Early Steel Influences

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 25 Apr 2003 2:11 am

I'm not talkin' about Buddy or Jimmy or Curley or Lloyd..but rather when we were in our bedrooms learning or on the bandstand playing Blues or R+R or something else and all of a sudden we heard a record with that sound and had to ask what it was..

Me..How the heck would I know what a Pedal Steel was or sounded like when growing up in Westport Ct on the Beach and learning Ventures and Chuck Berry songs at 12 or 13 years old. Our biggest worry back then was if the little store at the beach would run out of popsicles before we got there !

Sleepwalk doesn't count here...

I did buy a Chicago album once and heard "In Terms of Two" ( JJ Cale ? ) and of course like many here was drawn into the Buffalo Sprinfield "CULT" early on as well with Kind Woman and sorts..which I would certainly state was the one biggest influence toward Country music and to Steel guitar. It was a natural progression for us rockers I suppose.

I don't really recall when I first heard In Terms of Two..but I remember it had a profound influence as well..

I do remember seeing Jerry Lee Lewis on TV back in the mid 60'ish period and he had a Steel Player set up behind him, I wasn't really sure what it was..and had to ask a friend..he didn't know either..but we did look it up in the Fender catalog and low and behold..there it was !

Let the games begin !

tp

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 25 Apr 2003 2:20 am

Jerry Byrd,Don Helms,Speedy West,Roy Wiggins.
Then,on pedals,Bud Isaacs.

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
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Dennis Olearchik · Post by **Dennis Olearchik** » 25 Apr 2003 3:07 am

J.D., Lloyd, Red, Rusty, Sneaky Pete and Jerry (yes, him again).

And Buddy on the Judy Collins sessions.

So my "early" influences for Steel guitar only go back to the 60's

Paul Graupp · Post by **Paul Graupp** » 25 Apr 2003 4:25 am

I would hate to think I was younger than Smiley but I guess I'm not ! My entries would be the same as his but in another thread in Steel Players; Songs About Steel Guitars; I mentioned a guy from Reading, PA who worked with Shorty Long on the original version of Crying Steel Guitar Waltz: Herbie Johnson. He was the first guy I really got to watch close up at carnivals and fairs and I could see the action, not just hear it on the radio. That was the spark that started my fire and all the others merely fanned the flames.

Regards, Paul

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 25 Apr 2003 5:50 am

Over at a friend's cottage on Cape Cod,
circa 1968. Smoking the sacramental herb,
when out of the speakers came Jesse Colin Young & The Youngbloods doing their version of "Sugarbabe". "Electrical Banana" was playing the steel fills on, I think, a Fender 400. Sounded like it. Banana's steel career, however, ran just about parallel with Jerry Garcia's.

So after replaying "Sugarbabe" about 40-100 times the rest of the evening, the next day I immediately embarked on a search for a pedal steel. Inside of a few hours, I was sold lock, stock, and barrel on the greatness and beauty of this instrument.

John P. Phillips · Post by **John P. Phillips** » 25 Apr 2003 5:54 am

Simple answer on this one Tony, Early Roy Wiggins with the tennessee plowboy, Don Helms with Hank and the Wilburns and CHALKER, CHALKER, CHALKER !!!
OBTW, the first steel I can remember was in an old Jimmie Rogers tune, I wonder who that could have been? Anybody got any ideas ???

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JUST 'CAUSE I STEEL, DON'T MAKE ME A THIEF

[This message was edited by John P.Phillips on 25 April 2003 at 06:56 AM.]

Michael Haselman · Post by **Michael Haselman** » 25 Apr 2003 6:24 am

I think this fits the spirit of the discussion. Back in the early '70s, I was strictly rock. I had heard steel when I heard country played at various places, usually in passing, and "Teach Your Children." I was intrigued. Then I got Steely Dan's "Countdown to Ecstacy." Pearl of the Quarter did it for me. When I finally got a steel in '78, that was one of the first tunes I learned after the basics.

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Marrs D-10, Webb 6-14E

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 25 Apr 2003 8:00 am

My dad is a fiddle player so we had lots of music in the house as long as I can remember. Before grade school, early 60's, I was absolutely fascinated with the following four albums.

Hank Thompson-Cryin In The Deep Blue Sea
ET Presents The Texas Trobadours
Pete Drake, Forever
Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant, The Album with dozens of Fender necks on the cover.

Later on there was The Wilburn Brothers TV show with Hal and ET's TV show with Charlton along with a local fellow who played with my dad.

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"Gimme a steel guitar, 2 or 3 fiddles and a Texas rhythm section that can swing"..W. Nelson

Billy Easton · Post by **Billy Easton** » 25 Apr 2003 8:14 am

SPEEDY WEST!!! JERRY BYRD!!! Then later Curly Chalker, and of course, Emmons and Day. Now so many great players like Rugg, Beavers, Smith, Knight, Hughey, and the list goes on and on and on....

Billy Easton
Southwestern Steel Guitar Association[This message was edited by Billy Easton on 25 April 2003 at 09:15 AM.]

