The Steel Guitar Forum

I'm lucky enough to still have my Dad although Alzheimer's has entered the picture lately and he don't know most of the family at times. He influenced me at an early age to play music by exposing me to old country records he would bring home from a friend of his at his work. I still love the same music now that was on those old scratchy records. Where would we be without our Dads?

HAPPY FATHERS DAY EVERYBODY!!!

Have to agree 100% here,I started playing gigs in my Dad's band at age 11.
He is a great gtr/fiddle player and gave me every instrument and lessons I could handle.
At 73 years old he can still kick my butt playing and I'm proud of it.
Very Best to all Dad's out there!

I agree whole heartedly! My dad and his musical friends produced the first music I heard. Dad was my inspiration and main enthusiast. He even built my first pedal steel which now resides in the Barn Dance Society Museum in Wingham, Ontario, Casnada.

Fortunately, I grew up never knowing my father, and have a lifetime of musical enrichment that I may have not had otherwise.

My dad encouraged (not forced) me to study classical piano from the git go and showed me my first few chords on an old Silvertone guitar, which he eventually just gave me. He and my mom always sang lots - around the house, in church, and other places. I had music going on very early. I have him here for several days. Thanks Dad, and Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there (I guess that includes me).

My Father did not consider any type of guitar to even be a musical instrument. He never would listen to me play. But, I still love, and miss him greatly!

my dad never had musical lessons, but could play piano, accordian, harmonica...probably anything he wanted...for my first ten years of life, i would go to sleep to the sound of his barbershop quartet practicing in the other room. i loved it!

My dad was a classically trained pianist, and a minister who played and sang church music. But he also loved Broadway musicals and jazz. He had lots of 78 records, and later lots of LPs, so I heard lots of music around the house growing up. He gave me the gift of music.

He worked hard so I could take music lessons. He purchased my first little Gibson lapsteel and amp. He paid $75.00 down on my Fender triple-8 and found an ad in the newspaper that lead to my first big-time playing job. He let me drive his 1940 Chebby to my first steady playing job at the Division Street Corral when I could barely see over the dash board.....and he'd take the bus at midnight to get home after his job.
He never really got to hear me play but he was there the day my Bigsby arrived in the mail.
A very wonderful man........and I do miss him so.

My Dad encouraged both my brother and I in our musical pursuits, bought us our first guitars, band instruments and lessons. He never discouraged us from pursuing it professionally if that was what we wanted to do. He was a jazz buff, and played drums very well though not professionally. He was not a big steel guitar fan, for some reason (he had taken lessons as a young boy - the famous door-to-door Oahu lessons I suspect - and hated them), but very supportive of all the stuff we got into over the years. I have a lot of old jazz on vinyl from his collection. He played me some Alvino Rey over the years, but he was not a real big fan. I grew up listening to Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Jack Taegarten and the like. and of course lots of Sinatra.

My dad never had much to do with my musical career. I was playing classical guitar last Sun. for my mother, and my dad heard me play. He was quite surprised at what he heard. I said " you never really heard me play like this, have you?". I think he only heard my band once in the 35 years I've been playing out. Not knockin my dad, my music just wasn't his thing. My mom has always been enthusiastic and supportive. JP

My Dad introduced me to country music at an early age when he bought me my first LP record.. The Sons of the Pioneers. Later he bought me my first guitar, an older Gibson f hole (wish I still had it).

Thanks for ringing up some old and cherished memories.

I wish he were here with me tonight.

Dad always had some kind of steel guitar around.Seems like he was like the rest of us he would trade alot
in search of that sound.He drilled holes in his old fender and used bycycle spokes to pull strings.He influence my life musically and helped others.I remember a steel player,I won,t mention any names,but he,s on our forum, stopping a semi in front of the house on the road and letting it idol while dad was trying to show him a new lick or two.Each year I place a new set of picks on dad's grave site.R>I>P>

My dad couldn't understand why I would want to move to Nashville, thinking I could make a living playing music! He said all those guys that you hear on the radio and records had lots of money before they started and are just doing it for fun! In a way, he wasn't too far off from the truth, although I did manage to get 4-yrs. experience on the Grand ’Ole Opry, I never did get close to Rich! But, it's been a fairly comfortable life and after I arrived in Nashville and got to working, he was still proud of my achivements, limited as they might have been! He passed away in ’82, just 6-mo. and 1-day after my mother.

