The Steel Guitar Forum

My father makes compilation CDs for me from time to time, featuring songs with steel guitar. He works at a radio station, and whenever he comes across a steel tune he saves it and later compiles them all for me on disc. Seeing that I don't have proper liner notes to reference player credits, I try to identify the players by certain characteristics in their playing. I can usually pick out Lloyd Green with his signature 8th & 5th string combinations and general dramatic approach. I also find John Hughey to be tell-tale in his perfection in the higher register and his BC pedal combination licks. Paul Franklin shows himself as well, with his dead-on single note accuracy and incredible speed. Each of these players has more attributes than the ones I've mentioned. I'm just giving a little description of what makes each player identifiable to me.

Is there anybody that you find instantly identifiable from just audio and no liner notes? If so, what characteristics reveal their identity? I'm thinking mostly about radio hits with backup steel.

You can always tell Jay Dee Maness by his wonderfully unique phrasing. I'm not even sure what it is that makes him so unique, but he is, and I can tell it's him after one note. Often his twin Evans amps speakers are out of phase when recorded, so he gets that fat, luscious tone, almost chorus-like, but he doesn't use a chorus.

Same with Sneaky Pete Kleinow (RIP, Sneaky). Not only is his phrasing unique, but his tone using an old Fender and an Echoplex (or perhaps more recently he went to a more modern delay?) is unmistakable.

Buddy Emmons is easily identified by perfectly chosen notes, something unique about his bar vibrato that is hard to explain but I can hear, great chops and impeccable intonation. His playing always sound so relaxed. His tone is always rich and focussed.

Curley Chalker on C6. There's something about his cool-jazz phrasing.

Weldon Myrick - some of his really cool fast palm-blocked licks stick out to me.

Dan Dugmore, Tom Brumley, and Ralph Mooney. Dan has got a style all his own.

I would say Sneaky Pete,I can usually pick him in about three notes.

...and half a note would be enough to identify Pete Drake. Or Roy Wiggins. And of course Jerry Byrd.

I can always spot Jernigan for his speed and the particular patterns he likes to use at uptempos.

Russ Hicks, Ralph Mooney (of course), Sneaky, and, sadly, me...

Dave Easley is playing stuff way beyond anything else I've heard other steel guitarists do - I don't think there is anybody who is copping his licks yet. Of course, by your definition of "radio hits", maybe nobody wants to....
http://steelguitarmusic.com/music/daveeasley.html

If you listen long enough and hard enough, I think you'll find that most of the "biggies" have a trademark style/sound.

Im with Per when he says half a note would be enough to identify Pete Drake, listen to any of the recordings on the Epic record label 70s he was on nearly all of them, Charley Rich , Paycheck, Tammy+George and back in the 60s he probably played on half of all the country music that came out of nashville. Hank Locklins album " Once over lightly" is a superb example of Pete's sound and style. I think Pete Drake and Lloyd Green are THE two most easily identifyable "Nashville sound" steel players ever........Can you tell Im a big admirer ?
Having said that I thought it was Lloyd on the homepage of the Jackson psg's , It is Canadian Jeff Bradshaw .Nice tune too.

To me, Ralph Mooney and Sneaky Pete are instantly identifiable- and two of my favorite players.

Who can't recognize Jerry Douglas??? His linear single string work and sweet, sweet tone just leap out.

I can recognize Greg Leisz by his vibrato and the lack of cliches.

Daniel Lanois simply sounds only like himself, which in my mind is a high, high compliment.

Hi Chris..Good to see you back on the Forum!!
Mark me down for Mooney....Hughey....Sneakie-Pete....J.D.Manness.
Several others make my shirttail run up my back like a winow-shade but these are the main ones.
bj

BJ, the water felt warm enough to jump back in. The New Year has brought a real peace and calmness to the forum. New look, new attitude.....it's great!

Excellent replies! I too am starting to pick up on Mooney's sound, and JayDee as well. I can pick out Jimmy Day from time to time backing a singer, although his solo instrumental stuff is a dead givaway. By the way, I use the forum search to find out if I'm right or wrong in my guesses.

There are many players I could not identify, but I know their names and I'm aware of their numerous contributions to classic country radio hits. I'd be curious to get people's descriptions of what makes the following players instantly identifiable:

Pete Drake
Hal Rugg
Weldon Myrick
Sonny Garrish

It would be interesting to get your take on these players' unique characteristics, or signature moves. What gives them away when you hear them backing up a singer on the radio? I know that a lot of you have prior knowledge of who backed up what artist, but I'm sure some of us would like to hear your descriptions anyway.

