Famous electric guitar players who play PSG

Jim Pitman · Post by **Jim Pitman** » 27 Sep 2023 10:46 am

I can think of two at the moment.
Both recorded with Steely Dan, Jeff Skunk Baxter and Dean Parks.
I've heard Jeff Baxter playing PSG on a couple Steely Dan cuts and he is an excellent player with excellent tone.
I've heard some Dean Parks slide guitar cuts that are excellent too and I understand he has taken up PSG.
I can't help think picking up the PSG has influenced their guitar playing. JB's iconic guitar lead on "Ricky Don't Loose that Number" has some technique I identify as PSG influenced like walking a single note in a duad while keeping the other note stationary.
Also Listen to the guitar intro on "Brooklyn"- that could be so easily emulated on the PSG. BTW JB adds some yummy PSG on that tune as well.
Their are many great guitar/steel guitar players in our circle as well, Mickey adams and Chuck Back to name a couple.
Can you think of others?

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 27 Sep 2023 11:25 am

Buddy Merrill from the Lawrence Welk show was proficient on both.

John McFee of the Doobie Brothers, Southern Pacific, Clover, etc player both

Bernie Leadon played pedal steel on the Eagles track, Best Of My Love.

Jerry Garcia played pedal steel on a few major hits.

Famous guitarists that "dabbled" with pedal steel:
Ron Wood
John Fogerty
Ronnie Montrose
Jimmy Page

John Larson · Post by **John Larson** » 27 Sep 2023 12:41 pm

Jerry Garcia also played steel on the entirety of the first New Riders of the Purple Sage album.

Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes plays PSG in addition to guitar and a bunch of other instruments. He's played steel on several of the projects he's produced for other artists.

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 27 Sep 2023 3:22 pm

BANANA of the Youngbloods
Don Felder

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 27 Sep 2023 3:29 pm

Man Jim, you put a stick into the hornet's nest!

I love the Skunk, you have to check out this 80's fusion album, 'Guitar Workshop in LA', maybe not everyone's style but I love it. Buzzy Feiten, Jeff, James Harrah (in Lyle Lovett's large band, lead guitar along with the great Buck Reid). My favorite sax player Brandon Fields also alon for the ride.

Jeff is a soulful player , check out this song at 18:00 and never mind the programmed drums, its a cool groove!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC23Azn23Z8

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 27 Sep 2023 3:49 pm

Guitar slingers John Jorgensen and Vince Gill. BG fiddler and flat picker Glenn Duncan.

Steve Wariner
Paul Martin
David Gilmour

...for just a few. They're all over the place though may not be well known for PSG because their main thing is guitar.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 27 Sep 2023 4:44 pm

Don't forget the great Junior Brown.

John Laidler · Post by **John Laidler** » 27 Sep 2023 5:41 pm

Chuck Berry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK_fBxJ5qP8

Kenny Davis · Post by **Kenny Davis** » 27 Sep 2023 7:11 pm

Al Perkins

Don R Brown · Post by **Don R Brown** » 27 Sep 2023 7:37 pm

Here's Jeff Baxter with The Ventures. He's obviously having a LOT of fun on this one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jkhs_1FBcE

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 27 Sep 2023 8:55 pm

Jeff Baxter is the steel player on Billy Vera's song "At This Moment". Junior Brown also comes to mind because of the guit-steel. Junior's guit-steels are guitar and lap steel combinations, but he also has a pedal guit-steel. His guit-steel now is a blue one built by Michael Stevens called Old Blue, and his pedal guit-steel is a Stevens guitar with the steel being a Sho-Bud pedal steel. The electric guitar is on hinges, which means Junior pulls the guitar up to play it, then after playing guitar, Junior will get his tone bar, put the guitar hinges down and play pedal steel in a standing position. The pedal guit-steel is named "Old Bud".

Jim Pitman · Post by **Jim Pitman** » 28 Sep 2023 5:53 am

I forgot about all those players!

Don Brown - Wow, loved the Jeff Baxter Ventures clip.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 28 Sep 2023 6:13 am

James Burton played pedal steel at one time, but I have no idea if he still has any involvement with the instrument.

Ricky Davis · Post by **Ricky Davis** » 28 Sep 2023 6:27 am

James Burton played pedal steel at one time

Me and James Burton recorded on a Album together at Capitol Records back in early 2000's and he was telling me some Mooney stories and he got to learn some stuff; so I had him sit down behind my Sho~bud and he KILLED it...what a musician. Also several years later; I put together a S-10 C6 Sho~Bud for my Guitar playing friend Redd Volkaert and yes indeed; he can play; they both love the sound of Steel and wanted to make that sound.
Ricky

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 28 Sep 2023 10:48 am

Jerry Overstreet wrote:Guitar slingers John Jorgensen and Vince Gill. BG fiddler and flat picker Glenn Duncan.

