Young pedal steel players in Nashville?

[Jamie Lennon]

1. get a day job
2. networking,networking,networking...

how many pro steel players is there, who have a nice house, new car and are happily married...and all that while playing steel full time?

I actually know a bunch

Randle Currie

Travis Toy

Myself, and not because i married Georgette, we have struggled also, but now very busy and happy, and before anyone says its because she had money from her folks, no she did not, we started off together at the buttom, and was able to be successful with hard work

So it can be done, but also it can hard !

[Bill L. Wilson]

If some of the Best Steelers in Nashville have to have a real job to survive, where does that leave the rest of us? I'm very blessed to have a good wife who works, and allows me the time to play music. I'll stay in Oklahoma, where the gigs are plentiful, and I can stay busy, almost every weekend. Not a lot of money to be made here, but the fun factor is over the top.

[Rick Campbell]

Jeff: your judgmental comments on a public forum about Tommy White and how he chooses to earn a living are tasteless and below the belt. ...
Take your toxic comments elsewhere Jeff.

I didn't see anything judgmental or toxic from Jeff. (In fact, I didn't even see anything about Tommy White; just something about "T.W.")
But assuming that he meant Tommy White, I think he clearly recognizes Tommy's greatness in saying that times are so tough that EVEN the great pro players work at something besides steel guitar.

Earnest, I agree with you. Unless I missed something here, I see no insult or offensive comments from Jeff, yet, he gets attacked for some reason. All he's saying is how difficult it is for many accomplished players to support themselves and their families on just their music income alone. There is nothing wrong with a player supplementing his income by maintaining a day job. I agree, it's no wonder we don't have a lot of new blood coming into the steel guitar community.

[Barry Blackwood]

Agreed, Earnest and Rick. Even the great Lloyd Green sold shoes at one time.

[Herb Steiner]

If a professional musician wants to provide health insurance for his family, and a reasonable amount of stability in the time he spends with same, working a flexible day job such as some retail businesses offer is an excellent way of doing it, regardless of how high profile his music gig may be.

[Alan Rudd]

Best money I ever made on Broadway was sitting on a stool at the Cadillac Ranch one Saturday afternoon with an acoustic guitar and a tip jar. The rest of the gigs, never made much...the least I made paid for my parking slot that evening...$7.00. Good thing I had a degree in education to fall back on.

[Craig Schwartz]

So I wanted to get a feel from you all (especially you Nashville guys) about how many young steel players you run into down there.

Your question remains to be answered.
See what happens when you miss a punctual question mark !

Andy, I`m Just funnin with you ... Good Luck with your adventure.

[Jeff Metz Jr.]

Thanks All for coming to my defense. It's SO EASY for text to be misunderstood.
I was only pointing out how hard it is to live on music alone.

[Jeff Metz Jr.]

Thanks All for coming to my defense. It's SO EASY for text to be misunderstood.
I was only pointing out how hard it is to live on music alone.

[Travis Toy]

Most of my material possessions have been earned through my sultry looks, and selling my body...and my day job at Auto Zone.

1. get a day job
2. networking,networking,networking...

how many pro steel players is there, who have a nice house, new car and are happily married...and all that while playing steel full time?

I actually know a bunch

Randle Currie

Travis Toy

Myself, and not because i married Georgette, we have struggled also, but now very busy and happy, and before anyone says its because she had money from her folks, no she did not, we started off together at the buttom, and was able to be successful with hard work

So it can be done, but also it can hard !

[Travis Toy]

Hey Andy. Best of luck with your move here. Don't let anyone tell you what you can or can't do musically, or professionally. There are a lot of great players here, and even more bad ones. It's a big town, and the cream rises to the top. I moved here when I was 19, and got my first gig thanks to my friend and great steel player, Larry Nalley. He was with Aaron Tippin at the time, and saw me playing with a band in Louisville. Larry asked for my number, and referred me for a gig about a week later.

From my view point, Nashville is an extremely social town, and all about your attitude, the relationships that you're able to make, and maintain. I personally know probably 75% of the players that are on the top tier road gigs. My point in saying that is that the circle of friends/players that are doing the premier gigs is actually a pretty small group. Every road gig that I've gotten hired and/or auditioned for, has been from a personal recommendation. There are really very few cattle call open auditions for gigs, at least that I hear about. In the last few weeks, I have been asked to find a steeler for Ronnie Dunn, and a piano player for Clint Black. Those are just examples of the inner workings of the "buddy system" that fuels most hiring situations in town.

Didn't mean to get long winded, but just wanted to give you a view point from someone who has been in your shoes, and has made it work so far. Send me a message when you get to town if I can help.

-t

Hey there,

My name is Andy. I'm a 22 year old pedal steel player living in Baltimore. This is my first post on the forum! I plan on moving to Nashville within the next two years to pursue audio engineering and also pedal steel playing.

I play other instruments (banjo, guitar) but the pedal steel is such a unique instrument and it seems like not a lot of other people in my generation have much interest in playing it.

So I wanted to get a feel from you all (especially you Nashville guys) about how many young steel players you run into down there. I'd love to be at the forefront of the next generation of Nashville steel guitarists.

Thanks!

