The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello fellow players,

Here I go. I’m a little disappointed at the intolerance of some people that people that claim to be steel guitar fans. Scotty just emailed me and said that he had been approached by folks that said they weren’t coming back to the big steel guitar convention in the future because there wasn’t enough country music being played by steel players on the show.

I personally think that people that love steel guitar ought to love steel guitar regardless of what style music the steel guitar is playing. If they play hard old pop, jazz or country, it’s all still steel guitar.

Scotty does a steel guitar show and has never billed it as a country music show. If Scotty billed it as a country music show, I could almost understand folks being let down when Doug Jernigan played The Theme From Moulin Rouge, Herby Wallace played Theme From Dr. Zhivago or Randy Beavers played Chopin’s Minuet in Eb Minor.

Many people complain year after year that the steel players always play the same old songs. Who cares? It’s still steel guitar, isn’t it?

If all of us play Please Release Me, it’s gonna sound different by everybody because we all play differently. I don’t sound like Doug Jernigan. I don’t sound like Buddy Emmons. I don’t sound like Randall Curry. And when I play instrumentals, I don’t wanna sound like anybody but me. The material is just a conveyer of our individual styles and thoughts.

If you want to hear the song the way it was written, then go somewhere besides a steel guitar show to hear it. I love steel guitar and want to hear everything it can do, not just a rehashed copy of Buddy Emmons playing Way To Survive.

Give Scotty a break. This man has done as much for steel guitar as anybody living in my opinion, plus being a wonderful guy and has to put up with a bunch of sniveling steel fans just because they don’t think the songs were played country enough.

Many years ago I knew a well known steel guitar guy from Louisiana who built cases and packaseats tell me that he didn’t want to do any more shows because the steel players all played the same old country song.

I said, “Good. Then stay away.”

Now I’m hearing about this again. I love to hear steel guitar, however I also love to hear it progress in its abilities throughout time. There is more to steel guitar than what was going on in 1955, even though I am still a great fan of the way it was played in those days. I’m a fan of steel guitar and that means all steel guitar, then and now.

I watched Pink Floyd on television last Sunday doing a very nice, tasteful rock n roll concert live in New York City. There were three steel guitars on their stage. I listened to the whole concert because of the steel guitars. Naturally with me being a full time professional steel guitarist for over fifty years, I was not dazzled by any of the playing anymore than I was by Jerry Garcia and many other overly simplistic players thoughout my life.

As for Pink Floyd however, they were steel guitars and what they played overall added great beauty to the songs they played onstage. I love steel guitar with that band. The only thing wrong is I’m not working with them. I’ve had my days in that limelight, loved them, but again steel guitar can be beautiful no matter who is playing it or how experienced they are as long as it is thoughtfully blended into great music.

B.J. Cole with Elton John played very, very simply on Tiny Dancer, but even to this day when the song comes on my car radio, I always pull off the side of the road and stop and listen to what tasteful steel guitar has done for Elton John and that incredible orchestra.

To hear people say that they don’t want to go to the steel guitar convention again because they can’t hear Your Cheatin’ Heart or Pick Me Up On Your Way Down is ludicrous. Scotty is a very smart man and could’ve used his intelligence that God gave him to make a very good living over the past many years instead of being a steel guitar player and promoter, but I think we are all very lucky to have had him dedicate his entire life to us steel players so that we can enjoy our living or just hobby as much as we have.

Yes, Scotty is in the Hall of Fame and if anybody deserves to be there, I feel he does. So what I’m doing here is begging each one of you guys that read this to just type him out a minimum of three words if not more to Dewitt Scott at Scotty’s Music and thank him for the life he has spent to make us all happy with the instrument we all love so much. The three words … Thank you, Scotty.

He does not know that I’m doing this newsletter, however things just set me off once in awhile, like people that say they won’t support steel guitar or his show because we don’t play enough country music even though I personally love it.

Steel guitar is one of the most beautiful instruments in the world no matter what its playing, Chopsticks or Streets of Laredo. It’s wonderful regardless if it’s played by Don Warden, Don Helms, Curly Chalker or Doug Jernigan. I love it all and cannot understand everyone not loving every part of it.

So next time you hear a jazzy little tidbit on steel guitar, just remember steel guitar can play everything. Don’t get mad at it when it does. God bless you all. I hope you had a merry Thanksgiving.