Chris, I dont know how to send it but if you can go to YOUTUBE and search Waylon Jennings "Me and Bobby MaGee"
That one example says it ALL about Mooney.. Like my Pal Clyde Mattocks said..It aint WHAT he plays but HOW HE SOUNDS,playing it..His steel pickin "Has that attitude"
I will try to specify on the others at another time..
take care
bj

My opinion is that years ago when I first started playing steel guitar in the 70s, one could most easily identify the steel players.

These players all had a unique style or sound in their delivery:
Pete Drake, Buddy Enmmons, Lloyd Green, Ralph Mooney, John Hughey, Weldon Myrick, Hal Rugg, Sonny Garrish, Tom Brumley.

These earlier players also were easily identifiable by their styles:
Speedy West, Jerry Byrd, Don Helms, Herb Remington, Little Roy Wiggins, Joaquin Murphey.


Then we also had great players like Curly Chalker, Zane Beck, Julian Tharpe, Bob White, Reece Anderson, Jimmy Crawford, Bobby Garrett who again had their own unique styles. In fact, these guys were a little bit to the far out.

Other notable great players of the steel guitar in more recent years, Doug Jernigan, Paul Franklin, Bobby Black, Tommy White, Bobbe Seymour.

I like them all, but as years went by I started leaning alittle more to the styles of the unusal. Why? Good question, and I am not certain I can answer it easily. But I found their sounds alittle more far out, or unusal than the more commerical sounds. Did it work? Truthfully, it cost me a few jobs trying to copy their sounds. Would I change? No way! I like the unusal and find it like a breathe of fresh air. Nothing against a more commercial sound but I like the challenging.

I think of all the steel guitarists that I have listened to since my childhood and I really believe the most unique steel guitarist was my friend, mentor and hero the late Julian E. Tharpe. Julian had such an unusal approach and sound to most everything I heard him play. I sure miss his Julianisms! Next to his unique delivery was that of my friend Wesley Webb West, alias Speedy West.

Julian Tharpe, Zane Beck, Reece Anderson, and Speedy West influenced my efforts a bunch and I knew all of them. In fact, I consider myself fornuate to have had the opportunities to get to know or meet many of the above at one time or another in my 31 years of playing.

All the above have influenced my efforts with the steel guitar. This just my two cents worth.

May GOD bless!

Terry Wood

Bill Stafford.

Paul Franklin !

I can noramlly here the first notes of a Steel and know when its him !

WWW.STEELGUITARUK.COM

Buddy Emmons and Paul Franklin. Probably because I listen to them both more than anyone else.

Phil

Chris LeDrew asked if we could put into words the description of what identifies a particular player. I have thought about this and I, for one, cant. Terry Woods said that players in the 70s were more easily identifyable than today and I would tend to agree. I would include the handfull of decades previous to that one also. Leon Mccauliffe, Don Helms ,Little Roy Wiggins, Pete Drake. The playing of the pedal steel has become more "technical" since the 80s. I think in the 30s to 70s players did more "sliding" than fast picking, and maybe because of this more identifyable sounds/styles were developed. Of all the five players I mentioned above, would anyone who knows these players have to think twice or ask the question "who is it" if you heard them on the radio?
Another thing that has just sprung to mind . ...Is it easier to identify a player from hearing them play a slow song / tune where its more emotional than technical.?
Paul Franklin and players with ability like him will be the exeption to this question I expect.
There are probably a few holes in this 2 pennies worth but this is what the forum is all about .
I look forward to reading more posts on this thread.

I agree with Allen about some the guys from the 40's and 50's
having very identifing sound like Leon and Don and then there is the young Bobby Koefer .You can't mistake his sound.

Sneaky,Mooney,Murph,Tharpe,Byrd,JayDee,Overbey,Morrell,Buddy Emmons - those are the ones I can always indentify. Most of the Nashville guys - however great they might play(and I love to hear 'em play)are all kinda interchangable to my ear. Oh there's differences but not as great. I find a helluva lot more originality amongst California and Texas players.

The Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame plaques contain some interesting descriptions of technique, particularly regarding the '40s and '50s players.

Dicky Overbey,Ralph Mooney and even Jim Loessberg has a certain sound to me that I could almost pickout of a crowd.