50's and 60's Pedal Steel Thoughts

Dan Meadows · From: Texas

I'll start off by saying I respect every person who has ever sat down to play the pedal steel because I love the sound of the pedal steel so very much. ALL pedal steelers to me are special people BUT the guys on the recordings of the 50's, 60's and most recordings of the 70's blow ME away. Period. All of those pedal steelers
from that era can make the hair raise on my neck. They
all made the pedal steel the tastiest instrument to be heard in all of the best tunes. The "style" from that time will be my focus when I start learning. I ABSOLUTELY love it! I'm just thinking out loud and thought I'd post it.
Dan

Sonny Priddy · From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA, R.I.P.

50's 60's 70's Boy You Got It Dan. SONNY.

Terry Wood · From: Lebanon, MO

Jerry Byrd referred to it "The Golden Era of Contry Music." He told me once that "all the songs of that era had alot of meat in them."

Lloyd Green said "the 50's and 60's was the Renassiance of Copuntry Music."

I still listen to all the steel players from that era.

Terry Wood

Terry Wood · From: Lebanon, MO

Excuse the typos on my [post before here, but I think that the players of the 50s 60s and 70s were all stylists. When a steel player played you often could tell who was playing.

Examples of steel guitar stylists: Jerry Byrd, Don Helms, Speedy West, Roy Wiggins, Buddy Emmons, Curly Chalker, Bob White, Jimmy Day, Hal Rugg, Weldon Myrick, Pete Drake, Lloyd Green, John Hughey, Ralph Mooney, Zane Beck and Julian Tharpe.

To me and I am not knocking the players today, but I don't hear much individuality or new styles on steel.

I would like to hear more on this topic. Where is steel guitar going?

Terry Wood

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

The songs were good, the singers great, and the recording technique and production did not get in the way and complicate things. There was actual room in the mix for a lead instrument to work with the vocal and carry the intro and turnarounds.

Now days the drums are the most prevelant thing on the records. Back then a stick and a brush on a single snare drum provided everything on the drum track.

Dan Meadows · From: Texas

Terry,
I'll have to add Don Warden to that list. Smile

He sure added a ton to Porters Wagonmasters sound. Especially on the show tunes even backing guests. He made any singer sound better IMO. I loved Don Wardens licks.
Extremely good.

Dan

James Leaman · From: Wisconsin, USA

Amen brother!!! BTW if you want to hear some fine examples of that sound being produced today, check out my thread about Bobby Flores in the steel players section. Take care, Jim

Dan Meadows · From: Texas

Jim,
Glad to hear it. I will.
Thanks.

Dan

Terry Wood · From: Lebanon, MO

Dan,

Your right about Don. I never met Don, but I am only about 75 miles from Porter and Don's stomping home grounds. I asked about him not long ago and Don Helms told me that Don Warden is still managing Dolly. He left and went with Dolly years ago.

Also they used to have his 2 pedal standup Sho-Bud on display out there at Opryland. I think it was the first or second pedal Sho-Bud that Shot and Buddy built at Shot's garage. So I have been told they built it there. Maybe Buddy could share some on this sometime.

Terry Wood

Charles Davidson · From: Phenix City Alabama, USA

One of my favorite players,the great George Edwards,who played with Kitty Wells for twenty years,also recorded with the Philadelphia Phil-harmonic Orchestra,Vic Damon,Rosemary Clooney,Fabian,Frankie Avalon,The Manhattan Transfer,etc,Was asked his opinion between the steelers in the 60's and 70's,and today,He said back then each player had his own STYLE,as soon as you heard a record they were on you KNEW who it was,there are great players today but it's a generic sound,the whole music scene in NV is generic,I agree with him a 100 percent,the same is true with vocals[with a FEW exceptions]all the guys and gals that built the country music business back then had their OWN style,No matter if you liked them or not,the first word that came out of their mouth,you knew immediately who it was,each one had his or her OWN STYLE,very few today have that,don't you know.
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Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

With all respect to the great stylists of yesterday, it has to be said that those records seemed to have lots of 'breathing space'; today's product is EQ'd very differently, and steel guitar is not an automatic choice to carry the lead lines on a song.

I'm pretty sure that Paul F. would have had a much more distinctive 'voice' if he'd been at the top of his game thirty-five years ago. It's sad, but he's more likely to be asked to play 'pads' on today's hits.

The level of accomplishment of Paul, Tommy White and Buck Reid (just three stand-out examples - not a definitive list) surely far exceeds anyone's expectations of what pedal steel guitar-players would eventually attain.

Every so often there's a nice surprise, though, like that recent Josh Turner song - steel-guitar right up-front and dead-centre!

RR

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Brumley, Mooney, Manness with me. All distinct.

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

What Terry said, but lets add Bobby Garrett to the list of great 50,s and 60's players. They got those great sounds from instruments not near as sophisticated as todays pedal steels. Jody.

Dan Meadows · From: Texas

Terry,
That's good to hear about Don. I don't think Dolly ever sounded better than when she had the pedal steel of Don
Warden backing her on a tune. The mix of his style of playing and her great vocals were a blissful match.

Dan

Bill Ford · From: Graniteville SC Aiken

I pretty much agree with everybody, especially about the individuality, back in the 50s/60s,you could almost always name the player by his style, and tone.

BF
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Steeling for Jesus now!!!

