The Steel Guitar Forum

I have a question concerning the use of the steel guitar in non-Hawaiian genres in the 1920's and 30's- genres like hillbilly and Race recordings. Do any of you have any information as to how players like Cliff Carlisle and Bob Dunn obtained their steels and how they learned to play. It is likely that they heard recordings, but what about live performances? Thanks for your help.
Ryan

it is of my understanding that the 1st generation country, and gospel players, played primarily dobro and learned from either lessons or watching Hawaiian players, who were by that time common in the USA... at least that's what Pete Kirby told me,
mike

Here is my condensed version of how non-Hawaiians began to use the steel guitar to play Hawaiian and other genres of music.

Hawaiian steel guitarists began to play in the US mainland early in the 20th century. Performances by Keoki Awaii (steel) and the Royal Hawaiian Quartet and other Hawaiian musicians and dancers at the Panama-Pacific Exposition (a sort of world's fair), held in San Francisco in 1915, helped launch a major interest in Hawaiian music here. Soon there were traveling Hawaiian music acts, recordings, radio broadcasts, Hollywood movies, teaching networks, etc. It's hard to imagine today, but in the 20s and 30s Hawaiian music was everywhere. Many of the Hawaiian steelers of that period also played some jazz or pop music of the day. So most country musicians of that time had direct exposure to Hawaiian steel guitar music. In fact, Jimmie Rogers, considered by many to be the first country music star, used Hawaiian artists (I'd have to look up the names) to play steel on some of his recordings.

The circumstances by which African American musicians were exposed to the instrument were similar. For instance, Troman Eason, older brother of Willie Eason, who started the House of God's "sacred steel" tradition, took tablature lessons from a Hawaiian in Philadelphia, PA in the mid-1930s.

Instruments of every grade and price were readily available as were kits containing picks, a bar and an extension nut for converting a Spanish neck guitar.

There are many older steelers playing today who took lessons through the Oahu company, which has been described as "the Amway of Hawaiian music," as the company established a pyramid system of teachers, studios, lessons and instruments throughout the US mainland.

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 28 June 2000 at 05:00 AM.]</p></FONT>

The Oahu Publishing Company had hundreds of salesman that would go door to door and enroll students. They were taught in classes of 10 to 20 and after about 6 weeks they were sold new steel guitars. I Think that Oahu helped to start entrest in the steel guitar and helped to get it where it is today. I was enrolled by Oahu and made it my profession.
Have a great day, Chuck