The Steel Guitar Forum

Very first: Some forgotten children's entertainer that embarrased me fully, even at age 6.

First REAL concert: to make up for the above, my mom took me to see Men At Work (my favorite band at age 7, this was 1982, I think) and Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble opened the show.

I started guitar lessons the next week...

Growing up in Tucson in the 60's there were plenty of cool local rock bands like the "Lewellen Brothers" and the "Five Of Us," however the first national bands that I saw at the local roller rink were the Hollies, who seemed very tired, and the Knickerbockers ("Lies"), who just tore it up.

The first time i saw a pedal steel was Garcia with the New Riders at the Carousel Ballroom (Fillmore West) when I was a senior in H.S. in San Francisco. I soon found a Fender 400 in the want ads and the rest I wish was history.

The first great steeler with a real country band was Buddy Charlton with ET, at the Mustang Club in San Leandro (near S.F.), and it was mind boggling. A bunch of us fledgling local steelers were sitting about 15 feet from Buddy, and he put on a clinic. I remember how explosive Jr. Pineda was on bass also. To this day, I've never seen a better country band.

Oh, and I used to drive down to San Jose to see The Black Brothers with Bobby Black at Cowtown. They were the coolest club band, although San Jose had a very happening scene back then. There were probably 8 or 10 six night a week clubs down there, most with good steelers. This was the early to mid 70's.

And, up North in the East Bay, the best band was Wilbert English' with Barry Blackwood on steel. They were at the Pablo Club in San Pablo for many years.

Joe

. . . had a huge crush on Susan Raye. (L.A. International Airport, Pitty pitty patter)

Really? Hell, she could still make a monkey out of me, I think.

Johnny Paycheck,Tom T Hall and Merle Haggard all in one show 1978 Seattle,Somebody told Johnny he couldnt drink on stage.He then threatened to walk off stage so the show went on with drink in one hand and guitar in the other.

Stephen Still and Manassas 1972. Al Perkins on a ZB Custom. Fantastic!

First concert was Santana during the Moonflower era.

First live PSG concert was either Dan Dugmore with James Taylor or JD with the Desert Rose Band in the early 1980s. Probably was JT. I was never good at remembering dates.

dz

My first concert with a steel player was at the New York State Pavilion in Flushing Meadows New York about 1969,It was Charlie Musslewhite with Freddie Roulette...WOW!

My 1st concert was Frank Sinatra at the Shrine Auditorium in LA for John Kennedy's election in 1960. I was 7 years old.

I played with Sinatra at the same place 20 years later for Reagan's birthday.

Reagan came up to me after the show and shook my hand and said, "Thanks for playing my favorite song, Kansas City"

First major concert: Uriah Heep in Augsburg 1977
...Easy Livin'

Thomas

In '66 I saw Samm the sham, Lovin Spoonful, and the Beach Boys at Hara Arena in Dayton Ohio. The opening act was The New Blue Messengers a local band. A few years before, the Rolling Stones,a British group,played to a crowd of almost 30 people. The first concert with steel: ET with BC at Bean Blossom Ind. Oh my! DON D.

The first "live" show I saw (they didn't call them concerts back then) was in the late 40's at the Valley Veiw Park in Hellam, Pa (near York, Pa) with the 101 Ranch Boys and Leonard Zinn on steel.

The First gig I did with a band was in 1959 in Biloxi, MS (we were all stationed at Keesler AFB (Rhythm Guitar). the first gig I did with bass was a New Orleans style Dixieland band (worked with them for a year)in the 67/68 timeframe, and the first gig I did with Pedal Steel was in January 1970 in College Park, MD.

1st concert:
Lubbock, TX around 1965 or 66, The Animals opening for Herman's Hermits

1st pedal steel:
Lubbock, TX 1962 or so, Tommy Hancock and the Roadside Playboys at the grand opening of the 1st shopping mall in town.

My first: 1960. Niagara Falls, NY. Ray Price.