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

I think that it has much to do with the fact that most if not all steel players at that time just recently grew out of the non-pedal era, many with very individual tunings and a better understanding of playing STEEL. Many helped or contributed eventually to the consolidation into somewhat a standard of tuning(s) and setup(s), which also led into a similar channeling of playing style which is muss less varied today... but then, so is, what they sell today as "country".

... J-D.

Eric Jaeger · From: Oakland, California, USA

But if we're honest with ourselves we should admit there was a lot of dreck at the time as well. We've just mentally edited out the junk and remember the great ones. In forty years who'll be cited?

"Things aren't what they once were. And they never were". - don't remember who said it

-eric

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Terry, one thing I get a kick outa, is watchin' Don's guitar change week by week! Once I even saw the pedals at the changer end of the guitar! I'd bet he's the one responsible for the kitchen cabinet handles on old steels! Don used to get it off camera fast!

Terry Wood · From: Lebanon, MO

I'd like to sit down and talk with Don sometime. I know he's be full of great stories. These guys were a treasure.

And your right Bobby Garrett needs to be on the list I'd forgot about him. There are others too that I forgot to mention.

GOD bless!

Terry Wood

john buffington · From: Owasso OK - USA

How about Buddy Charlton?

John Buffington

Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

Well I love the style of play y'all are talking about, too. But what makes me unhappy is that because it became so popular and ubiquitous, most people think that that style is what steel guitar is about (end of story). The fact is that pedal steels can be played in other ways that are just as pleasing to its afficianados. But you hear little of it. Whenever somebody sees a steel, pedal or otherwise, they want to hear the '50's and 60's. The great Hawaiian pioneers were great. So were the western swing players of the 30's and 40's. AND the great pioneering pedal players. Let's give them their props......and move on.
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Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

"I know that you been fooling round on me right from the start..."
Ralph Mooney's steel break that followed, hooked me as a 10 year old.
Then TB with "Together Again" and "Bud's Bounce".
Wore that record out on the old Stromberg-Carlson.

Fred Shannon · From: Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.

Good thread. Maybe I can add a little to the conversation and perhaps provide some more historical information to the thread. I was one of those 'fortunate individuals' who emerged out of the eggshell of non pedal to pedal steel guitars.

Bud Isaacs' playing on the Web Pierce song 'Slowly' was probably the event that brought to the attention of all non pedal steelers the necessity to evolve to pedal steel guitars. Those simple chord changes blew our hats in the creek. I really believe it was maybe in '52 but I'm not certain and too lazy to look it up.

In any case the non pedalers realized that after adding more necks (for different tunings) there was going to have to be a better way. However, Mr. Isaacs having brought the instrument to everyone's attention was not the first to play a pedal steel guitar.

Country music during this time frame was being infiltrated with a lot of western swing as I recall and the big chord 6 tunings were prevalent. I call your attention to this website from Bigsby guitars:

http://www.bigsbyguitars.com/history.html

It is a pretty good historical site as I remember it and have discussed with others of that time period.
If you'll notice there's a statement that says:

"On February 8, 1948, the second steel was finished: a triple neck with 4 pedals"

and I believe the guitar went to Joaquin. That means the PSG was up and running at least 4 years before "Slowly" was released.

I, like others of that era, remember having drilled holes in the tuning pans of Fender double necks and bringing straightened out clothes hangers with hooks and attaching them to an automobile gas pedal with an adjustable bolt that went to the floor. You can see some of these pans still around.

I think the PSG really went wild around the middle '50s when Buddy and Shot started ShoBud. It was apparent that Paul Bigsby could not keep up with the demand. I think there was probably a 2 year back up for the Bigsby guitar.

As for the style of music then with respect to the "new country", and the fact that a "move on" attitude should be taken; anyone who believes the old standards and western swing is dead hasn't been here long enough. Both styles of the music genre have continuously 'cycled' for as long as I can remember.

Swing and pure country has never left this part of the country and probably never will. Bands such as AATW, Bobby Flores, Billy Mata, Jody Nix, Buddy Hrabal's group, Billy Keeble's Texas Pride, and even the little band I play in are swamped with requests with songs that swing. Most of the above bands play in dance halls or night clubs around the country, some concerts perhaps. I see a lot of steelers around the state of Texas that I've heard about and they now live here.

Maybe it's a geographical thing, but in any case 'moving on' to "new country" music is probably not in the Texas music repertoire. Just my little addition.

BTW the website cited above is pretty good, and accurate as well as this old man's memory serves. I'll bet folks like Al Marcus and Jody Carver can add even more to this thread, because my memory's not that good.

Phred

Edward Meisse · From: Santa Rosa, California, USA

Well, as sometimes happens, I have left my comments open to too much interpretation. I play tunes from the turn of the 19th to the 20th century myself. It's not the old music I'm talking about. It's the way we use the guitar. Both the pedal and nonpedal guitars seem to be for the most part stuck in older paradigms. At this point I haven't the skill to change that. But it sounded to me like people like John Hughey and Tom Morrell were beginning to. Or maybe more than just beginning. I don't want to see the old ways abandoned so much as built upon. And I'd like to see the instrument break out of its hapa haole and country prisons in a really big way. Has anyone heard Joe Perry play his 8 string Chandler?
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Steve Norman · From: Seattle Washington, USA

It seems pretty rare to hear a steel player with space enough to do a lot on the newer songs. The pedal is always washed out by lead guitars it seems. Old recordings seem to have parts laid out for steel, guitars fiddles etc. They stop doing licks when the steel player parted.

I think if some of the newer country artists gave the steel players more room we would hear more amazing things.
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