Your opinion of top 5 composers of steel guitar songs.

Louie Hallford · Post by **Louie Hallford** » 25 Mar 2002 3:11 pm

Rules:

Name them in order as you would rank their impact on steel guitar music as we know it today.

Not a "favorites"contest but feel free to elaborate on your favorite if he/she does not happen in your top five list.

Feel free to elaborate on others that you had problems leaving off the top list but the game rules gotch ya.

Here's hoping the Pro's will join us.

My list:

Buddy Emmons
Joaquin Murphey
Jerry Byrd
Leon Mc Auliffe
Billy Bowman

Wish I had room for Herb Remington,Noel Boggs.

My favorite composer would have to also be Emmons.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 25 Mar 2002 3:59 pm

Emmons, Charleton, Drake, Jernigan, Byrd.

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 25 Mar 2002 6:05 pm

Steel players don't compose steel songs,
they compose songs that can be played on
any instrument.
Having said all that, there are some steel players who compose some beautiful songs.
Emmons and Green are the ones I like. They have a huge talent for this kind of spatial thinking.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 26 Mar 2002 10:51 am

you said it... I've always wanted to hear "At E's" played by a horn section! Having said that, I'll go with...

Bobby Garrett, Emmons, Charleton, Jernigan, and Green.

Rick Garrett · Post by **Rick Garrett** » 26 Mar 2002 10:55 am

Bobby Garrett, Leon McCaliff, Buddy Emmons, Lloyd Green and Joaquin Murphy in that order.

Rick Garrett

Dennis Detweiler · Post by **Dennis Detweiler** » 26 Mar 2002 11:56 am

Emmons, Green, Speedy West, Joaquin Murphy, (Garrett/Charleton/????)

Robert Rogers · Post by **Robert Rogers** » 26 Mar 2002 12:26 pm

Hay guys the ones yall named are good but you can't forget Jimmie Crawford and Weldon Myrick.

Robert
-----------

EMMONS PUSH-PULL D-10 8&4 1974[This message was edited by Robert Rogers on 26 March 2002 at 04:25 PM.]

Eddie Lange · Post by **Eddie Lange** » 26 Mar 2002 5:48 pm

Right on Robert, Jimmie has written some great stuff. Listen to American Flyer...WHOA! Definitely Charleton as well. Red Top is one my favorite all time instrumentals. And he wrote that one with the help of Leon of course. They made the Steel Guitar Rag sound like a brand new tune

------------------
The Young Steelkid

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 26 Mar 2002 8:01 pm

i think Lionel Hampton had a hand in "Red Top"...

not so sure about "Rhodes-Bud Boogie" though!

5th on my list is rotating, and i gotta give it up for Crawdad.. "Rhode Island Red" is one of my all-time favorites! (it's named after Leon, right?)

------------------
ShoBud Pro III Custom D-10

Dave Birkett · Post by **Dave Birkett** » 26 Mar 2002 8:55 pm

Kyle is right: Lionel Hampton and Ken Kynard wrote Red Top, if you're thinking of the tune that King Pleasure and Betty Carter sang.

Mike Weirauch · Post by **Mike Weirauch** » 26 Mar 2002 10:06 pm

Buddy Emmons: What has he not given us? He and Murph are the two pioneers that really jumped out and changed the way steel guitar was.
Joaquin Murphy: Eyes and ears were always on Murph during his career. Like Buddy Emmons, he was far ahead of his time in style and presence.
Buddy Charleton: He and Leon Rhodes nearly set a precedence for country music in the 60's with their twin parts and complimentary licks for each other. They were like cuff & link.
Lloyd Green: He completely re-arranged steel guitar in the late 60's, 70's and into the 80's with his style which became known as the Nashville Sound. By the way, he doesn't like the title Mr. Nashville Sound but he deserves it because of what he gave us. In his words, it was a team effort between himself and the other musicians.
Don Helms: He is one of the most listened to steel player alive today. His style with Hank Williams has been copied by all of us at one time or another. He set a sound and style over 50 years ago that is still listened to today on radio. Who else can top that? So my list goes as follows.

1. Joaquin Murphy
2. Don Helms
3. Buddy Emmons
4. Buddy Charleton
5. Lloyd Green

There's John Hughey, Hal Rugg, Pete Drake, Walter Haynes, Jimmy Day, Jimmie Crawford, Jerry Byrd, Weldon Myrick and me but you said only 5.

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 26 Mar 2002 10:40 pm

Name them in order as you would rank their impact on steel guitar music as we know it today.

1.Joaquin Murphey
2.Noel Boggs
3.Buddy Emmons
4.Lloyd Green
5.Weldon Myrick
6.Buddy Charleton

Rusty Hurse · Post by **Rusty Hurse** » 26 Mar 2002 10:47 pm

Louie this one is just to HARD (HOWEVER) I do think you have to add Bobby Garrett and Tommy Morrell to this list and Jimmy Day to this list, By all MEANS!