Here's some session work I did recently for a local artist named Jeff Greenspan, in case you're interested https://soundcloud.com/atjeffgreenspan/love-wont-go

[Alex Cattaneo]

Very interesting thread. I have a related question for Jamie, Travis and other Nashville pros: do you feel it is necessary to play both necks to get in the top tier pedal steel club, or is E9 good enough in most situations?

Also, do you feel that having good chops on other instrument is a plus? Or a distraction?

[Andy Ellison]

Travis, thanks for your advice. What you said about attitude and maintaining relationships makes a lot of sense. At the end of the day, if you can play great but have a bad attitude, who's going to want to play music with you? no one!

And I also just want to say thanks to everyone on this thread (the first one I've ever started on this forum) for sharing your experience and advice with me. It's truly humbling and encouraging!

Andy

[Travis Toy]

Firstly, I hope I didn't come across as suggesting that I am part of a "top tier" steel club. I would certainly never say that of myself.

I'll answer your first question about tunings with my own personal experience. My father was/is a steel player, but he never owned a double neck guitar when I was a kid. As a direct result of that, I only had access to the E9th tuning during my most critical learning years as a young teenager (started playing when I was 13). That being my experience is sort of two sided for me. On one hand, I absolutely adore the C6th tuning, and what a real master of the instrument can do with it. I certainly regret not having access to one early on for my own learning journey. On the other hand, having only one tuning forced/challenged me to find ways to get C6th sounds on the E9th tuning. I used to sit for hours and find obscenely hard to play single note jazz/swing lines on the E9th that are considerably easier to play on C6th. At the end of the day though, I feel like it made me a better player, and gave me a more diverse knowledge of the E9th tuning.

All of that said, that's only my path. I would encourage you to explore the C6th tuning if you have the means. It's still very relevant, and it will only serve to increase your knowledge and mastery of the instrument.

As far as your second question goes...being skilled on multiple instruments has certainly never been a negative for me. I am absolutely foremost a steel player, but I am featured quite a bit on banjo, dobro, acoustic guitar, and even bass with Rascal Flatts on the road. Aside from steel, I do quite a few sessions with banjo and dobro as well. Having more tools in your belt only makes you a more valuable piece of the puzzle, in my opinion. I actually kinda hate the title of "utility player", just because I consider myself first and foremost a steel player, but it's a title I gladly accept when it comes with a paycheck. I would just make sure that you put your best foot/instrument forward as much as possible so you get the reputation that you desire. Cheers!

-t

[Craig Schwartz]

Andy, You`ve probably heard of Lloyd Green, This interview may help "DEARLY"

It may be the best 8 minutes you ever watched

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 4WexGUikq8

[Andy Ellison]

Great interview! Lloyd is awesome.

Thanks for posting, Craig

[Ken Campbell]

Thanks so much for that. Made my whole day.

[Bill L. Wilson]

After watching that video, I can't figure out how any producer on a session in Nashville, doesn't know who Lloyd Green is. I handed my BAR to a producer one time, and said,"If You Think YOU can do it Better, YOU can Play The Steel on This". He was a piano player, so he said,"Do What You can Do". And we all lived Happily Everafter, and were still friends afterward.

[Ken Byng]

Lloyd once informed me that many of the producers in Nashville consider his playing to be 'old fashioned'. There is no way that I can see Lloyd capitulating into playing stereotypical and over-used licks when he has the extreme intelligence to play something completely original. That's why he likes to be selective who he works with and prefers playing with singer/songwriters from east Nashville these days. They provide him with the stimulus and creative challenge he needs, and a reduced workload now that he is all but retired.

No doubt that Lloyd was lucky to be around in a golden era in Nashville where real country sessions were in abundance, and it is debatable whether steel guitar sessions of the volume that he was called to do will ever return again. There is something to be said for being in the right place at the right time.

[Earnest Bovine]

... Lloyd Green ... interview
...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 4WexGUikq8

Lloyd relates an interesting story about 7 minutes into that interview.

This thread is titled "Young pedal steel players in Nashville". Can any of you young Nashville players imagine reacting as Lloyd says he did, when a producer asks you to come up with something different?

[Fred Glave]

Go to Nashville. You're young and have your whole life in front of you. When you get there, Nashville will have one more young steel player and that sounds pretty good to me. If you're not married with a family you can go pretty much carefree. You obviously love country music, pedal steel and you are most likely a pretty good player. If you don't go you'll get to be an old guy like me who regrets not pursuing music harder when I was young. Steve's advice is pretty spot on, and applies to more than just the music business. Always remain upbeat and professional in your dealings. Make freinds and network and don't take someone elses business decisions personally. Good luck!

[Andy Ellison]

Thanks for that, Fred. Very encouraging!

[Damir Besic]

"Hey, steel player" ....LOL ... I don't know who is a bigger idiot, that 21 year old producer, or the one who hired him....LOL


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[Ian Sutton]

Hey I moved here from England...so many mixed messages about people telling me not too blah blah etc. Did it worked hard and it all worked out. Im 33 also. I been offered this week alone 2 major artist jobs.....both accounts they wanted "a young steel player with a young image" thats the way it is here now. Crazy I know!

Call me when u get to town. I met and got help when I moved here.

I wonder if it is at all possible for 'young image' steel player like myself to get a road gig with someone out of Nashville or anywhere while living here in the Bay Area?

[Fred Glave]

Hey, how about a face lift and some hair dye? Wait a minute what am I saying?