Bob, My dad drilled holes through his fender too but used a chain and parts he made at North American. My dad was a wonderful player and built a few pedal steels. We lost him way to young.

My DAD wanted me to play steel guitar. I didn't want to. I always liked guitar. He kept encouraging me, telling me that's what I should do, probably because he liked steel guitar so much. He helped me buy my first steel, at age 17. Needless to say, I fell in luv with the steel and put down the guitar. Dad must have knew something I didn't. He just recently gave me the money to buy an Emmons p/p, this past Tues., very ironically close to Father's Day. I will pay him back when my Sierra sells, but I wouldn't have the p/p if it wasn't for my father. My father is still living and I'm very fortunate because without his influence I would have never played a steel guitar.

Dad's influence on me for music was indirect, I guess you would say. He never played an instrument. But from the time of my first memories, dad & I would set up til midnite on Saturday nite listening to the Grand Ole Opry on that old A-B pack battery radio (we didn't have electricity yet back in them thar hills), with the air waves fading in & out. Thus, I have loved real country music forever after. He died when I was 9, so his influence was no more. But the memories are the continuing influence.
God Bless dads....

My father's taste in music was pretty much limited to Mitch Miller so we never really connected musically, but he was very supportive. Similarly, the smartest parenting decision I ever made (among a lot of dumb ones) was buying my son a keyboard instead of an XBox ... he's now a very proficient musician, playing piano, clarinet and bassoon! I'm very proud of him, and some of his friends have even offered up that they think it's cool I play pedal steel. Great way to connect with your kids.

My Pa bought all the records when I was young. It's his fault mostly that I'm a musician.

For Father's Day I brought him a rhubarb pie and a book. He was happy.

Drew

My dad loved music even though he didn't play anything. I would hear him sing and whistle in the shower.....and he loved country music. he and mom would go to the Saturday nite dances and dance all nite. When I was 14 I went to the old dance hall with them and got up and sang and played rhythm guitar. Dad told me that I did good. Mom was the real influence in my music career. Dad's been gone for almost 5 years now, and I truly miss him. Mom's still here and even though we live 2k miles away from each other, she's still very supportive, and always wants me to send something home of stuff that I've done.........R.I.P. Dad.....I love you and miss you. HAL

i watched dad play his first guitar when i was 5 yr.
and watched granddad play his old supro while i sat on the floor.Dad gave me that guitar years later,and i
recieved both of granddads supro steels when he passed.I miss granddad and dad now plays his accordian EVERY CHANCE HE GETS.THANK GOD FOR FAMILY.

My Dad played the Zither and Mom, the piano. Especially at Christmas time. One time he said to me when I told him I liked the sound from the Zither; "Wait until you hear the glochenspeil !"

I waited over 55 years and one day I got a Bobbe Seymour album and I asked him what was the sound effect he was using on one of the cuts. My father had been gone almost 20 years but Bobbe's reply was:
"Glochenspeil !" I finally got to hear it.

He hated country music (Hillbillies he would call them...) and refused to help me buy a Fender 400 when I really wanted to get started playing pedal steel. Years later when I returned from seven years in Europe, he refused to even look at my Fender 1000, let alone listen to it. That never hurt me to the point of giving it up but nowadays it kinda does hurt. I would have loved to share that musical experience that he actually inspired in me with his Zither. Maybe later we can go back and try again...

Regards, Paul

From when I was small until I left home, my Mom would spend Wednesday nights at church choir practice, and Dad would get out the records she didn't enjoy, turn off the TV and I'd get to hear Cisco Houston, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Bessie Smith, Bob Dylan... those wonderful sounds are burned into my brain. He wasn't very musical himself but he's been very glad to get to see me play many times, as have I. Thanks, Dad.

Every molecule in me tingles when I hear the sound of a pedal steel and I think it must stem from my dad practicing in the house and my mum going to gigs with him when I was still in the womb.
Listening to country music as I grew up , steel guitar has been a major passion all my life, wish i could play better than I do but listening to others makes up for that.

I loved love and will always love my Dad.

I have no ability to remember his faults, whereas mine are right in the front of my mind.

While camping last weekend, I talked to him as a 37 year old man in 1966, and told him that he only had 8 more years to live.

He replied that it was a long time, and it would be fine.

I think I met another much older man there that told me the same thing.

I wish I had been able to give the same response my Dad did..

Thanks Dad. I'm working on it.



EJL