Rusty Hurse · Post by **Rusty Hurse** » 27 Mar 2002 1:09 am

Julian Tharpe and Alvino Rey

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 27 Mar 2002 8:00 am

I'm surprised Bud Issacs has not been mentioned yet. When we went to pedals who didn't take a shot at "Buds Bounce".

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 27 Mar 2002 10:49 am

It's not a composition but it really should be! Then again, maybe it is! Think of John Hughey's work on Conway Twitty's "Lost in the Feeling".. It doesn't follow the vocal melody lines at all. It's a great beautiful melody in it's own right. I think John's work really made that song.. Just try to envision the tune without his steel. It's nowhere near as powerful or emotional as what it is with Mr. Hughey's brilliant playing. I guess that a lot of the great composers of steel guitar music aren't even listed as writers because they compose steel breaks and backup work that are wonderful compositions in their own right. Emmons has done this countless times as well as L. Green, P. Franklin, and others. My favorite steel songs to listen to are hardly ever the instrumentals, it's usually someone's vocal recording with great steelwork behind it. Take old Buck's tunes with Ralph Mooney! I'd just as soon listen to Ralph play the whole thing and then maybe Buck do one verse or something and the Ralph again! It'd work for me!

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

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 28 Mar 2002 7:04 am

Roy Thomson, i was reading down the list and and couldnt believe no one mentioned Bud Issacs. All the players are great but I can't think of the pedal steel without Bud's Bounce.

Bob.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 28 Mar 2002 9:03 am

This is my list. These guys really know how to write for steel, in my opinion. Also, they are all great players!
<ol>
[*]Buddy Emmons
[*]Roy Thomson
[*]Jerry Byrd
[*]Gary Brandin
[*]Mike Headrick
[/list]Top 5 lists are hard, because there are always a few more that you want to add. Herb Remington, Bruce Kaphan and Noel Boggs also deserve mention here. I always enjoy their songs, too.

------------------
<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)[This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 28 March 2002 at 09:04 AM.]

Jack Byrd · Post by **Jack Byrd** » 28 Mar 2002 9:38 am

Hmmmm! I haven't seen a one listed from the birthplace of the steel guitar, Hawaii. What a shame to overlook the early trail blazers for the instrument in its earliest days and some of the most beautiful music written for the instrument. I have many I can bring into the scene but will just say for now Andy Iona and Alvin Isaacs, Sr. Lets not forget the old folks who did so much for the steel guitar.[This message was edited by Jack Byrd on 28 March 2002 at 09:38 AM.]

Steven Knapper · Post by **Steven Knapper** » 28 Mar 2002 6:00 pm

I don't have 5 but only one that had any impact on me and that is Red Rhodes. Oh yeah, I could add Gary Brandin, Tom Brummly (sp?)and Roy Thompson. But really, it was Red.[This message was edited by Steven Knapper on 30 March 2002 at 07:40 AM.]

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 28 Mar 2002 6:55 pm

I wrote "Romeo and Juliet", and I wrote "Bobby McGee"--------You know what? None of them ever wrote me back!!
Seriously, I could have been a great song writer, If only I could have spelled! Hard to be a great writer if you Kan't sphell gud.

(the guy with the crayon)

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 28 Mar 2002 7:02 pm

HEY GUYS!!! Who wrote "Sleep Walk"? HuH?
(Did he do it in his sleep?) Was it Santo or Johnny, or someone else? No silly answers please, this is a very serious question!
I bet NO one knows! Not Irving Berlin , not Buddy Emmons , Not Hougie Carmicheal, not Nikieta Kruschauv,no, they don't know either!

Anyway, My favorite steel writer was Leon McCauiffe,Merle Travis, and Cliffie Stone.[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 March 2002 at 07:05 PM.]

Steven Knapper · Post by **Steven Knapper** » 28 Mar 2002 7:41 pm

Bobbe, I could have been a great song writer if I had one of those little cassette decks with me while I was one the road for 10 years doing field maint. Chorus and verse would just FLOW, perfect and was lost. Whatta shame!![This message was edited by Steven Knapper on 28 March 2002 at 10:33 PM.][This message was edited by Steven Knapper on 30 March 2002 at 07:36 AM.]

dgoodwin · Post by **dgoodwin** » 28 Mar 2002 7:53 pm

Sleepwalk was written by Santo and Johnny Farina and their mother.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 28 Mar 2002 8:33 pm

Is this really true, I think it is! Yep, The most heard steel song of all time or not? You might say then that their Mom really gave birth to the song, she is acctually the songs grandmother AND one third of the songs mother, Santo and Johnny were the other mothe--no we can't say that, it's really fathered by the boys and mothered by the mother. Am I right or not? Anyway, what a great steel song it was,is,still well be and is the true classic song for us of all time. Why doesn't anyone ever play the bridge right?

Hougie Carcrasher III [This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 28 March 2002 at 08:42 PM.]