The Steel Guitar Forum

RR is not the first to play steel with distortion or in blues feel. I remember Rusty Young,Bobby Black,Sneaky Pete,Buddy Cage and many more doing things on steel that blew us all away back in the early seventies. They were commended be some but criticized by most for doing something on an instrument that was supposed to sound conventional..pretty..?? according to the norm at that time...This instrument can fit into any form of music if the approach is right ..also nothing against RR,but it helps ot be in the right place at the right time too, in order to get attention.
I got into the steel because of the pretty sounds it can make but if you know your fifths and minor scales,you can get down and dirty anytime you want.
I also feel that Sacred Hymns and pretty slow country instrumentals on Steel have a great deal in common.
Waylon Jennings once said something about putting him on a shelf ..labeling.. and something like if they ever figure me out,im done with this business.. good line! Bill in Vegas

Robert Randolph and the Sacred Steel players have a lot to do with the increased awareness of steel guitar, and the increased awareness of the instrument outside of country music, wich is necessary for its future and growth.

As for the new steel generation in country music, I don't see hardly any steel players on the road. Maybe because there isn't much of a new generation to be seen and heard. From what I've heard, this has a lot to do with the average age of steel players (older)vs. the average age of the young country acts.

My $0.02,
Drew Howard

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Dont get me wrong here,any attention to this great instrument that gets more work for us is absolutely fine with me...We all need to work more so we can buy new steels! Bill in Vegas

One thing that I can easily spot with alot of steel players who crank up the distortion, is the tendency to still throw in some of their old standby A&B pedal licks. It reminds me of a cheezy sax solo on a DX7 using the bender wheel. Robert R. definitely isnt guilty of that, even though I've already heard alot of what he does by other great blues guitar players. But then again, that's how I originaly felt when I first heard Stevie Ray Vaughn...and he wasnt playing our instrument.

I am definitely not of the new steel generation but I do play gospel music on the pedal steel. At this stage in the game I'm not about to take on any more new tunings as RR is using. I'm primarily a E9th player but have gotten up nerve lately to try and tackle the C6th w/pedals. I love to do gospel on the pedal steel.
I'll have to tell you a short story, I was set up at a Baptist Church last Saturday to furnish some background music for a kid's fair going on. I use a combination of BIAB and whoever shows up. If we have live musicians then I just cancel out that track on BIAB. I was picking away and a fellow in the audience started crying and I looked over at my guitar player and said: "gee, I didn't think we sounded that bad". But, I guess that wasn't the case, he was just moved by the hymn we were playing. I call our group the Speckled Bird Band kind of after the old Roy Acuff's song "The Great Speckled Bird" written by A.P. Carter.
Keep Picking for the Lord!