The Steel Guitar Forum

Why Lew isn't widely mentioned as one of the PSG greats is puzzling to me. He had such incredible touch and feeling like in this song by Conway Twitty :Take Me As I Am.

What a fabulous rendition

Conway Twitty and The Lonely Blue Boys Circa 1966

https://youtu.be/h6dTaXL5ONY

RIP !!

Lew was so good, I'd love to know who else he might have recorded with. it was a treat to hear him and chat at a steel show in Atlanta some years ago.

his playing on this Porter Wagoner clip is one of my early influences. he gets a great variety of sound out of his steel parts and no volume pedal!
https://youtu.be/KyG2Z7Glbwg


I just sat down this morning to relearn those chicken-pickin parts on Working Girl, one of my old bands is getting together for a reunion this month and that one's definitely on our list!

First time I heard the way too short steel turnaround on this song, I almost fell out of my chair.. that CLASSIC tone was to die for, and is very rare in todays high tech steel guitar recordings.. First time I heard this song long ago, I searched out the steel player, and found out what a vastly under rated player Lew was... Perfect tone and touch, that will never sound dated to my ears



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1C0BVq5Bbg...

Lew lived in the Kansas City, Missouri area. I first met him in late 73 when I moved to KC. It was always a treat to go out and hear him pick.

Lew told me he left Conway Twitty because he didn't want to fly. They were getting a lot of bookings that would have required him to fly.

Lew didn't use a foot volume control, just the volume control on his Fender steel.

I had the privilege of meeting Lew playing this 8 stringer Lamar at Lamar Colvin's booth in St. Louis in the 90s. Prior to that I have to admit I wasn't aware of him in my 30+ yrs. of playing, at the time.

Note the pinky operated volume control on the cabinet as he used both feet on the pedals. I'm not sure, but I believe he used a D tuning of some design. It was a treat watching and listening to him play. Awesome technique and maybe the best chicken picker I ever witnessed.

I wouldn't say Lew is underrated at all. Anyone who has ever heard him will certainly rate him high on the scale.

I think that he's just not that well known. He left Conway in the mid 60s I think and I'm not aware of him doing anything on a national scale for anyone to see or hear after that.

He did do an LP I'm told performing both vocals and instrumentals.

I was knocked out, impressed and honored to have visited with him a bit at that St. Louis show.

i don,t know who lew recorded with but i know he did some work with patsy cline. he also has a sister that could nail the patsy cline songs. he would always come set in everytime he came to visit his mom in ozark alabama....jack

i don,t know who lew recorded with but i know he did some work with patsy cline. he also has a sister that could nail the patsy cline songs. he would always come set in everytime he came to visit his mom in ozark alabama....jack

scott murray wrote:Lew was so good, I'd love to know who else he might have recorded with. it was a treat to hear him and chat at a steel show in Atlanta some years ago.

his playing on this Porter Wagoner clip is one of my early influences. he gets a great variety of sound out of his steel parts and no volume pedal!
https://youtu.be/KyG2Z7Glbwg


I just sat down this morning to relearn those chicken-pickin parts on Working Girl, one of my old bands is getting together for a reunion this month and that one's definitely on our list!

Does anyone know what make of steel he's playing on the Wagoner show video? I know that he played a Fender 400 at one time, but that's not a 400 on this show.
He certainly had a distinctive style and knew how to get the most out of a minimal setup!

Lew was a truly unique stylist, the kind that there has only been a few of since the dawn of pedal steel. For awhile, Lew played in the Washington D.C. area at a place called Turner's Arena. This was a huge old wrestling and sports venue that featured country music back in the 1950s and early '60s. Many big country stars played there also, including Patsy Cline, Roy Clark, and Jimmy Dean (who later, as a result, had his own TV show out of D.C.).

Here's a clip featuring Lew doing his characteristically unique style, kind of a cross between lead guitar and pedal steel:

https://soundcloud.com/wweir/2-i-dont-mind

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We were lucky to have Lew in Oklahoma City back in the late 60's and early 70's. His wife Kitty was a decent bass player and singer. I also saw him at St. Louis one year playing by himself at the Lamar Booth. I hadn't seen him in a long while, and didn't recognize him at first. When I realized who it was, I came up to him leaned over and asked him to play "That Kind of Girl" (one of Conway's early country hits), and he grinned really big. I've always liked his playing.

Bob Carlucci wrote:First time I heard the way too short steel turnaround on this song, I almost fell out of my chair.. that CLASSIC tone was to die for, and is very rare in todays high tech steel guitar recordings.. First time I heard this song long ago, I searched out the steel player, and found out what a vastly under rated player Lew was... Perfect tone and touch, that will never sound dated to my ears

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1C0BVq5Bbg...

Very much in a Ralph Mooney vein, isn't it.

My long time friend & mentor Jim Florence, (RIP)spoke highly of Lew. He was stationed and worked different shows in OKC when Lew was there. Said that he was very fussy about other pickers getting close to his guitar. Did not want to show his tuning or talk about it. Kept the guitar covered to the floor on break with a blanket. And Yes, He had some cool licks. J.R.

Jerry Overstreet, I would like to find that Lew Houston album that you mention. I don't see any reference to it anywhere.

Anybody own this?

Joe

Gosh Joe, I don't recall where I saw that now. Poor memory anymore. I'll try to rack my brain and thumb through the archives.