The Steel Guitar Forum

I left Veterinary School halfway through to "become a musician", and actually worked full time at it for some years.
When lean times showed, I worked as a Vet tech, and helping friends who had construction and courier businesses. Generally, I took every chance to pursue full-time playing, including frequently relocating, and broadening my musical outlook. (I did years in the 80's as a top-40/rock guitarist rarely mentioning I played pedal steel, and years as a recording studio rat)
As my experience and contacts grew, I found myself able to support a family, home, and recording studio on music income. Hopefully my descendants will remember me as other than a deadbeat, but who knows, the future's uncertain!<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Mark van Allen on 09 July 2006 at 11:40 AM.]</p></FONT>

Professional Bum most of my 52 years... Lots of years as an auto tech too, until my back got so bad I had to give it up....

Last few months I have gotten my CDL and will see if I can drive a school bus.. I am hired, and benefits are in force, but I have done VERY little actual driving outside the training period.. Starting in Sept,we'll see if the back holds out.... bob

Professional designer, welder and machinist for over 30 years, self-employed for the past 20. Worked in the Studios as a union welder, did some military aircraft welding during the lay-offs, ended up, working on motion-controlled camera rigs and related stuff. Currently, most of my employ comes from the artists, Nancy Rubins and Paul McCarthy.

Farmer, Sawmill, Farmer, Steel Mill, shoe factory, Bartender, Truck Driver, Bartender, Pipe Fitter, EMT, Paramedic, Physician's Assistant, Car Sales, Car Detailer (definitely the most lucrative) Musician, Worked with the Mentally Retarded and Handicapped (definitely the most rewarding), Information Technology (the last gig before becoming disabled)

I loved each and everyone of those gig's including the farming and sawmill very hard work but I was young Thru all of those jobs I always played music and giged as much as possible.

Bob

<SMALL>most of my employ comes from the artists, Nancy Rubins</SMALL>

some Nancy Rubins

<SMALL> and Paul McCarthy</SMALL>

Please! Chas, this is a family oriented Forum<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Earnest Bovine on 09 July 2006 at 04:08 PM.]</p></FONT>

For the last 24and a half years I've worked as an aircraft structural mechanic....17 and a half as a Civil Servant at Kelly AFB,Tx and the last 7 for the Boeing Company.

This list starts from now & goes back a few years.

T.V. Production Manager, T.V. Producer, Radio Producer, Disc Jockey, T.V. Master Control, Student T.V. Producer, Wildlife & Parks Official, house painter, Wasterwater Treatment, Pizza cook, Pizza delivery driver, custom cutter & cowboy. I've also done other stuff to make money such as odd jobs, drag racing, gambling & competitive shooting.

Not too bad for only being 26!!!

Soon, I will be adding either Photojournalist or Aerospace Inspector to the list as I plan to switch jobs here fairly soon. Leaning toward Inspection so I can afford more toys & have more time to enjoy them!!!

Casey

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Known Coast to Coast as
"The Man with The Plan"

Carter-Starter, Fender Pedal 800, Fender Champion, Guyatone Double-neck, a cheap Artisan & a Homemade Double-neck!
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Casey Lowmiller on 09 July 2006 at 08:06 PM.]</p></FONT><font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Casey Lowmiller on 10 July 2006 at 08:03 AM.]</p></FONT>

Painter, paper hanger
National guard
US Army 6 years playing trombone and bass
After
service back to painting
Managed a gun shop
Tought Archery, and shot on a professional leval for an archery co. and ran a pizza shop and video store
Maintaince for a trailer park
I just finished a office building for an insurance Co. where I did the Electric, carpentry, painting, and plumbing, it is a very nice building will post pictures in the future.
Married Nan in 1950 had 2 girls 1 boy, it has been a great life never a dull moment, filled with lots of friends that we love dearly. Music has been a great part of our lives, all the children play music, and grand children.
Becky plays Clarinet in church,
Belinda as some of you know sings well and plays several instruments.
Ernest 3rd plays trombone
grandkids
Wade plays trumpet in chirch Orch.
Kethen plas sax in church
Vanessa played Bass clarinet in church
Ernie's son Plays violin Lead guitar and drums.
Jason and Joni sing in church.
The great Grandkids are not old enough yet we'll see what the future holds for them, I bet they will.

ernie

I have been a dishwasher, cook, Guitar teacher, Played in local clubs, then joined the Musicians union and started touring. Settled down and worked in a toy warehouse, While still playing mostly Christian music. Then worked in a hardware store, Aircraft maintenance, Robotics, Now making chips at Intel. Still playing local gigs, leading worship at church on Sundays. I own and operate a home studio that occasionally operates in the black.

Dom

I currently work for the Friends of the SF public Library, a nonprofit private sector arm of the SF Library responsible for all library supplies not covered in the CIty budget & also all ibrary events & branch renovations.
Previously, I worked for a treehugger group, as as adminstrator & also as a telephone fundraiser.
For fiteen years up to that point, I primarily worked as a market researcher, doing surveys by phone. I know- yuchch!
Interspersed and preceding, I worked for
groups like the Heart Fund, Greenpeace,
as a bike messenger (landed in -wham- front of a muni bus and so recieved disability for three years following)- dishwasher, assembly line (plastics mold & wine bottling), gardening/landscaping.
Music is a life if not a living- I don't equate being able to earn one off music necc. with the talent involved in having a LIFE in music. Look at all the one shot wonders who make a living from it, but for whom music is not life itself.

