The Steel Guitar Forum

Jeff most of us students missing You at APR.7.2004.
RIP - Werner

Jeff was a giant help to me. I didn't get to see him often, but when I did, he was a true mentor.

Sincerely,

David Spires

Put me on the right path. Invaluable direction.

His playing was every bit as good as his instruction too.

Thanks for the reminder.

A Giant in our field.
Friend and Mentor. RIP.

I attended one of his earlier courses in 1977. He and Fran treated us all like family. I got to meet Buddy Emmons who performed with a four-piece for about 30 of us. There's a photo of Buddy on an old Steel Guitar Magazine that I took. Then we were all treated to a show at the Opry. Jeff was a born teacher and a true gentleman.

I attended his seminar at Truman Lake in the early 90s. Such an incredible teacher and decent human being. I still have that material and other instructions from Jeff. Sorely missed in our world of pedal steel.

Jeff was an amazing communicator, teacher, musician, business man and a tremendous show man to top all that.
I remember him talking about his love for experimental aircrafts as he was giving a "Boot Camp" in central Florida near one of these events. I never thought that that would take him away from us.

... J-D.

I always was intrigued by his classes that were several days long and claimed to have you playing steel proficiently. How much did you really learn in those classes?

Darrell,,,after 40+ years I'm still learning stuff from those classes and seminars,,or even comments Jeff made,,,he didn't say you would absorb it all,,,just that it would be presented to you. Even with all the accolades Jeff continually receives,,,he is still under rated. I don't think anyone has had the ability to not only play it the way he did,,but then analyze it to the nth degree and present it the way he did. Has anyone ever dug into the hows and whys of steel guitar music to the degree that Jeff did?

Darrell Criswell wrote:I always was intrigued by his classes that were several days long and claimed to have you playing steel proficiently. How much did you really learn in those classes?

I did one of his convention seminars, I believe at Carl Dixon's first Atlanta show in the late 90's. I believe it was a 3hr event. He stressed understanding progressions and "intervalic" understanding... the map-like moving relationship of pedal-lever positions in any key. You would be surprised as to how many who could play on a band stand, this was a "novel" concept! I came from being a student of Maurice Anderson's and really worked everything in numbers (still do), so it wasn't new to me, but still a good practice because he presented it differently. The seminar was WITHOUT instruments! Pen and paper and him on a big board!
One guy complained about the "no-instrument" concept and Jeff lectured him about being fed up talking to a bunch of guys "noodleing" on their guitars while he would talk... in a humorous way.

I later went to a 2 or 3 day "Boot Camp" in Lakeland, Florida. He was there because of an experimental aircraft event.
I came away with one big new "lesson" from it which I had never looked at that way, which was that ANY major chord moved up 3 frets is it's minor (evidently, some times without a root). Jeff had a simplistic way to present stuff. Everything was "easy"... or "JUST do this". I think he must have realized that too much explanation would throw a class off the rails and that most were satisfied with the fix. I asked 3 times "WHY?" (the major to minor) and it felt that I was gettin' on his nerves as he answered "who cares why, all what matters is that now you know how to get a many minors as you know majors!". But as we all retired, he called me over and just sat at the steel and said "look"... and we went on for over an hour and I walked away understanding the RELATIVE MINOR relationship back and forwards and more than that. He was very generous.
I always wished I'd had the opportunity to spend a week one-on-one at his cabin in TN. I know some got up that Tennessee hill "limping" and came out of it "dancing".

Jeff was a musician, a TEACHER (which many good musicians are NOT) and a business man (which MOST musicians and 99% of all aritists are NOT). He understood to SELL, to PITCH, and to put a program together which would bring RESULTS to the average group and to run a seminar or course.
But there was also a very personal side, one-on-one and his generosity.
You could walk up to him at a convention and ASK. He would sit down at a steel and SHOW you, he would pitch you a course to buy, but he would show you all you wanted generously and HAVE you sit down and do it, never held back!
He was cocky in the best sense of the word, opinionated and ambitious, but it the right mix to make him whom we all fell in love with.

Today, I believe that many of his VIDEO courses are still valid, even thou the music may be dated. I still go over his C6th courses and if there was ONE C6th course that took it to a serious intermediate (bandstand worthy) level not just by showing you two songs and 21 licks, but to "GIT YOU GOING on yer own", his C6th courses were the ONE ticket available until DECADES later now Paul Franklin brought C6th teaching up to a serious level again.

I can't say I was close with Jeff Newman as it had been my privilege to be with my friend Maurice Anderson. But I miss him dearly and I feel that having lost him so prematurely was a loss not only to too many and the instrument. He was a man with an amazing sense of humor, and wit, and a showman of the level a Speedy West or Buddy Emmons. While most other steel greats just sit there, bent over their instruments like accountants in mid April, he would wail, laugh, make a mistake and holler "whoo!" and go on and laugh some more, throw jokes... good jokes, mix up tunes and songs, dress up and even color his hair like a parrot. He was full of life, never boring, never complaining. He could go on and on telling stories, and when they were about bad events or setbacks, he told then so we all laughed. Some of these stories he even wrote, and they were funny to read too.