Your buddy,
Bobbe

Let me see if I got this right...

This is your opinion, of Bobbe's opinion, of steel guitar fans, that are of the opinion, that they don't want to hear so much country steel guitar music at the steel guitar convention?

IMHO, How in the world does this explain why black guitars sound best?

I was just talking to a steel builder about the black guitar thing, what's up with that?
Im going for more of a polka dot sound nowadays .
I saw Ronnie Miller do a cover of the a Doobie Brothers song at one of the Texas shows
and it was great.
One day someone will do some Sabbath!

Thanks Bobbe for your posting about the International Steel Guitar Convention. I can remember in years gone by that when a player was playing his set and had other instruments other than the normal country band, like horns, flutes, etc., many people left the hall to get a bite to eat or whatever. I notice that that doesn't happen very often anymore. I never try to book players that are strickly country and let other styles be heard.

A word about arrangements. When I played Trombone in high school or with an orchastra we always played what was written on the sheet music which meant that the tunes should be played as the pro bands recorded them. Occasionally a player would get a chance to stand up and play an ad lib part but that was rare. Somehow I don't think that rule applies to the steel guitar. Or other string instruments. Many players copied the pro steel players note for note for a long time and then all of a sudden they got tired of trying to play arrangements just like it was recorded and realized that their ideas just might be as good as the recording. Otherwise we would not have different arrangements heard today. Many of Jerry Byrd fans like to play his arrangements but a selected few, if any, actually has captured the touch or tone Jerry had. The same with all the other players too. When they do play like the artist everyone thinks of the original player - not you! I am in favor of players showing us that there is more wauys than one to play their favorite tunes. If I am at a show and a steel player doesn't some tunes that made him famous I get disappointed. It reminds me when Curly Chalker was playing for one of my SGI shows at the Moose Lodge in St.Charles, MO he said, "I'm not going to play any of the songs I have recorded. If you want to hear them then buy my records. If I'm wrong, then I will stay wrong"! Scotty

I haven't been to an ISGC since the last one was held at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel,it's not that I was in any way disappointed,I just haven't had an opportunity to get to the conv. since it went uptown to the Millineum,but someday when the opportunity presents its self I will return.

If people don't come back because it's "not country" then by all means stay away,it's not about a genre of music but about "STEEL GUITAR" & Scotty puts on a super show.

i've never got to go to Scotties. but i would love to. I am a hard nose country rock-a-billy person, but when i hear STEEL my antennas go up and i listen. i dont hear the kind of music it is i hear the steel.

I totally agree with Bobbe's comments about Scotty. I recently had the pleasure of a conversation with him at the Phoenix, Az. Steel Jam. At the St.Louis jam I attended, I noticed the same thing Scotty did about the room emptying when the performers started throwing in the Pop and Jazz stuff. I think it is just a matter of music preference. It doesn't mean we love the Steel any less. Scotty's show became a great event because of its country venue. I feel that to change it would be a mistake. Look what happened to Nashville when they changed from 'traditional' country to the crap they are turning out now. As much as I love George Straits music, his latest release was just more Nashville. I didn't even realize it was him until the announcer said so. I would NEVER buy the record. I was surprised that George caved in to the promoters like he did. Especially after his recording of 'Murder On Music Row.
I don't mind hearing any particular country song over and over again because I appreciate the different tones and expression the different players put into it.
Are you listening Scotty?

So what you're saying is Scotty should only invite players that play "traditional country" & let the jazz etc. players hold their own convention?

Ransom, you nailed it. Stick with what works. I agree with the concern about the sound. I have heard more concerts destroyed by 'sound men' than anything. I believe most of them are deaf. The people at the Phoenix show got so many complaint from the audience that they vowed not to have those sound people back next year. Direct complaints to the sound man got NO results. Other than that, it was a great show.

Is there a corresponding attribute among sound men and recording engineers? I am at the point where I don't care if I hear from certain recording studios; due to the fact that their "engineers" don't even know what a steel should sound like. The very tone that I try to put on tape or digital, sure doesn't sound like the same in the final mix. I spent several months on my own cd project; just to have the engineer to booger it all up with the most atrocious tone I've ever heard at the final mix. I ended up throwing the master away!