The Steel Guitar Forum

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

“Rainy Day People” Gordon Lightfoot, released 1975

Pee Wee Charles: pedal steel guitar

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

Tiny Dancer - Elton John

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

"on and on" Stephen Bishop

Blue Bayou Linda Rondstadt

“Watching Can Waste Up the Time”-Crow

“Danny’s Song”-Anne Murray

“Heart of Gold”,”Old Man”-Neil Young

“Right Down the Line”-Gerry Rafferty

“Stuck in the Middle”-Stealer’s Wheel

“Sally G” by Paul McCartney (Lloyd Green)

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

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

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

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

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

Released 5/74. Peak chart #13.

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

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

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.

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.

"Tears in Heaven" Eric Clapton Jay Dee Maness

"Could I Have This Dance" - Anne Murray

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

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.

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

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 "I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying" by Sting (1996).

Scott, the Carpenters “Make Believe It’s Your First Time” had some nice backup steel that sounds like Buddy to me.

What a haircut the other one I know by him is “Love Is Stronger Than Justice“. I think it was used in a Western.

b0b wrote: One that stands out in my mind is "I’m So Happy I Can’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.

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.

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