The Steel Guitar Forum

Mesa AZ was THE place to be this weekend for steel pickers! That show will be around for years. A musical sucess and a financial one also.

The only thing better than Sarah Jory would be Sarah and Joe Wright on the same stage at the same time, ..that gal is a showperson and a picker too!

The backup band was super, ..Roy Rosetta, Leon Chambers, and the rest of the Texas boys. Leon had a knuckle on his left hand broken the morning before but played better than ever! For those that don't know, Leon was wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys during the Don Meredith era!

Billy Easton, Troy Walker, Fred Justice put on a great show! The local backup players did a great job with their sets. About time that the AZ part of the country had a steel showplace.

Add to all that H Rugg, Doug Jernigan, Jeff Newman, Bud Isaacs, Jay Dee Maness, David Wright, Jim Cohen, Tommy Dodd, Randy Beavers, plus, plus, and wall to wall vendors and this thing has to be TOP DRAWER!

Ed, truly, you're right. The new association put on a dynamite show for their first time out and it pried the Walkers out of our home by the sea. It was an awesome display of talent and fellowship among friends and peers alike and calls for an encore on a regular basis. This young organization showed what determination and planning can accomplish by gifted men of vision.
SWSGA, I salute you and thanks for the memories.

I had a ball on Saturday too. Got to meet some nice folks, hear some fantastic pickin', check out a few new products and steel guitars...and all just an hour and a half from my new home in Arizona.
To Mike Smith: What a great set! Inovative, original and so well performed. I can't say enough.
To David Wright: It was a treat to see and hear you play again. Sorry I was such a pest, I can't help myself in the presence of such talent, I get crazy.
To Bud Isaacs: I am honored to have met you and heard you play.
To Hall Rugg: What fun is is to hear those signature licks first hand. Great playing and who knew you had such a sense of humor...Well I guess anyone who has known you knows that. Thank you for taking a few minutes to chat.
To GD Walker: Hope you had a safe ride home. Say Hey to Pali for me.
To all those I missed saying hello to: Sorry, I was reading name tags as fast as I could.

See ya all next year,

BD Bassett