The Steel Guitar Forum

I am just constantly in aww about the tone,sound,and chimes throughout this entire song.Simply magical,and mistifying.I wish I could play this good.To me this is some of the most beautiful sounds to come out of a steelguitar in history.Does anyone know what kind of guitar,effects,and amplifier Ed Ringwald aka Peewee Charles used in the studio.In my opinion Peewee belongs in the steel guitar hall of fame for the haunting eloquence played on The wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald.
Marty

I second the notion. A masterpiece at using the steel to create moods. Also, one of the great pieces
of songwriting.."Does anyone know where the love of
God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours".
Never fails to move me.

Peewee in HOF...Yeah!!

I certainly agree with Marty. Great playing. I really like all of PeeWee's contributions to Gord's records. All tasteful and fitting, without sounding country too. His sounds on "Protocol" come to mind, as well as "Rainy Day People."

I saw PeeWee with Gord back around 1984 - best I recall, he was playing a MSA S-10 (at least on stage, don't know about the record).

I did a quick search on Peewee and it looks like he played his old standby - the MSA- while in Gordon Lightfoot's band - here:

Lightfoot with his back turned.
Peewee left the Lightfoot band in 1987 to operate a radio station in Southern Ontario.

Today it looks like he is playing an Emmons
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu ... =378522623

You will find your favorite Edmond Fitzgerald there as well as Peewee's hauntingly beautiful tribute to 911

Bent, Peewee Charles is now playin' an Emmons guitar.

Brett

Brett, yup, that's what I figured, from his MySpace picture. Of course you knew this eons ago. You have all these goodies in your head.

Who's that standing with the beard? Could that be the drummer, John Stockfish (?). I think the other two members of the band at the time were Terry Clements and Red Shea. Seeing Gord with that band was among the best concerts I've ever seen or heard.

I had a friend in Austin named Rick Gordon who I think played with Gordon?it looks a lot him.

If someone has the time and knowledge to search, Pee Wee told the story of the writing of the song here on the forum. I'd love to see that linked. I and my bandmates were just talking about this last Wednesday night.

Was it this one Michael?

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... ght=edmund

dave burr

Actually, I was talking about one a few years back, but the one you linked will do just fine!

A good friend & steel player, Doug Dietrick sent this to me..I have not been on the forum lately...Thanks so much for the nice comments...I am so proud to be a part of such a great family of musicians...Health & Happiness to everyone and all the best for a Happy New Year...Ed www.myspace.com/peeweecharles

Peewee Charles and AL Briscoe are the main reasons why at 59,i,m still trying to be a steeler thanks guys

Thanks John....I'm not far behind...57 on Friday & playing the Stampede Ranch with LittleRock..Still feel like 27 in my mind.. enjoy every day to the fullest...Al is a great player & helped me out so much over the years...Ed

www.myspace.com/peeweecharles

Ed, glad to hear you're out playing again.Perhaps I'll get a chance to hear you play in person sometime. The last time was at a Lightfoot concert, Vancouver, '84 or so.

As one who later found his way into real country music via the steel guitar, I must say you were one of the people who strongly influenced my taking up the instrument, by showing us that pedal steel was much more than "country". Emmons of course was the other- Killer Joe off Minors Aloud was in heavy rotation on CJAZ, a short-lived jazz-only station in Van. circa '79. That made me run out and buy the first available pedal steel and commence this curious journey!

So you are (partly) to blame. Thank you.

That '84 Lightfoot show was an epiphany for me.I looked around at the graying hair and incipient paunches and realized that us baby boomers were entering middle age (I turned 58 yesterday). Oh yeah, the band was tight, too!

Now to find that old cassette & see if I can figure out those licks on Rainy Day People that I couldn't grok in 1980.

CR.

Hey Chris, Nice to hear from you & thanks for the nice remarks...I have been with Rogers Media last 16 years & the corporate world is beginning to wear on me...Life is too short..Lots of great things have happened musically this year...George Canyon, runner up on Nashville Star a few years ago & with a lot of airplay.. flew me out to Winnipeg in July & met them coming back from Kandahar after playing for our troops....He liked my playing & cut his new CD, did a CMT Revival special in the summer & just back from BC taping of Christmas In Whistler CMT special that will air later this year...God gave me the gift & feel like it's time to get back & enjoy life to the fullest...I will be doing a lot of George Canyon dates in the New Year & will be out west again...Played the PNE in Vancouver last summer, too bad I didn't know you then...Look forward to meeting you...all the best...Ed Show you those Rainy Day People licks....

I really love that song and the great steel work. I have it on CD and Vinyl. The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald, to me is at the top of the list of those songs that just wouldn’t be the same without that haunting steel.

david

Nice harmonics on Rainy Day People)))

I agree - PeeWee is great with harmonics. In addition to "Rainy Day People", harmonics also stand out in "Fitzgerald" and "Protocol" too. I've heard Gord do "Fitzgerald" without steel, and it just ain't the same.

Don't forget about the Gord's Gold version of "The Great Canadian Railroad Trilogy". Very nice playing on that one. Pee Wee is one of my favourites for sure.

Chris - Good point. I like that one. Great song too. Gord is one of my all time favorites, and those with PeeWee are even better. How about his fast playing (turn-around as I recall) on "The Auctioneer", the old Leroy Van Dyke tune? Very Nice.

I met "Pee Wee" way back in Vancouver in the 1970's I believe,when he was doing his last gigs with Ian Tyson, I was in a local band with a fella named Dave Paul originally from Ontario and he knew "Pee Wee" from there, and I tagged along to meet him and listen to the Tyson Band....the next time I saw "Pee Wee" was also in Vancouver and he had moved on to work with the legendary Gordon Lightfoot, of which I am a great fan....with just meeting him once before "Pee Wee" left a couple of back stage passes for Dave and I to the Concert at the Queen "E"Theater.(This again the next year as well.) It is still one of my highs in my musical life, to be able to watch him work with Lighfoot and be back stage for both entire shows and go to the after concert party etc., I never got to thank him for that, but thanks Pee Wee",meeting you and the great "Lightfoot" band of that era and of course one of my hero's Gordon Lightfoot,was great. Thats the kind of guy Ed is...and I'm glad to hear that he is back doing some "live" playing again...if Im lucky I will get to see him play again...

PeeWee did an out standing job on Rainy Day People and The Wreck Of The Edmond Fitzgerald. Every time I hear Edmond on the radio, I crank it up. I used to do alot of open mics here in Baton Rouge, some times we would get some one up on stage to try to do the song but some how when I played it,I could never do it as well you. Pee Wee you da' man!!!!!!!!!!!
Tommy Shown

'The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald' doesn't sound right without steel. For me, the steel part really set the mood for that song.