The Steel Guitar Forum

I just listened to a blast from the past - The Kingsmen Quartet album Chattanooga Live. Gary Dillard milking his Emmons. This was the kind of music that made me want a steel guitar. Thanks Gary for all the pretty playing and for chatting with me at the record table at the concerts.

Funny this should come up now. I too have been listening to them on you tube. He is indeed a class player. His speed picking is just superb. Plays also mouth harp, bass and banjo on the show I saw. He is a sideman, not featured at all but his class shows.

The reason I got onto this was that my brother Paul (a new forum member) has decided at the age of 56 to become a steel player and has purchased a steel from Gary Dillard off this very forum. A nice Carter.

Have a listen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xh7c6gZY4w

Thank you guys for the kind words. You make this "has-been" feel like he "once-was". LOL! Thanks again.

I just read these postings. I am a new member here as my brother Chris posted. At the ripe old age of 56 this fiddle player decided he had had enough of watching his brother playing his (gorgeous) Zum pedal steel and decided it was time to get one...living down in Australia it is difficult to get steel guitars used and new ones are horribly expensive. So I started researching used PSGs here on the forum. After considering a few I PM'd Gary Dillard who had advertised a nice Carter pro D10.

We came to an agreement on price etc. Now bear in mind Gary could have avoided all the packing, freight and customs problems by simply selling it locally, but he didn't - he was willing to package it up and go through all that paperwork to sell me the guitar I wanted. And of course I placed my trust in him - after all I sent over A$3,000 (allowing for freight and currency conversion) to a complete stranger on the other side of the world trusting he would deliver as promised.

Well I need not have worried. I chose one of nature's gentlemen to do business with. The carter arrived - beautifully packaged and packed - without a scratch, inside a week (from North Carolina to outback Australia)! And it is beautiful - in perfect condition - even better than he portrayed. Not only that, Gary has been very helpful with information and advice etc ever since. I cannot thank him enough.

As it happens the Carter was one inch over-height, built that way for Gary. I knew that and was not concerned but after playing (or trying to play!) for a few weeks decided I wanted to bring it back to standard. I emailed Gary, (who typically was delighted to offer help) and he immediately put me in touch with Al Brisco of Steel Guitars of Canada. Well, I met another absolute gentlemen there. Remember I know very little about PSGs, so if he had said I needed the complete set of four new legs plus pedal rods etc. I would have said "OK, how much'? Instead, he persevered with me explaining what measurements I should send him, and then he explained all I needed was the pedal rods- $80.00 only. He could have sold me $400 worth of stuff, but he didn't, he took the time and trouble to sell me only what I needed. They arrived promptly, perfectly packed, and he even threw in the rod numbers free of charge.

I feel privileged to have been introduced to these two people, and wanted to publicly acknowledge their integrity. I can recommend both highly and they have made me feel very lucky to now be part of the PSG fraternity.

Thanks Gary, Thanks Al!

PS I am working my way through the Winnie Winston book, and it's coming along but I've gotta say...I thought learning fiddle was hard. This thing is exasperating. I love it!

Gary,
Your an awesome player just laying low for a while and now its time to let the world hear you again. Guys, Gary is one of the reasons I started playing the steel.

Take a listen to Gary Dillard on these songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fibbT8uVenI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhkXBSh ... 08&index=7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fibbT8u ... 08&index=9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDaa4pF ... 8&index=29

Great Job Gary,

Dan

Dan, thank you, you are the reason I started back playing.

Chris, in gospel music the dominant instrument is the piano so that is why I am not featured that much. Always has been that way, always will be I guess.

Paul, I am truly humbled by your words. Thank you a million times over, also to Dan, RMckee, and Chris. I'm working on a few things now.

Beaver, it's good to hear you're still playing. I love your playing and your tone is awesome.

Tony

Gary, I hope you'll hang around here more - we need guys like you who have been "around the block", if you know what I mean. I hear so much John Hughey influence in your playing, not everybody can do that like you do, seriously. I discovered Southern gospel music (forgive me, I'm a Yankee from Boston) in the early-mid 70s when I was in college in southern Ohio. I love the baritone voicings, which is where my singing voice naturally lies (I'm a big guy). The Kingsmen were tops in my book.

Hey, on the subject of featured instruments - here's what the peoples want to hear - https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... SONmY#t=36. Don't get me wrong, I love banjo and play it myself. But I'd love it if more would react the same way to a beautiful pedal steel break.

Gary was the first professional steel player I met after I started playing steel. He was with the Kingsmen and the group I was with opened the show. What a nice gentleman and very encouraging. Gary, I will never forget how you visited with me and patiently answered all of my stupid questions.
God Bless and hope to see more of you here.

Jim in Missouri

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your very kind words in your post.
As a member of the Rotary Club, we have a 4-Way Test that we try to adhere to.
Happy Steelin'
Al Brisco
Steel Guitars of Canada

I saw Gary playing with the Kingsmen, back in 1985, at Southern Gospel concert in Baton Rouge. He was playing a Blue Emmons, at the time. They were on with Jerry Clower, and the Master's Five. It was truly a great show.
Tommy Shown
Teel Man From The Bayou Land
SMFTBL

Gary Dillard and Anthony Burger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PAxz_xu4ro