The Steel Guitar Forum

Don't know where the thread went, but I think Pete Drake is the only steeler ever to grace the cover of GP. Which should answer the question.

Actually, Rusty Young and Tut Taylor both made the cover as well.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

I *think* Curly Chalker was on a cover with several others in a kind of "compilation issue"... David Lindley was, but playing a regular guitar...
1970s Guitar Player generally had one steel player feature each issue (as well as the Rusty Young/Buddy Emmons/Jeff Newman, etc columns...). I believe the original owner (or editor) was actually a pedal steel player (Jim Crockett?)
Nick

I used to read Guitar Player quite regularly throughout the ´80s, and got an incredible amount of information from it; there´s lots of great guitar players not very well known in Europe about whom I first learned there. There were columns about steel guitar now and then; it must have been the first place where I learned about Buddy Emmons, for instance, long before actually listening to him. I remember one issue from about ´86 (I guess) in particular that featured a lenghty interview with Steve Fishell who was then with Emmylou Harris. He revealed many interesting facts about the pedal steel guitar. Looking back I think, that alone should have been enough to get me started... Wish I still had that one, but all those magazines got stolen from me in a burglary in my apartment in Berlin twelve years ago

Regards, Joe H.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Joe Henry on 20 March 2002 at 01:04 PM.]</p></FONT>

SURE LOOKS LIKE A STEEL PLAYER TO ME!!!!<small>RIP Pete</small>

Funny you should post that, Mark. I've got that on my web site, along with the article, written by Douglas Green. Go here and click on the Musician button and then the Interviews button.

C#

What DID happen to that thread? Was it PI?

C#

One of Pete's earlier guitars is on display at the Georgia music Hall of Fame. Located at Macon, Ga. just off I-16, east of the city.

"For Pete's Sake" -- I thought it was a pretty cool instrumental that Pete Drake whipped up. For starters, I missed the earlier thread regarding the discussion of Pete's playing ability. Although he may not have played on a whole lot of number one hits, he did manage to sell a few albums in his day.

I very much appreciated his birthday present to Ernest Tubb one year that allowed us (The Texas Troubadours), the honor and the opportunity to record "The Legend and the Legacy" album which was a wonderful experience in itself. We recorded with the likes of Buddy Emmons, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Charlie Rich, Marty Robbins, Conway Twitty, Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins, etc. etc. I would also like to mention that "Stop Records," which was Pete's label, didn't hurt the careers of some of the great artists, one of whom was Johnny Bush.

Like Cal Sharp, I am curious as to what happened to the earlier thread pertaining to Pete. .........Pete Mitchell

You mean this one? it's the most detailed one I remember... http://steelguitarforum.com/Archives/Archive-000003/HTML/20011227-1-009871.html

Nick

Sorry, I see from the search function that there was one on March 19 - disappeared so fast I never even saw it
Guess the answer was "yes - no more to say"
The above link is interesting anyway
(I discovered from the Forum that *very* many of the steel parts which I particularly liked even before I knew *anything* about steel guitar, were in fact Pete Drake - Stand By Your Man, Rose Garden, Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You (Dylan), etc...)
Nick

Just a small piece of info regarding the photo shown from Guitar Player Magazine...

It appears to be Pete sitting at the steel in his own studio, "Pete's Place." I recognize the wall. While I worked for Gene Watson we cut many of Gene's records there and Al Pachucki was the engineer. Al was the engineer for RCA inyears past and did many famous hit recordings including the Lloyd Green/Charlie Pride, Live at Panther Hall album we all love so much. I loved cutting with Al.

Pete came in often when we were there and was always a great guy. That Crossover Sho-Bud used to sit, ready to go, in a room just off the entrance to the studio.

Just a piece of info for anyone who may be interested.

Tiny

Tiny, "Goldie"??