Professional Musician (steel)'69 - '75;

Last 31 years working for the US Forest Service doing:

Firefighter (12 years); Fire "Lookout" (2 years in a 100' tower); Timber Sale Administrator; Surveyor; Research Forestry Tech. (6 years - Tree Framer with a great John Deer tractor); Network/System Administrator; and currently Manager of IT Security Response for the entire agency, coast to coast....

10/20/06 ... Professional Musician again



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Dave Wren
'96 Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com

In earlier times: full-time solo singer-songwriter, chef, grounds crew on a prep school campus.
Current paying jobs: Record store manager; freelance writer (music and distance running are my areas of expertise); indie-film soundtrack composition and recording; steel, tele, dobro, vocals, and songwriting in a gigging band.
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Kevin Macneil Brown on 10 July 2006 at 11:41 AM.]</p></FONT>

railroder

Well, I am not a full time musician, but since I started working at 13 years of age, I have; Worked snack bar at a theatre,
Projectionist at theatre, service station attendent, auto parts clerk, several jobs in a tire factory, with a paper route on the side, forktruck mechanic, tried insurance sales, receiving manager, auto detail shop and home construction while attending night school, real estate sales, grader operator and reserve police officer during the same time, DJ, and the last 15 years, wireless phone technician and sales, plus I have a side line guitar shop and sound company. I am audio video director at church, PLUS we practice once per week for our gospel opry once per month. My wife asked me last week when I was gonna do something for her, I told her as soon as she could get a few more hours in a day or another day in the week. From the posts so far, I would say most steel players are not dead beats, but most of us are multi talented or at least have a large range of experience. <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by JAMES BANKS on 10 July 2006 at 02:29 PM.]</p></FONT>

Let's see....I was a carpenter's helper, I loaded nuclear weapons on B52-D bombers (USAF), and was a motorcycle mechanic.

Currently, I'm a computer technician at Austin Community College. I run a side business fixing folk's computer ills. But I have been gigging on the side through all of the above occupations.

I started out as a bookkeeper, went into being head accountant for a new car dealer, job cost accountant for a multi-million $ construction company (built an Alcoa plant), cost accountant for a mobile home plant and then photographer. Moved to Tx and did the photo thing for a while, got in with the City of Ft Worth as a computer inputer and did part time office work at the unemployment office. Played week ends in a band during that time.

Well I don't really count all the stuff I did as side jobs and summer jobs in school (farm hand, bank teller, pizza cook). So, in my adult life I'm an agricultural real estate appraiser and a farmer. Have played part time since I was about 20. As many as 150 dates/year, and as few as 15 (maybe less in 2006).

I'd love to be a full time musician, I just can't afford it.

Hey Bill, is this you? Your name is common, but it sounds like you. NICE BIO! <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR><SMALL>Bill McCloskey
Founder and CEO of Email Data Source, Inc.

Bill McCloskey, the Founder and CEO of Email Data Source Inc., is an influential thought leader and pioneer in the field of interactive marketing. He has been named one of online advertising’s “50 Most Influential People” by Media Magazine and “One of the 100 People To Know” by B2B Magazine. Bill McCloskey writes a weekly column called The Email Insider that is read by over 40,000 marketers worldwide each week.

Prior to Email Data Source, he founded Emerging Interest, the leading evaluator of online advertising technologies for advertising agencies and marketers and The Rich Media SIG, the first non-profit organization dedicated to educating agencies and marketers on emerging marketing technologies. He was Chairman of the Macromedia Flash Advertising Alliance, has Co-Chaired the IAB Rich Media Guidelines Committee and has worked at Microsoft and Silicon Graphics where he lead the effort to evangelize Rich Media Interactive Advertising. Most recently he launched The One Hundred Club and the Inbox Insiders, two private discussion lists for leaders in the interactive marketing space.</SMALL><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Donna Dodd on 11 July 2006 at 12:41 AM.]</p></FONT>

I've had a long career that's thankfully coming to an end in two years. Let's see:
Full time musician - Guitar
Carpet layer
Counterintelligence Agent - US Army
Senior Technical Security Specialist
Chief of Technical Security for the Secretary of Defense
Security Project Manager for NASA and the Dept of Energy
Deputy Director of Security for US Senate
Chief Security Officer for a fortune 1000 company.
When I retire, I hope to play music part time.

I started playing music at age 14 mostly on weekends sometimes 5 nights a week along with daytime jobs. Daytime jobs: Mowed grass,Fuller Brush man,carpenters helper,painted houses,aircraft engine mechanic in USAF,ran metal shear in factory,and for the last 36 years I have been repairing/selling offset printing presses. Still playing steel as much as I can.

I would think that on this Forum, most everybody has been productive throughout thier lives.

This instrument apeals to folks that are "Up to a challenge" in life..everybody that I have met over the years involved with the pedal steel, have been proactive kinda folks.

I think that as musicians go, you guys are at the top of the foodchain!!

I started out in bookkeeping. Then job cost accountant for a multi/million $ contractor - built an Alcoa plant. From there to head accountant for a new car dealership. Then cost accountant for a mobile home mfg plant. Then I did photography. Moved to Tx and did photo and then worked for the City of Ft Worth as a computer inputer and then worked part-time for the unemployment office. I played on week ends during all those yrs. There were 2 yrs where I lived in Vegas and picked for living - that was it.

Sorry, ignore the second reply. Didn't see where this went to 2 pages.?

I'm independantly worthless.




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Steve Stallings
The Songs

I saw a TV show about the credit card industry. The deeper in debt you go, the more money they make. They have a word for people who pay their credit card bills on time. It's "deadbeat".