The Steel Guitar Forum

Finally got a chance to meet Brad Bechtel this weekend in Dallas. Brad is a great guy and wonderful musician. Funny, smart, quick and quite fearless on the steel. He sat in on all the after hours jam sessions and took some very cool solos when the spotlight was on him.

Next year a solo set, eh Brad?

This is the second time I've been in Brad's company and he is all you said he is. On top of that, he knows a ton of tunes and he is a jam session gentleman.

BTW, for everyone who ever wondered, it's pronounced
"Beach-ul".

I'm too dumb to be afraid of a lap steel. The worst I could do is suck, right?

It's easy to sound good when everybody knows the tune. We had some great players playing together.

Here are my photos on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wellvis/se ... 501223509/

Mike Neer wrote: BTW, for everyone who ever wondered, it's pronounced
"Beach-ul".

Son of a Beach-ul!!!!!.....I always thought it was beck-tell......

''BTW, for everyone who ever wondered, it's pronounced
"Beach-ul".
''Son of a Beach-ul!!!!!.....I always thought it was beck-tell......''

Yeah, I'd have said beck-tell too. Does it ever confuse the front desk clerks in hotels?

I recall my many visits to the USA over the past 20 years or so - it was frequently painful having to translate from my Aussie accent into the local idiom for the front desk clerk - and my name is fairly straightforward.

I remember finding Brad's Page of Steel years ago... some guy in a far-away place named BRAD (go figure) went to all the trouble to put such a wonderful and instructive site together. AND he plays wonderful music too!!! Great meeting you Brad and I sure hope you become a regular here in Texas... at least for a few wonderful days in March. Thanks!

Hi,

I have yet to meet Brad but look forward to the day our paths do cross.

Re pronounskiation (think Popeye): I have never heard Bechtel pronounced Beach-ul before. Fascinating. In the south the surname Beauchamp is often pronounced Beach-um. Brad, can you give us any insights into the pronunciation of your surname? Inquiring minds want to know.

All the best,

Bob

The story I was told is that my North Dakota ancestors dealt with Sioux Indians who had only previously dealt with French traders. It's supposed to be a Sioux-French pronounciation of a German name.
It's a pain sometimes, but that's how I was raised to pronounce it. I should probably change the spelling.

Hi Brad, it was great to meet you. I feel your pain, rarely do people pronounce my name correctly. Mine is "raider" but I just go with whatever comes out.

Very interesting. Thanks Brad. Makes me even more curious about the Beach-ums.

Bob

Meeting Brad was one of the highlights of my trip. It was a treat to spend some quality time with him.

I would have been darned impressed though if he was the "Bechtel" of Bechtel Power. I would have asked him to buy me lunch.

h

Mark Roeder wrote:Hi Brad, it was great to meet you. I feel your pain, rarely do people pronounce my name correctly. Mine is "raider" but I just go with whatever comes out.

I should have known that--I studied German in high school . Sorry.

Another Brad fact: he has an identical twin brother.

Another Brad fact: he has an identical twin brother.

I don't believe that for a second. If that were true how come you never see them together?

Our pal Brad is the best! And if you're ever in San Francisco, I can attest that he's an excellent tour guide to the cool, off the beaten path places.

Bob Stone wrote:Makes me even more curious about the Beach-ums.

Bob

That's actually the English pronunciation. It's originally a French name, but at some point the pronunciation changed in the English branch of the family.

I find those aristocratic English name pronunciations quite interesting. Other good ones:

Cholmondeley pronounced Chumly

Featherstonehaugh pronounced Fanshaw

HowardR; FYI and anyone else who might wonder, I'm the one pronounced Beck’~tell!