... J-D

J D Sauser wrote: ... I walked away understanding that Jeff was a musician, a TEACHER (which many good musicians are NOT) and a business man (which MOST musicians and 99% of all artists are NOT). He understood to SELL, to PITCH, and to put a program together which would bring RESULTS to the average group and to run a seminar or course. But there was also a very personal side, one-on-one and his generosity.

He was cocky in the best sense of the word, opinionated and ambitious, but it was the right mix to make him whom we all fell in love with.

I can't say I was as close to Jeff Newman as it had been my privilege to be with my friend Maurice Anderson. He was a man with an amazing sense of humor, and wit, and a showman on the level a Speedy West or Buddy Emmons. While most other steel greats just sit there, bent over their instruments like accountants in mid April, he would wail, laugh, make a mistake and holler "whoo!" and go on and laugh some more, throw jokes... good jokes, mix up tunes and songs, dress up and even color his hair like a parrot. He was full of life, never boring, never complaining.

You nailed it, J D.

Frank Freniere wrote:
You nailed it, J D.

Thanks Frank, that's very kind of you to say... J-D.

I was given a gift of lessons at his Tennessee home by my wife not long before he died. We went to lunch together at the Cracker Barrel. I tried to pay for the lunch and we went back a forth, he insisting to pay.

Finally, he looked at me and said "You ever have a little bitty guy just beat the s**t our of you??

Loved his style!

I love these stories. I'm sure we could dedicate a page to Newman stories and anecdotes. His posts in Guitar player magazine was colorful and amusing. Always learning from Jeff.

I never had the time or money to attend one of his seminars. I sure wish I could have. I learned a lot from the lessons I purchased from him over the years.

Stories and anecdotes?

I only spoke to the man once. I called him to ask a question about a Goodrich volume pedal, before ordering it from him. It would have been the second pedal I had purchased from him. He answered the phone, I identified myself and told him I had a question about a Goodrich volume pedal.

He said, "Don't call my 800 number just to chit chat."
Then he promptly hung up on me.

Once Jeff told me after a set I played in Knoxville, "I was walking toward the hall, and swore I heard Paul Franklin on that stage..." I beamed with pride. Then he said, "and that's NOT a complement!"

Of course I've never been close to Paul's mastery, but the lesson he was trying to teach me was: There's already a Paul Franklin. He used to hear something from me that was mine, and not to lose that. Nourish it. Don't become a poor copy, but try to be an original.

Jeff's honesty, quick wit, and impatience made him unique. I certainly miss him.

Sincerely,

David Spires

I attended one of his seminars I think it was in Floral Park NY, then spent a week at his school. What an awesome time. He is certainly missed, what a loss to our steel guitar community. RIP Jeff.

Although I never had the opportunity to attend any of Jeff’s classes or seminars, I nonetheless purchased and learned from many of his invaluable courses. I considered Jeff a close friend and miss him dearly. That’s Jeff on the far right wearing the red suspenders playing bass with me on steel. Also pictured are Russ Hicks on lead guitar and the late Jim Unger playing fiddle. Those surely are precious memories.

Here is Jeff playing acoustic when he took our class to the Sho-Bud factory

Although I had stopped playing in 2001 due to arthritis and financialitis Jeff has stayed with me. Somehow it seemed unfair and yes enraging to have him gone especially in a test model miniplane that he put together himself; the circumstances with the grand kids watching all of it sticks in my craw to this moment.

Jeff did not just teach steel he taught life and he could be abrasive about it. Fran told me one time he picks one guy in every class and before she could finish I said "and I'm it". We once had a thirty minute battle of whether Jambalaya had more than two chords. He nailed me that time he played every augmented, diminished chord to the track with a large grin on his face.

In 1996 I had written an article called "The Newman Seminars a reprise". Really it was just kind of a fan letter. So in I walk to the 1996 Sacramento Seminar and my article was on the back page of his newsletter. Jeff said no charge this ones on us and I was completely surprised. So for a brief moment I was a published paid writer.

In 1999 Big Jim Barron had a weekend steel show with Jeff and Jay Dee Maness and David Wright. What was surprising though was JD tearing up his backneck which he says he never plays. Jeff excitedly jumped off his steel and hopped over to get a closer look at him. The weekend ended and Jeff did a weeks seminar. I kept coming over for lunch and Told him i wanted to write about the seminar. I was allowed but not before I received note paper.

On the next Sunday Jeff was leaving and had his trailer all packed; I guess I looked particularly mournful because he came over and gave me a big hug.... there was a finality to it that I cannot convey maybe I imagined it but i think not it was some kind of message at least that's the way i felt about it

Anyone know what steel Jeff played in the mid 90’s ? I know he played a red guitar at Scottys that was just a tone machine.