Steve Wariner
Paul Martin
David Gilmour

...for just a few. They're all over the place though may not be well known for PSG because their main thing is guitar.

Steve Wariner does play steel-he has a Rickenbacker lap steel, and Emmons and Sho-Bud pedal steels, as well as a dobro! I was watching an interview with Vince and Vince said he bought a steel guitar one time, but decided he couldn't play it because he thought the strings were too close together. Vince does, however play dobro, and said it was his mom's favorite sound. Hank Williams Jr would play several different instruments, including steel, during his 1989 Double Eagle tour, during Born To Boogie-he's first seen playing guitar, then gets behind the drums, then he goes over to Cowboy Eddie Long's Sierra steel and plays a little bit of Steel Guitar Rag, then closes out with bass guitar and harmonica, and on Austin City Limits, he played lap steel while singing "Your Cheatin' Heart"-these days during live shows, Hank plays guitar, fiddle, and piano. Barbara Mandrell is definitely known for playing steel-Norm Hamlet was her steel teacher! Barbara Mandrell plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, dobro, mandolin and other instruments

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 28 Sep 2023 12:22 pm

Nils Lofgren
Larry Campbell

Harry Dove · Post by **Harry Dove** » 28 Sep 2023 4:56 pm

If I recall correctly the guy that played guitar for LeAnn Rimes, in the early years at least, also played both the guitar parts and the steel parts in the studio. I'm not sure on the spelling but I believe his name was Milo Derring. Junior Knight played the steel on the road at least for awhile. I seem to recall people complementing Junior, here on the forum, on licks from the recording and him telling them it was Milo. That was before LeAnn decided she was more pop than country.

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 28 Sep 2023 5:19 pm

Harry Dove wrote:If I recall correctly the guy that played guitar for LeAnn Rimes, in the early years at least, also played both the guitar parts and the steel parts in the studio. I'm not sure on the spelling but I believe his name was Milo Derring. Junior Knight played the steel on the road at least for awhile. I seem to recall people complementing Junior, here on the forum, on licks from the recording and him telling them it was Milo. That was before LeAnn decided she was more pop than country.

Milo Deering

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 28 Sep 2023 5:49 pm

Wanda Vick is another one...Tele Wizard...I reckon she plays everything.

One might be surprised at the number of guitar slingers who can lay down the guitar and smoke me and many others on the steel. The reverse is also true. Lots of times, players pick up an additional instrument where one might be missing in the configuration they are involved, maybe not as much in recent years but pickers do tell stories of such happenings in their experience from past years.

James Allison · Post by **James Allison** » 28 Sep 2023 6:21 pm

Danny Gatton played a double neck Emmons. He loved the steel guitar...

Larry Baker · Post by **Larry Baker** » 28 Sep 2023 6:59 pm

How can we forget the great

Fred. Newell?

Marc Muller · Post by **Marc Muller** » 29 Sep 2023 5:45 am

Jerry Overstreet wrote:Nils Lofgren
Larry Campbell

I gave Nils his first few steel lessons. Wow, he caught on fast, as you would expect. What a talent.

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 29 Sep 2023 7:41 am

James Allison wrote:Danny Gatton played a double neck Emmons. He loved the steel guitar...

Although in a later interview I heard his say something like "I ended up selling it, because I realized I'd rather just hire Buddy Emmons a few times for how much $$$ the steel cost"

Dave Stagner · Post by **Dave Stagner** » 29 Sep 2023 9:07 am

John Larson wrote:Jerry Garcia also played steel on the entirety of the first New Riders of the Purple Sage album.

Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes plays PSG in addition to guitar and a bunch of other instruments. He's played steel on several of the projects he's produced for other artists.

I just listened to the autobiography "Home Before Daylight, by Steve Parish (Jerry's main roadie and JGB road manager), and he said that the main reason Jerry left New Riders of the Purple Sage was to unchain them from the Grateful Dead. As long as he was a member, they'd just be opening for the Grateful Dead, not headlining their own shows. A good decision, because obviously they went on to a long and successful period as a band, and Buddy Cage is one of my favorite players!

(I say this as someone who got a ZB largely because it's what Jerry played...)

Ron Hogan · Post by **Ron Hogan** » 29 Sep 2023 9:22 am

Yes, Jerry Garcia. “The world’s foremost Pedal Steel Guitarist “.

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