The Steel Guitar Forum

Does anyone know if Sneaky ever performed at the ISGA shows in St. Louis?

he certainly should have. is he in the Hall of Fame? I fear the answer to both questions is no

I don't think he ever played at ISGC but he was indeed inducted into the SGHOF in 2007.

oh good, he certainly deserves it. shame that it was posthumous

thanks Jim

I was at the convention that year and watched the induction. As I remember Buddy Emmons gave a nice tribute. The introductory and postlude music though had nothing to do with Sneaky’s playing style or tunes that he was famous for. No “Beat the Heat” or “Christines tune”. I was surprised they didn’t ask Mike Headrick to play. He had a booth out in the hall and had done the great Steels on Wheels CD which had tons of Burrito songs emphasizing Sneaky’s style.

I knew Pete since about 1977 and he told one time that he "just didn't get" steel guitar conventions. "It's like a bunch of little old ladies that get together and compare their sewing techniques". Joaquin had roughly the same opinion although Murph did play Scotty's once in 1976.

Well, Pete's "little old ladies" comment is pretty cynical, but he had that side to him, rock star or no. Fact is, some of the pros just aren't very outgoing or gregarious, which are characteristics you'd need if you're around a bunch of civilian hobbyist wanna-bes who idolize every note you've ever played and want to discuss them with you. Joaquin is a prime example of that. Outgoing, he was not.

And then there's the "hang," getting together with old friends and simply enjoying each other's company. I've attended shows that I wasn't invited to play or couldn't because of a physical injury, simply because I love hanging with my homies a couple-three times a year. These are friendships that go back decades, and opportunities like steel shows are few. I must admit that I listen to relatively little of the picking going on in the main rooms. The conversations in the hallways, vendor rooms in particular and the bar are too entertaining to miss.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Herb, is there any truth to the rumor that almost no one associated with the Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame had ever heard of Sneaky during his lifetime?

That's an overstatement. IMHO, most on the Board were aware of Sneaky and Red, but were generally unaware of the degree of their significance to steel guitar. Those players needed an advocate to make the committee informed on their contributions and HOF worthiness. Which in retrospect is why Jeff Newman initially nominated me for the Board, since I came from CA, knew Red and Pete, and didn't have a Nashville-centric agenda. Additionally, copious amounts of information supplied by certain members of the community, Joe Alterio and others among them, made a big difference in the electability of Red/Pete to the HOF. Later members of the HOF Board, Chuck Lettes and Al Brisco, added much to the wider perspective of the committee.

Sneaky Pete was scheduled to play Scotty`s show sometime around the turn of the century, I forget....
I even wrote to Scotty and he sent me Sneaky`s email address.
I wrote to him asking for an interview for a music magazine here in Finland. I had a monthly column back then...
He generously agreed to do the interview but eventually had to cancel coming to St. Louis due to health reasons. This could have been 2000, maybe.... Maybe later....

I really enjoy being around musicians in general, not just steel players... I think I enjoy that just as much as playing, taking pictures of the musicians and instruments is something I love to do as well... I guess just about anything that has to do something with music or arts will get my attention...

Speaking of sewing circles,a few years ago my ex dragged me into a store in Anchorage Alaska that sold musk ox wool ,The woman behind the counter explained to me that musk ox wool will keep you much warmer than conventional wool,As I started nodding off she explained to me that woman in different villages had different stitches,and they could tell where a person is from by their stitches?who knew?

Michael Johnstone wrote:I knew Pete since about 1977 and he told one time that he "just didn't get" steel guitar conventions. "It's like a bunch of little old ladies that get together and compare their sewing techniques".

I think it's pretty fair to say that when you don't care much about people's music, you probably don't care much about them, either. Musicians, like most, tend to gravitate towards like-minded people, and avoid those who think differently. Commonality is a bridge, and individuality is a fence.

I remember hearing about one time when Sneaky attended the St Louis Show. The way I heard it, Pete was in the audience and Buddy Emmons gave him a shout out to acknowledge him during his own show, and called Pete his favorite steel player.

I vagely remember watching a TV show on special effects in Science fiction, of which I am a major fan, and they were interviewing some Hollywood special effects guys, and while interviewing one of them, the name Pete Kleinow popped up to identify him. I guess it was the same Sneaky Pete; I dunno. Not that common a name.

One and the same Rich. Pete very likely had a higher income from his work in the film and TV industry than he did as a pedal steel player. Pretty amazing - he was a major contributor in both industries.

Indeed. He was one of the animators of Gumby!

Jim Cohen wrote:Indeed. He was one of the animators of Gumby!

Yes, he was, but his career went far beyond that... Read this short article I linked to.

pete gave "life" to one of the most iconic characters in the history of science fiction... Some great photos, and some great comments on pete's technical skill.. he was truly a genius... bob

https://skynetsarmy.net/2017/02/19/an-i ... erminator/

If there's a Hall of Fame for the animation technicians, I'm sure Pete would be in it, if not already.

And don't forget 'Davey and Goliath', always watched that on Sunday morning before church.

I had the good fortune to work with Pete doing animation/special visual effects for one of the RoboCop movies, ironically long before I decided to learn to play steel. I knew who Sneaky Pete was at the time but didn’t know he and the animator Pete Kleinow were one and the same! We had many laughs about it and much more. What a great sense of humour he had. Whether it was music or animating puppets, his heart flowed through his hands.

Yeah,that list is great to see. I remember back in the 70s the stalwart pedal steel players I knew, Emmons devotees all, who turned up their noses at Pete. I would tell them that I liked them both. So...take THAT! Hahaha.

K Maul wrote:Yeah,that list is great to see. I remember back in the 70s the stalwart pedal steel players I knew, Emmons devotees all, who turned up their noses at Pete. I would tell them that I liked them both. So...take THAT! Hahaha.

Yes I remember those days.. I too emulated pete, cage,garcia, young, perkins, call, etc in those years.
The steel players that liked the nashville players were more polished sounding, could play jazz and swing on C6 besides E9, but yet the country rock E9 guys got all the better gigs with the better bands. Saw it several times.
a band would audition 3 or 4 steel players, and the country rock guys always got the gigs... . That style resonates with musicians, polished sounding or not... bob

This Flying Burrito Bros album called "Live In Tokyo" has some pretty incredible Sneaky Pete playing from end to end.
My favorite song on the album is White Line Fever.
The steel playing is just great!

If you click on the "Show More" button, you can then click to the beginning of any song, or just listen to the entire album.
Also, I think the drummer is a GREAT country-rock drummer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPm_1voGkXA