The Steel Guitar Forum

Just over a year ago, Austin steel guitarist Steve England passed away. Herb Steiner was helping Steve's widow with some of his guitars and I happened to buy Steve's Fender Triple 8 Custom from him. I really like the guitar and started playing it on some gigs in the winter.

Last year, I took a gig with Lucky Tubb, great nephew of Ernest Tubb, on a whim. It was a one-night stand, shall we say, but I had really never played a true Honky Tonk-type of gig and I wanted to. So, I put my steel in the car and drove up to Kingston, NY to do the gig. Now I'd never heard Lucky's music before, I only knew the style he played, according to how it was described to me.

I arrived at the venue, and after knocking back a drink I introduced myself to the band. I got to talking with Lucky and he had told me about his steel player who passed away earlier in the year. Said his name was Steve England. I stopped him and led him over to my gear, whereupon I opened up my case and showed him the steel that had belonged to Steve. You want to see a fellow turn white as a ghost? Well, he did right then and there. It was a actually a really nice moment and a memory that'll stick with me for a while. He told the story to the crowd, as well. In fact, Lucky just called me today and asked me to play a few area gigs with him next week, which is how I thought of this story. Besides, he asked me, "How's Steve's steel?"

It just goes to show you: these instruments will be passed from hand to hand in the course of their lifetimes. They almost always do outlive us, so take care of them, put your soul into playing them and hopefully someday someone else will enjoy them to their fullest, doing with them what they are meant to do--play music.

(I will warn you, though, the Clinesmith comes with me to the grave.... )

good story

That is a terrific story!

Cool story Mike

Surely seems like a Divine element in
that story Mike.

Good Luck to you and all your beautiful steels.

Roy

Awesome! This story reminds me of the movie "The Red Violin". It traces the 300 year history of a beautiful violin, through several generations of owners, traveling through many countries... and how the instrument touched the lives of the owners/players. It's really true... a quality instrument will outlive it's owners and will hold a lot of memories. Thanks for sharing your great story, Mike.

OK, here's one of my old guitar stories:

One of the ladies at work lost her husband about 5 years ago. He was a well known bluegrass dobro player in our area. I took a lap steel lesson from him once. A super guy.

I told her one day last year I wanted to start learning some reso steel and she said I could borrow her late husbands old Dobro until I got my own - she said "it should be played".

I took it home after work and was excited to give it a try, but only had a short time since I was to be at a gig that night. So I took it out of the case for just a few strums.

The house was empty, and dark. I sat on the couch and strummed a chord and I heard a mans voice behind me speaking loudly! Scared the &^%@ out of me cause I though someone was in the house! I turned around to find nobody there. The voice was not saying anything I could understand - but instantly I felt like the owner was smiling and encouraging me for playing that old Dobro once again. It was still in perfect tune and in his favorite tuning which I keep on that guitar to this day. I'll never forget that night.

Interesting stuff, which probably happens more often than we might think.
And since this is turning into an on-going story thread, here's another;

This involves two of Hawaii's best steelers, and is told as best I remember.
Grammy winner, Kenny Emerson www.myspace.com/kenemersonguitarist had played a gig near a beach on his home island of Kauai and afterwards went to enjoy the beach but ends up losing his very favorite bar from his pocket into the sand and eventually returns home quite bummed out.
Fellow Grammy winner, Bobby Ingano www.steelnlove.com had a Kauai gig soon after and was hanging at a friends house who's kids have found something odd at the beach that day and brought it home... They show it to Bobby after seeing him play a bit noting it's similarity to his bar and they let him keep it. Later that evening before heading to the airport, he happens to hook up with Ken and hears the woeful tale of loss. Knowing the strange particulars and feeling it's got to be the same one, Bobby reaches for the newly lost and found bar, handing it to the suddenly stunned, delighted, and most grateful player.

This is one of the best strings I've read on here. Some really human stuff. Love it. Wish I had something to share. I am wondering about my Rick B6... who first owned it and what their story was. Guess I will never know; unless maybe Bobbe Seymour knows. But a story didn't come with the instrument. I never thought to ask. Regrets...

J. Wilson wrote:I am wondering about my Rick B6... who first owned it and what their story was. Guess I will never know...

J., an old guitar's provenance is one of the most intriguing details I like about vintage instruments, and the fact that most are unknown can be frustrating because you know they all have at least one good story to tell.
All too often that integral part is ignored, or forgotten about until it's too late to find out, usually because we are so thrilled just to get a wonderful piece and jump right into playing it.
I always look at a vintage item and wonder what tales it could tell. It's a special day when you actually know the truth about a guitar's glorious and/or infamous past.

I shook his hand and told him that I had something I wanted him to see
I took him out to the old truck
And brushed off some of the dirt so the name would show
And his eyes got big and bright as he read ...

Mr. Bovine, You are such a teaser!

Paul Bostic wrote:Mr. Bovine, You are such a teaser!

With a 40s era 8 string bakelite avatar, who's the teaser?!