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 25 Apr 2003 11:00 am

My very, very first memory of hearing a steel guitar is Pete Kirby (Bashful Brother Oswald), Dobro player with Roy Acuff, when I was about 9 or 10. We would sit around an old RCA radio on Saturday night listening to the Opry staring at that thing as if it were a TV set. Pete Kirby, “Wabash Cannon Ball” and “Fireball Mail” are the things that turned me on to steel. The first song I ever learned to play was “Fireball Mail.” By the time electric instruments came along I had already been hooked, and it was just a matter of "keeping up with technology." With the advent of pedals, I'm still trying to keep up.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 25 Apr 2003 11:21 am

Apart from 'Sleepwalk' (which I didn't care much for), my first steel-encounter was Jimmy Day's solo on the Everly Brothers' 'Lucille' - it was GREAT!

RR

David Wright · Post by **David Wright** » 25 Apr 2003 11:30 am

M.Andersom, Curly Chalker, J. Thorpe, T Morrell......

Jesse Harris · Post by **Jesse Harris** » 25 Apr 2003 1:24 pm

Sneaky Pete playing with my Dad at the palamino when I was about 10, Clint Eastwood was there with the urangatang from Any which way but loose, I remember being bitter that the urangatang was allowed to drink beer and I wasn't. That monkey could pound.

Martin Weenick · Post by **Martin Weenick** » 25 Apr 2003 10:55 pm

Watching the Earnest Tubb show on TV, with a very young Buddy Emmons doing the impossible and wondering "how the heck does he do that". I still wonder.

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Martin W. Emmons LG III 3/5 Peavy 1000

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 26 Apr 2003 12:42 pm

15 yrs old 1969 -.Grew up mostly in Washington DC's Maryland suburbs, listening to the Beatles et al, and wanting badly to play electric guitar like most suburban kids. Then at a party in some guys rec room with my hippie wannabe friends..I heard a "sound" on a record (Poco's "Pickin' Up The Pieces" album) and said "what the hell's THAT?" Upon discovering the "what" I was so intrigued by the bizarre concept that I said "I gotta try THAT!" Saved up my pennies and ordered my 1st 8-string E9th Emmons student model. wore that out...within a year I had ordered my first S10 ZB Custom...

I still don't know who put that on at the party but I have them to blame for the last 30 years...

Robbie Bossert · Post by **Robbie Bossert** » 26 Apr 2003 4:52 pm

Early on it was: Bobby Black, Maurice Anderson, First time I remember hearing John Hughey believe it or not was on a Dickie Bettes album that my father-in-law had. Of course Emmons, Day, Lloyd Maines,etc.... Now-a-days it's Ricky Davis and Joe Goldmark.
They just seem to be working on something different I guess.

Robbie

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » 15 Oct 2003 3:52 pm

Robbie,
I know this is an old thread, but I hit on it doing a "Sneaky Pete" search. The Richard Betts with John Hughey was an album called "Highway Call". "Hand Picked" has some fine C6th work, and it just a good old jammin song. I don't know if this album is on CD, but it should be. Great stuff. Has Vassar on there also.
Lefty,
Dekley D-10
Sho-Bud LDG
Les Paul Deluxe

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 15 Oct 2003 4:55 pm

I believe the name of the tune on "Highway Call" is "Long Time Gone". I recently put it thru DART32 and onto a CD.

I'd hafta say that besides Tom Brumley's rendition of "Bud's Bounce" from the early '60's Buck Owens LP, (which I wore out), it was also his work on "A Maiden's Prayer" and "Faded Love" that appeared on a early 60's Buckaroo's instrumental LP that got my attention.

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 15 Oct 2003 6:51 pm

Well, since I go way back to 1948, It was JB, and then later, it was JB and JB. Then in a few years, I was influenced by the likes of Bud Isaacs, Jimmy Day, Buddy Emmons, Sonny Burnette, Weldon Myrick, Hal Rugg, Tom Brumley, Pee Wee Whitewing, Bobby Garrette, Curly Chalker and oh yes, did I mention JB? I'm still influenced mostly by him today!

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“Big John” {(<< Uh~
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

Kenny Dail · Post by **Kenny Dail** » 15 Oct 2003 7:33 pm

John P., it is my understanding that the Dobro player behind Jimmie Rogers was Cliff Carlisle, brother to the late Bill Carlisle of Grand Ole Opry fame. I have heard this statement more than once by reliable sources so I am pretty sure it is correct.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

[This message was edited by Kenny Dail on 15 October 2003 at 08:35 PM.]

Larry Miller · Post by **Larry Miller** » 16 Oct 2003 2:32 am

Paul Westmoreland, "Texas Steel Guitar"

D Schubert · Post by **D Schubert** » 16 Oct 2003 4:15 am

Got the bug early from all the great sidemen on radio and TV -- didn't know most of their names, but really dug what they were doing -- Uncle Josh Graves, Bashful Brother Oswald, Don Helms, Ralph Mooney, Tom Brumley, etc, etc -- and after hearing Buddy Cage with NRPS and Rusty Young with Poco, I knew I had to have one of those things, even if I didn't have any idea of how to play it. Started paying serious attention to steel and asking questions. Then I discovered Green, Emmons, Day, Chalker, Jernigan -- it just gets better and better.

Dale Bessant · Post by **Dale Bessant** » 16 Oct 2003 3:21 pm

Brumley......Together Again..I knew what it was....Great country music.....

[This message was edited by Dale Bessant on 16 October 2003 at 04:23 PM.]

Randy Pettit · Post by **Randy Pettit** » 17 Oct 2003 6:43 am

Rusty Young, John David Call.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 17 Oct 2003 8:23 am

Ralph Mooney, who else?

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.