad gueses,,Hughey would be the one that I would think I could pick out,especially below the 12th fret.

Wayne

I have read most of the various comments concerning identifying steel players. I, myself, usually can pick out folks like "early" Tom Brumley, Buddy Emmons, Pete Drake, some of Loyd Green's work, Weldon Myrack (especially during the time when he was working the opry) Don Helms--these are the ones that stand out--oh heas--and Ralph Mooney. Now I have a couple of comments: I have been fooled a time or tow. For instance, for a time I thought that Loyd Green was playing on Ray Stevens's recording of Misty, when in fact it tturns out to be J D! I also thought that Jerry Byrd was playing on George Morgan's recording of "Candy Kisses." Insidently I usually can pick out Jerry Byrd. But back then I wasn't as familar with steel players and their styles. Although I still feel that J D Maynus (probably don't have that spelled right) sounds a lot like Green on Misty. I totally agree with Donny; it's gotten to where you can't tell one from another anymore! In today's country music industry as I understand it, the producers are telling the pickers what to play--as apposed to the music of the 40's on up through the late 70's/mid 80's, where they just cut 'em loose and let the musicians be creative. Before I finish here I'd like to mention that some of my main influnces are folks like Tom Brumley (who was probably influencing me before I knew it due to listening to a great deal of Buck Owens music way before I ever thought about playing a steel) Buddy Emmons and Loyd Green. Getting back to picking out steel players, I'm sure I'd recognize myself; I'd be the one who sounds like he's slightly out-of-tune! Whenever I listen to myself on a tape of a band that I'm in, I find that I want to reach in there and move the bar either forward by a little or back a little! Tom Kaufman

And one more list:

Jimmy Day
Buddy Emmons
Pete Drake
Hal Rugg
Lloyd Green
Paul Franklin
Joaquin Murphey
Noel Boggs
Jerry Byrd
Bob Dunn
Ralph Mooney
Andy Iona
Roy Wiggins
Susan Alcorn
Sneaky Pete
Speedy West
Santo Farina
Robert Randolph
Aubrey Ghent
John Hughey
Sonny Treadway
Tom Brumley
Tom Morrell

West Virginia Creeper

I can usually recognize the following players when I hear them:
<ol>[*]Mike Perlowin[*]Robert Randolph[*]Greg Leisz[*]David Wright[*]Speedy West[*]myself [/list]

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<small><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
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I can generally identify prominent non-pedal players such as Little Roy, Joaquin Murphy, Herb Remington, Don Helms, Noel Boggs, Leon McAuliffe, Gene Crownover, and of course Speedy West and Alvino Rey, either by their style or a combination of style and the context they are playing in. I can almost always identify Oswald and usually Shot Jackson.

As to pedal players: Buddy Emmons, Pete Drake, Lloyd Green, John Hughey, Ralph Mooney, Jim Vest, and Paul Franklin most of the time. Jimmy Day generally, Bobby Garrett when he thumbpicks, Hal Rugg on certain records, Sonny Garrish by his tasteful chiming, Bobby Black sometimes, Jay Dee Maness sometimes, Tom Brumley sometimes, Tommy White sometimes, Pee Wee Rogers by his tone and a couple of licks he plays, and Harold Morrison because, well, he's Harold Morrison. All other tasteful steel playing, expecially if it was recorded in the 60's and 70's and is commercial-sounding, I place under the heading of Weldon Myrick unless I find out differently.

As to the highly recognizable stylings of West Virginia Creeper, he sounds just like me so I can always pick him out!

Tim R.