The Steel Guitar Forum

I do graphic design and manage printing of marketing/promotional materials for a large educational publisher.

I play lap and pedal steel on an "on-call"/part time basis with a young, rowdy country group called Rivertrain and an atmospheric rock duo called Woodwork.

Very cool and interesting to see all the different walks of life represented here on the Forum!

I'm a high school English teacher. This is my 23rd year in the "trenches." My day job sometimes gets in the way of my music, but I love having the summers off when I can pursue my music and write steel guitar arrangements and articles. I sometimes think that being surrounded by young people keeps me young, but I often change my mind at the end of a long day. All in all, it's been a good career, especially that I can finally see the finish line. Dare I even hope?
Chuck

I played steel full time for 15 years then went back to school in 1988 and now work in the IT industry as a network analyst for the Government of Alberta. I do network design, trouble shooting and research into new technologies. It is fun stuff and I still do 6 - 10 one nighters a month on the steel.

I am a statistical analyst and Certified Cancer Registrar for the state cancer registry here in Tennessee. I review all cancer data that comes into the office for quality and accuracy. I've been doing this type of work since 1993, and have been with TN state registry since 1999, when I moved here. Very interesting work.
Joan

Ex-Joplin, Mo. Police Officer, Ex-Bail bondsman, Currently the Investigator for the Public Defender's Office in Nevada, Mo. serving the 28th Judicial Dictrict.

I work for Hewlett Packard in Information Technology. Been doing 'puters for 30 years - 24 of those in HP. Learned assembler language in the US Naval Weather Service! (daddy what's that paper tape with all the holes in it?) Played gigs weekends for about 40 years. And run a recording studio part time.

------------------
Chris Kennison
Ft. Collins, Colorado
"There is no spoon"
www.seldomfed.com

What a great collection of expierence.
Me, retired 2 1/2 years ago from a long career as a systems engineer/acquisition manager (space systems). Did not start the psg until retirement, so still a beginner.
Now: Learning the psg; One day a week in a fly fishing shop; 3 months a year officiating at Olympic and International shooting events; Several days a month teaching marksmanship to local sheriffs dept.; Shooting sporting clays and skeet; Fly-fishing.

------------------
Allen Harry
Emmons SD10
Mullen D-10,
Nashville 1000


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Allen on 09 January 2003 at 03:43 PM.]</p></FONT>

I started out down in Mississippi as a civil rights worker, hippie and underground newspaper writer, artist, and photographer (The Kudzu, 1968-72). When all that played out I ended up with friends in Nashville, got a job doing high-rise construction, and learned Dobro, then pedal steel, and played in rinky-dink clubs. When I got tired of the construction work, I went back to college (UT, Knoxville) and grad school (Univ. So. Cal.) and became a research biologist (Boston, Philly). When I got tired of writing grant proposals I took a side step and became a medical research analyst, which means I read and write about other people's research.

When I got divorced a couple of years ago (10 years, 4 kids), I pulled the old Maverick out from under my bed and started playing again. I'm strictly amateur, and might make enough to buy a set of strings now and then, but it's tons of fun. I just gave up on the Maverick and bought a Fessy S12U and an Emmons P/P S12 E9 (it's amazing how much better I sound), so maybe I'm getting a little more serious about this - this forum is one reason.

I have been an elecronics engineer for 33 years. Most of my professional work has been in the RF and microwave engineering fields. My hobbies take me into audio, tube amp, MOSFET amp, and power supply design. Part of my work is kind of like mechanical engineering as well. Presently I work for a company that designs and manufactures microwave and millimeter wave test equipment.

I spent 10 years designing defense electronic subsystems for our fighter and bomber aircraft as well as missile defense systems.

For music I have my own band that gives occasional gigs and records for fun. For the band I play pedal steel and 6 string guitar. We do a wide variety of music types. Once in a while I will play clarinet for symphony and play clarinet in orchestra pits for stage plays.

