Obsevations of an Old Steeler

Tom Vollmer · From: Hamburg, Pennsylvania, USA

As I sit here and let my mind wander I am thinking Brad Paisley, nor Toby Keith. Darius Rucker etc., will ever replace
Merle Haggard or George Jones or evan Vern Godsin.
Also watching You Tube Steelers How Buddy E, John Hughey J. D. on and on seemed to be relaxed and enjoying their mucic while some seem like it hurts them when they play.
JMHO

Bruce Heffner · From: Payson, Arizona

Now that I am 70, the old timers will never be equaled. They set the standard, especially Emmons.
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Bruce from Arizona these days

John Palumbo · From: Lansdale, PA.

At 67, I'm right there also and that era of country music (I'll go on Marty Robbins, Ray Price etc.) will never be replicated. That era got me tuned into pedal steel. Guess I'm and old timer and prefer the past over what we hear today.

Floyd Lowery · From: Deland, Florida, USA

I agree, but there are some really good steel pickers. They just don't have the chance to pick today. I went grocery shopping yesterday and thought I should try to listen to a so called country station in Orlando for about 20 minutes. Heck, they do more talking than singing. Corny crap. I won't do that again.
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Carter 12 string 4petals 5knees, Mullen G2 3 petals 4 knees
Alesis QuadraVerb, Goodrich Match-Bro II
Peavy Nashville 400 & Session 500

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Real country was real because it came from all the thousands and thousands of six-nights-a-week-five-sets-a-night honky-tonk bar-band dance-band gigs. All the greats learned their craft doing that work, and by now most of them have passed on, as has the work.A few of us do remember, but we're in much the same position as Civil War vets who survived into the 1930's.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

At 83 I fit into the "Old" Steelers. My hero and inspiration to play steel was Little Roy Wiggins. I would buy Eddy Arnold records just to hear Roy.
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Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

My hero was Jerry Byrd.
He introduced me to the C6th tuning and I'd never heard anything so lovely!
Erv Very Happy

Floyd Lowery · From: Deland, Florida, USA

I'm 86 and I copied Roy and Jerry some. All the copy of Jerry was done on an A6. I did not know much about C6. I had a double neck Fender tuned E6 with a high string of G# and A6 and the one I copied most was Don Helms. Oh, and when Carl Smith came out, Siebert.
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Carter 12 string 4petals 5knees, Mullen G2 3 petals 4 knees
Alesis QuadraVerb, Goodrich Match-Bro II
Peavy Nashville 400 & Session 500

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

We had so much more variety and presence in the old days. You could listen to a country station for an hour or two back in the 1960s and hear Buddy Emmons, Weldon Myrick, Lloyd Green, Buddy Charleton, Pete Drake, Stu Basore, Tom Brumley, Hal Rugg, Curly Chalker, and Howard White. It was like that all the time, day and night. The younger generation now playing and learning missed all that. And those guys back then were playing intros and rides, not the antiseptic minimal stuff you hear today. I think it's been over 20 years since we had a chart record with a good steel intro...we can blame the producers and labels for that.

Rich Upright · From: Florida, USA

Today's country is just bad rock with a cowboy hat & southern accent.
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag.

Dustin Rhodes · From: Owasso OK

John Palumbo · From: Lansdale, PA.

Joe Krumel · From: Hermitage, Tn.

Yes sir, things are different for sure. Miss the days of country music.

Asa Brosius · Posted 10 Sep 2021 7:55 pm

The industry has changed, many times since the era you mentioned, and many times before it. I dont think replacing any of the deceased singers is anybody's plan, particularly the labels and producers who have always manufactured the hits. The country oriented steelers that worked through these changes always impress me- Emmons' experimentation, Franklin playing on hits for decades now, whatever Russ Pahl's up to.
As for the clubs, at least in Nashville young guys are pulling double shifts downtown daily playing music of that era- it's not the pop music it was decades ago- pushed at you, passively easy to find in commerical radio. As mentioned, it takes a little more work to find what you want to hear.
The performance aspect you mentioned is interesting- Emmons came up in the 'smile at the camera' era- that was entertainment. Now you're usually obliged to do something in the realm of rock out onstage. Playing a Canadian awards show a few years ago, a singer's manager told me to stop staring at my instrument-I made the executive decision to play in tune instead.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

Btw Asa is great steel player. I have seen him play in my hometown. He is seriously good!
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Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube.

