pedal steel on Pop Music hits

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 21 Jul 2019 4:52 pm

I'd like to make a list of well-known pop hits with prominent pedal steel. I'm talking at least top 40, songs that the average middle-age/older audience would recognize that weren't done by an artist associated with country music, even if it was a crossover pop hit. list the steel player and chart position/year too if you know it

here's a few to start:

Lay Lady Lay - Bob Dylan (Pete Drake) #7 in 1969

Teach Your Children - CSNY (Jerry Garcia) #16 in 1970

It's So Nice To Be With You - Gallery (Paul Franklin) #4 in 1972

Ken Boi · Post by **Ken Boi** » 21 Jul 2019 5:30 pm

â€œRainy Day Peopleâ€ Gordon Lightfoot, released 1975

Pee Wee Charles: pedal steel guitar

Went to 26 on the Billboard Hot 100
Number 1 on Easy Listening Chart

Benjamin Franz · Post by **Benjamin Franz** » 21 Jul 2019 6:40 pm

Tiny Dancer - Elton John

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 21 Jul 2019 7:24 pm

Several Carpenters hits had steel on them (Buddy Emmons & Red Rhodes), and of course Clapton's "Tears in Heaven" (Jaydee Maness).

Dom Franco · Post by **Dom Franco** » 21 Jul 2019 8:42 pm

"on and on" Stephen Bishop

Blue Bayou Linda Rondstadt

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 21 Jul 2019 8:56 pm

â€œWatching Can Waste Up the Timeâ€-Crow

â€œDannyâ€™s Songâ€-Anne Murray

â€œHeart of Goldâ€,â€Old Manâ€-Neil Young

â€œRight Down the Lineâ€-Gerry Rafferty

â€œStuck in the Middleâ€-Stealerâ€™s Wheel

Tony Glassman · Post by **Tony Glassman** » 22 Jul 2019 2:27 am

â€œSally Gâ€ by Paul McCartney (Lloyd Green)

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 22 Jul 2019 3:43 am

Take me home... (you know the rest) I believe Eric Weisberg played steel.
Bayrisches Cowgirl by Nicky was a hit here. I think it's with Neil Tuxen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UId8uupn_SA

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 22 Jul 2019 4:58 am

Van Morrison - "Wild Night" with John McFee on steel made it to Billboard's #28 in 1971.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Night

Gabriel Edell · Post by **Gabriel Edell** » 22 Jul 2019 4:59 am

Everything mentioned so far are oldies hits. I can't think of anything newer than Red Rider's "Young Thing" from the early 80s.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 22 Jul 2019 5:07 am

Pointer Sisters. Fairytale. [Lost in a Dream]. Weldon, I believe.

Released 5/74. Peak chart #13.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 22 Jul 2019 6:10 am

"Crimson and Clover"...Tommy James & The Shondells Jan/69 (Eddie Gray)

"Joanne"...Michael Nesmith Aug/70 (Red Rhodes)

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 22 Jul 2019 6:12 am

Don't forget the Hollies' 'Jennifer Eccles'. That was the UK's Rod King. Mid-sixties, I think?

And let's never forget the Everly Brothers' 'Lucille' in 1960. That was Jimmy Day, of course.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 22 Jul 2019 8:36 am

Gabriel Edell wrote:Everything mentioned so far are oldies hits. I can't think of anything newer than Red Rider's "Young Thing" from the early 80s.

Not much I suppose. The only thing that comes to mind is a Sheryl Crow number that featurerd lap steel from the mid-nineties.

Post by **Joey Ace** » 22 Jul 2019 8:53 am

"Tears in Heaven" Eric Clapton Jay Dee Maness

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 22 Jul 2019 9:17 am

"Could I Have This Dance" - Anne Murray

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 22 Jul 2019 10:02 am

I still consider Anne Murray a country artist even though she crossed over.

Darvin Willhoite wrote:Several Carpenters hits had steel on them (Buddy Emmons & Red Rhodes)

were there any besides Top of the World? Red played the intro and then they called Buddy in to add the fills. it went to #1 in 1973

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 22 Jul 2019 10:11 am

Joachim Kettner wrote: Not much I suppose. The only thing that comes to mind is a Sheryl Crow number that featurerd lap steel from the mid-nineties.

that was pedal steel played by Bill Bottrell, who also produced the record. the song All I Wanna Do went to #2 in '94.

Clapton's Tears In Heaven went to #2 in '92.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 22 Jul 2019 10:19 am

Beck's song Sissyneck from '97 featured Greg Leisz on psg and went to #30 in the UK

admin · Post by **b0b** » 22 Jul 2019 10:23 am

BJ Cole has played a lot of pop & rock sessions. I don't know which ones were actually "pop hits" because I don't follow pop music.

http://www.bjcole.co.uk/sessions/pop_rock.htm

One that stands out in my mind is "Iâ€™m So Happy I Canâ€™t Stop Crying" by Sting (1996).

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 22 Jul 2019 10:31 am

Scott, the Carpenters â€œMake Believe Itâ€™s Your First Timeâ€ had some nice backup steel that sounds like Buddy to me.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 22 Jul 2019 10:41 am

What a haircut

the other one I know by him is â€œLove Is Stronger Than Justiceâ€œ. I think it was used in a Western.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 22 Jul 2019 10:55 am

b0b wrote: One that stands out in my mind is "Iâ€™m So Happy I Canâ€™t Stop Crying" by Sting (1996).

Sting goes country! never heard that one before. it went to #54 in the UK and 94 in the US, not too shabby but he should've put a cowboy hat on top of that hairstyle in the video!

James Taylor used steel on songs like Sweet Baby James (Red Rhodes, 1970) and his Greatest Hits versions of Something In the Way She Moves and Carolina in My Mind (Dan Dugmore, 1976). Dan also played on JT's version of Bartender's Blues in '77. surprisingly, none of the above songs were actual charting singles but the Greatest Hits album went Diamond (11x Platinum), peaking at #23 originally and again at #15 in 2012! pretty incredible. Dan is featured on the first two songs of the album, I'd say folks are fairly familiar with them as well as Sweet Baby James with Red.

this opens up another can of worms: a lot of pop/rock/R&B acts who used steel might be considered "album" rather than "singles" artists. groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder and many more featured pedal steel on their albums. their fans tended to buy their LPs instead of 45s and they sold well.

Ray Charles released Feel So Bad (with Buddy Emmons) as a single in '71 but it didn't chart. Buddy is all over the album though, Volcanic Action of My Soul. Judy Collins went to #54 (#37 AC) with Someday Soon (Big E) in '69. Buddy is on a couple other cuts from the album, Who Knows Where the Time Goes.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 22 Jul 2019 12:03 pm

Frank Freniere wrote:Van Morrison - "Wild Night" with John McFee on steel made it to Billboard's #28 in 1971.

One of my favorites, Frank.
I repeatatly played Tupelo Honey when it came out in '71.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 22 Jul 2019 12:16 pm

Best Of My Love - Eagles
Never Been To Spain - Three Dog Night

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pedal steel on Pop Music hits

pedal steel on Pop Music hits

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