Rick Barber

Retired 13 yrs. 76yrs. old today.
playing steel for 4YRs. thought i'd get an early start ha! Jack.

I'm in the millinery industry (lady's hats)as both a manufacturer and supplier. I have a couple of factories and a mail order business as I'm a supplier to the trade. I'm also involved in real estate. This pretty much takes up a lot of my time. Still trying to work this one out but I don't see it.

I've been a novice player and hobbyist for 25 years. Sometimes during the summer, I sit in on dobro with a guitarist on his gig. I like collecting vintage and the more unique steels.

I'm a Radar Field Engineer currently assigned to a remote tracking station on Ascension Island in the south Atlantic Ocean. I specialize in high accuracy missile and space tracking radar systems.

Ricky

------------------
Emmons LeGrande - 8x4
Session 400 Ltd
Dan-Echo, E-Bow, Ibanez Distortion, Boss Comp./Sustain, Ibanez Auto-Wah

Hello. This is a fun thread. I am a bartender on Lake Union in Seattle. I work three nights a week and spend the other four trying to figure out how to get out of working the next weekend! Before bartending I worked in specialty coffee for seven years.

I worked as an aircraft mechanic for most of my working career, Air Force & Civil Service 21 years. Like Bennie H., I started Law Enforcement Academy at age 51 and have been a Police Officer for 4 yrs. Presently working for Texas Tech University P.D. Well ? somebody has keep an eye on Bob Knight, "Hey Coach, put that chair down" ! !
Play steel as a hobby, attend as many steel shows as possible and enjoy this Forum. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Skip T on 10 January 2003 at 07:41 AM.]</p></FONT>

www.amkobldgs.com -

Hi all,

I'm currently the Global IT Network Manager for a small telecom company. I get to do some travelling, and it pays OK, so it'll do. Before this I worked for a number of other tech companies, including 9 years with Novell. I also was a live sound engineer for a while (full time) and play guitar in a coupld of bands which is funding my new home studio. I have some voiceover work booked already, and would love to go back to sound engineering one day.

Ian

Oh! That Bob Knight. For a minute I thought you meant our own Bob Knight... and there'd be no point in keeping an eye on him.

------------------
HagFan

What I wrote sounded like a resume and I'm sure not looking for a job so I deleted it. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 10 January 2003 at 02:24 PM.]</p></FONT>

Bob Strum: No, you're not the only dentist on the forum. I graduated from the University of Tenn. College of Dentistry in 1979.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Tim Hurst on 10 January 2003 at 07:06 PM.]</p></FONT>

Bartender... been in the hospitality industry for 30+ years, builder of wooden thingies since my youth, an amateur musician (guitar, flute, bass, etc) for about 40, and a pedal steel fan since '68.. coulda, woulda, shoulda started then, bought this here Mullen 2 years ago this week.. best thing I ever done..
what a long strange trip it's been...
Rick Summers

I work as a death investigator (deputy Coroner) for San Bernardino County in California. Prior to that, I was an embalmer and funeral director.
34 years total. First love is real country music (fiddles, steel). Steel player for the past 23 years, work casuals and private parties mostly. Very few clubs left in California.

I worked for the Govt.for 36 years.Shipfitter, supply for the last 26 years. Now I do honey do'es. Oh ya , played music of one kind or another since i was 15,usually on weekends.

Publishing finance, mostly self-help and health books.

I got my first steel guitar, a single neck Fender, when I was 14 years old. My first pedal guitar was a p/p Emmons. It had eight pedals, of course, but only one knee lever (lowered the E's on the E9th).

I have never been able to wean myself from the Fender sound;___permanently addicted I suppose.

Rick

I do roofing for a living. Been doing it for 24 years.

------------------
1985 Emmons push-pull, Session 500, Nashville400, 65 re-issue Fender Twin, Fender Tele

Senior Project Engineer.
Retired 6 string picker.
Wishful psg player.
Golf Hacker.
Grampa.