I remember when Guitar Player had monthyly pedal steel columns by Rusty Young and Jeff Newman. After Guitar Player dropped the column, I sent Tom Wheeler a letter suggesting that he could help the steel guitar community grow by reinstating such a column. I even gave him names of pros whom he could contact. His response was that the steel community was such a small group that it did not justify the expenditure. My point was that the magazine could have helped to generate an increasing interest in the steel, and in the pool of players, had it continued the instruction column. Mr. Wheeler was in a position to encourage the growth of the pedal steel. It just seemed to me to be an example of short-sighted "bean-counter" mentality in action. What did not make sense with his logic was why Guitar Player printed the steel columns for 4 or 5 years prior when the pool of steel guitarists was even less than it was when they killed the column.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by steve takacs on 21 March 2002 at 07:30 PM.]</p></FONT>

And here's Pete Mitchel,
Maybe you can tell me if this is true. ET was having trouble getting anyone to record him. Pete had the song "Waltz Across Texas" and heard about his troubles, so he called him up and asked if he wanted to come in and record it. ET stoped by and lisented to the song and liked it but told Pete he didn't have enough money to do it. Pete said, who said anything about money.

Pete recorded it on his label and ET had a second career.

Bob.

Hi Bob, "Waltz Across Texas" was recorded on MCA Records (I think, perhaps even Decca) many years ago and was written by ET's nephew, Talmadge Tubb.

After being dropped from MCA Records, we recorded an album on Cachet Records out of Canada. Although the record sold pretty well; from what I understand, there were problems within the organization. Meanwhile, since Pete Drake was aware that a lot of the majors were dropping some of the older, or should I say veteran artists, he decided to form First Generation Records and ET was among the first to be signed. ........Pete<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Pete Mitchell on 21 March 2002 at 10:56 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Pete Mitchell on 21 March 2002 at 10:59 PM.]</p></FONT>

Thanks Pete, by the time these storys travel the country you don't how much to believe.

But the recording of "Waltz Across Texas" i'm referring to had Buddy C on steel, so did they re-record it with Pete?.

Thanks again, Bob.

I know none of you are old enough to remember but the third issue of "Guitar Player" featured long articals on Rusty Young,Pete Klienow(sneeky Pete) and a very long interview with me. I think the interviewer was Bud Eastman, anyone remember? Thie was over 30 years ago. I remember that the cover was red and I think B.B. king was the cover picture. I remember making a remark to Bud that I changed strings every 6 months, whether they needed it or not. I caught a lot of harrasment about that. Guitar player mag was very pro steel guitar in the beginning. Remember the great Jeff Newman articials? Where did we get lost?----------------
Bobbe Seymour

I remember that article Bobbe...I was a Country Rock wannabe when it came out...

you said something like "Nashville needs 6 more steelers who can read music" or something close to that...

Rusty said "I haven't the hands or feet of an Emmons" in talking about technical skill...

I may even still have it somewhere, deep in a drawer under the old Playboy mags...

GP was one of the few resources we had for ANY info about steel in my neck of the woods at the time...damn shame they dropped their steel coverage. I guess they Needed to sell more pages of adverts for angular shaped metalhead guitars... Wheeler... pah!<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 22 March 2002 at 10:16 AM.]</p></FONT>

My dad saved all of the Jeff Newman columns that were out in the early guitarplayer magazuines, put them in a book and gave them to me when I satarted playing. What a valuable resource for information. Wish they would do it again.

Jeremy

Bob, So very true how some things can get turned around over the course of time. I believe the version of "Waltz Across Texas" that you're referring to was produced by Owen Bradley. Yes, indeed, Buddy Charleton and Leon Rhodes did the original cut, which was prior to my joining the Troubadours in 1974. Of course, we re-recorded many and most of ET's standards. I might mention, however, that Pete Drake's concept of "The Legend and the Legacy" album, which incorporated many of ET's friends and peers, was the first album of that nature (at least that I know of). .......Pete

Here's Rusty on a 1972 cover.



C#<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Cal Sharp on 08 August 2006 at 12:57 PM.]</p></FONT>

Cal, could you post the Rusty Young article on your website??

Sure thing, Larry. Should have some time tomorrow.

C#

Bobbe - I have that copy of "Guitar Player" in my desk drawer at work at work right now.


Jimmie