The Steel Guitar Forum

Who do ya' think??.. I have a few in mind but one stands out. I'll post my thought later. Which steel guitarist has a tone that is completely unique and unmistakable in your mind? bob

Sneaky Pete

Me. Oh, you mean GOOD steel guitar sound?.... Chalker.

How about Ralph Mooney? There isn't much doubt as to who is playing when he "cuts Loose". There are many other easily recoginzed steel players as well, but Ralph is a "wild man" on the steel.

Leon Eneboe, Williams, LDG, Peavey

Earnest... Thats the guy!!! NO ONE can mistake that oddball[but VERY cool} sound he got for years and years. bob

Leon... Mooney is also a guy with a very recognizable sound. Tom Brumley too.

Chalker on the tape Big Hits on Big Steel.
Wonder what tuning he used ?

For me it is Buddy Emmoms and Hal Rugg. These two men are on the top of my list to listen to when they perform. Another is Weldon Myrick. I have always loved his sound and his playing.

Al Brisco has his own sound.

Jerry Byrd and "Little" Roy Wiggins. Lloyd Green and Buddy Charleton. Oops...forgot to mention Don Helms.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Roger Kelly on 26 September 2004 at 07:53 AM.]</p></FONT>

Speedy West had an unmistakable spark to his playing - maybe "spark" is too mild a word, how about "amphetamine-crazed gila monster?"

On the Hank Thompson and Friends CD the first note of the first song is steel guitar. As soon as I heard it I knew it was Bobby Garrett. I just could always recognize the soulful tone in his hands.

I hear the same thing when I hear Mr. Buddy Emmons play.

Rick

I think maybe technology has taken just a bit of the "uniqueness" out of individual steel players tone. With all the incredible gear around today,most players [even the greats] opt for the best of the best in instruments,amps and support gear.Years ago,you had a more"individualized" tone from player to player IMHO.. I think this is partly due to the fact that a player used an instrument and amp and stuck with it long term. This is certainly not a put down. Todays players are incredibly talented and diverse,but because of more uniformity in recording and production techniques ,more modern advanced teaching methods possibly,a wary eye[and ear] towards a more commercial sound,whatever,I can't seem to be able to tell guys apart with a quick listen the way I was able to years ago. Everyone on todays recordings sounds great for sure,but I sometimes long for a little bar rattle or a high note just a tad flatter than its suppossed to be. I think thats why many of us musicians prefer live music to recordings. The unique tone and feel of the individual player comes through as opposed to some producers conception of how it should sound. am I wrong here?? bob<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Bob Carlucci on 26 September 2004 at 01:20 PM.]</p></FONT>

Tom Brumley using a ZB Custom through a Fender tube amp with Buck Owens.

Music producers, like any other businesss, often take the simplest path to get sales. Much of what we hear today is the same group of session players, and they do a great job. This isn't anything new, however, as 35-40 years ago, most sessions were done by the "A" team, in which Pete was the number one session player. What we are missing today is the variety of hearing other players and bands on a lot of the regular releases. Oh sure, that "A" team was quite imaginative and prolific...playing on the majority of hits, but we also heard other bands featuring Hal, Lloyd, Charleton, Brumley, Chalker, Emmons, Mooney, Weldon, Basore, Hughey, and a host of others on the "everyday" releases in the '60s.

Today, there's a sameness in the sound of these "everyday" releases because they feature mostly the same session musicians that play on the big hits. We're still getting quality playing nowadays, but the old variety and freshness of sound that can <u>only</u> be had from different back-up bands is gone...totally gone.

This kind of stuff happens in other businesses, too. MacDonald's "mastered" the art of consistency and rapid production with their famous hamburgers. But after some years, even <u>they</u> found out that people wanted some variety in their everyday fare, they wanted something "different", and that MacDonald's couldn't maintain their growth and market position offering only a selection of different hamburgers to the general public.

Now, I believe the music industry is learning the very same lesson. If you don't give people variety, they'll grow tired of your product and turn elsewhere for their listening entertainment. Why else would so many people be getting in on the satellite radio bandwagon?

It's certainly not so they can hear Shania, Toby, and the other playlist regulars on a "commercial-free" station, is it?

Just one name comes to mind for me always :RALPH MOONEY.I cannt think of anyone else that has that same sound. Can you? NOt taking away from anyone else, there are so many I could name,but Mr. Mooney 90%The man always adds that little extra bit that no one else seems to,like the opening to Rainy Day Woman Thats my 2 cents.

I think Mr. Hinson hit the nail on the head.

I'd have to say Jerry Byrd. The others can be imitated, but very few players can even come close to what JB does with his right hand. Tom Brumley is the only one I've heard who can do it (which shoots down the theory that Tom's sound is the "most recognizable").

Just my opinion.

Dan Tyack

-Johan-

Lloyd Green hands down, And Tom The man Brumley, on tunes like D.Yokum and of course in the early days with Buck Owens and Ricky Nelson.RS

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Franklin Guitars

I think Bob and Donny said it exactly right!

Today's music IN GENERAL is so uniform that it is very hard or impossible to tell who is playing - this is not the fault of the players, it's mostly the production that is not allowing any sidesteps from that long straight road. No air to breathe, musically!

In the past, producers often tried to be different (Aubrey Mayhew of Little Darlin' Records and the Lloyd Green sound on those early Paycheck recordings is a perfect example, Mooney's "West Coast" sound is another!) and were often searching for sounds that would fit the voice of the singer, the song, the record.

Today it seems to be totally the opposite: Major labels are looking for singers (and musicians) who can deliver that perfect sound and who are qualifying to be as close as possible to the ideal (which is dictated by the industry)

As we are just informed about the passing of those legends like Roy Drusky, Skeeter Davis Johnny Paycheck and many others - I don't think that they would really have a chance to get started with their unique voices if they would be young today. Same for Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Bill Anderson,...

Kind Regards, Walter

www.lloydgreentribute.com
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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How come nobody mentioned Buddy Cage yet?
You´d be hard pressed to find another one who sounds like that.

Regards, JH

Buddy Cage's Emmons guitar and his "bounce" were VERY distinctive for sure!! . I was very close to adding him right next to Pete Kleinow as most unique sounding steel,but then everyone would know I listened to mostly hippie music!! bob

John Hughey.

Paul Franklin playing his Franklin D-10 on many country recordings, John Hughey playing on Vince Gill's records from the 90's, Bruce Bouton playing on Brooks & Dunn's records in the 90's. Brett, Emmons S-10, Morrell lapsteel