Terry Wood · From: Marshfield, MO

At 66 years old now, I believe we older players lived in what is referred to as "The Golden Age of Country Music!"

George Jones, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Johnny Paycheck, Johnny Rodriguez, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Hank Thompson, Sammi Smith, Tammy Wynette, Vern Gosdin, Buck Owens, and just many others, and don't forget all their Bands and Great Players. Just watch the reruns of Nashville Now, and Hee Haw and those old clips.

For me even Rock n Roll was better during those years too! The Eagles, America, Elvis, Roy Orbison, The Motown Bands and Singers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Linda Ronstadt, Jim Croce, others. In my opinion all better than today's singers and bands.

The Steel Guitarists were the Best! All seemed to have their own style and sounded different. Buddy Emmons, Ralph Mooney, John Hughey, Lloyd Green, Jimmy Day, Jerry Byrd, Tom Brumley, Julian Tharpe, Sonny Garrish, Weldon Myrick, Curly Chalker, Bob White, Bobby Black, Doug Jernigan, Sneaky Pete, Jimmie Crawford, Roy Wiggins, Buddy Charleton, Pete Drake, Norm Hamlett, others all different and Great in my opinion.

All Gone With The Wind! Wow but the Memories!

Steven Hicken Jr. · From: Leeds, United Kingdom

As a 23 year old steel player over the pond in England, I actually envy the growing young traditional scene you have. I see plenty of young new traditional country acts coming along in the states and a lot of them employ great steel players (young and old).

You won't hear them on mainstream radio but the last couple of years have opened my eyes because I used to have the same opinions of country being dead when I was in my teens. These acts do sell too. In boatloads.

For me in England, it is very rare I get to play full blown country steel. Most of my session work is pop and rock orientated acts but I am lucky enough to have recently joined a young throwback band that has influences of old school rock n roll and Bakersfield style country. I always try to play like the "country me" on most projects though. Sometimes I get a bollocking from the producer and sometimes they actually like it.

As for us younger players never "equaling the greats", we should aspire to have our own style and be the best we possibly can without the competition of having to "equal" the greats. Music is art anyway...it's not a competition and there are plenty of young steel players out there that are damn good, much better than myself. Get behind us and look out for the music you have been oppressed not to hear.
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25 year old wannabe.
2015 Show Pro
2020 Hudson Hudsonator (Pedabro)
202X *Insert new guitar here*

https://www.stevenhickenjr.com/

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

Floyd Lowery · From: Deland, Florida, USA

You want to hear an excellent Country band with great steel guitar playing. Playing pure Country music. Watch the Penny Gilley show with Junior Knight on steel.
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Carter 12 string 4petals 5knees, Mullen G2 3 petals 4 knees
Alesis QuadraVerb, Goodrich Match-Bro II
Peavy Nashville 400 & Session 500

Asa Brosius · Posted 11 Sep 2021 6:26 am

Hi Jack- I certainly understand the op's first point- it's a very popular point that comes up very often here amongst a certain generation- I guarantee you that for a steel player playing country music, the op's point is actually impossible to miss- that style of ballad/shuffle, the space left for vocals and steel all over it- Then there's his second point, which you perhaps missed, re: emmons and hughey appearing relaxed vs players today. Not sure how I let you down here-

Joachim-thanks for the kind words- I wasn't great at tuning back then, but listening back I like some of my ideas-would love to get back to Germany- hope you're well.

Dustin Rhodes · From: Owasso OK

Half the problem is that people have missed the paradigm shift in music. There is no mainstream. There are traditional country artists who are outselling Nashville backed acts. It's similar to network stations vs streaming. Most of the more relevant shows aren't on network tv anymore. Times change. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, you just have to adjust and look elsewhere for it.

I hope that someone, someday on here connects the dots between the "where are all the younger players" and "everything today is crap the sky is falling" threads.

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

Mike Neer · From: NJ

Look at the evolution of ALL musical styles. Things change and though we all have a stake in the music we grew up with or identify with, there are new generations who identify with the newer stuff. Sometimes I canâ€™t bite my tongue when I talk with my sons about the music they listen to and I donâ€™t think it helps any. I have to remember that when they were young, I exposed them to Miles, Bix Beiderbecke, Black Sabbath, Junior Brown, etc.

We can all forever believe that we lived in the golden age, but the value of gold fluctuates often.

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