What's making that.... "sound"!

Reece Anderson · From: Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.

Throughout my playing career I have continually received comments from the general public asking....what is that “thing” you’re playing? Like many of you I have always tried to explain it as best I could, at least until I saw the glazed look in their eyes.

Here’s the routine of explanation I started using years ago.

1) When asked I will say....you may not have ever seen one, but chances are you have heard it all your life and didn’t know what it was making “that” sound.
2) I tell them I believe the sound of steel guitar is one of the most recognized on the face of the earth....and that really peaks their interest.
3) I ask them if they ever heard this sound....I then play the Looney Tunes quick octave slide, and immediately see a smile come on their face.

After they make that unique sound connection, I then proceed to tell them how steel guitar has been in all kinds of music for many years, and most who are familiar with steel guitar categorize it as being primarily a Hawaiian or Country instrument.

As with all kinds of music, there are those who don’t care for Hawaiian or Country music, so after sizing up that situation I begin naming famous entertainers I’m sure they are familiar with, other than Country, who have recorded with and/or used steel guitar in their band.

I’m sure many of you have been asked the same questions, and I thought it might benefit the steel guitar community were we to make a list of those artist entertainers which could help some of us educate the general public abut steel guitar, and at the same time we would be helping to perpetuate the instrument we all love so much.

I’ll start the list with a few artist/entertainers who immediately come to mind, and I would appreciate knowing of others so we may add them to our “arsenal” when spreading the good word about steel guitar with others.….

Elvis Presley
James Taylor
Manhattan Transfer
The Beatles
Bon Jovi
Elton John
ZZ Top
The Eagles
Eric Clapton
Dire Straits

Steve Gorman · From: Gilroy California

Steely Dan

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

Eric Johnson shows lap steel in the credits on "Bloom"

Tommy Young · From: Ethelsville Alabama

THE GREATFUL DEAD

Terry Farmer · From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

The Rolling Stones
Pink Floyd
Keb Mo
Ben Harper
Asleep at the Wheel
Jackson Brown
Junior Brown

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Not having watched a Looney Tunes in years (is it even still aired?), I remember that there IS a steel slide at the beginning but can't recall the sound of it. Is it a big 6th chord, or major triad, or what? If I knew that, I could do that little demo for people too. (Whether it would gain me any new friends or not remains to be seen...) Wink

Terry Wood · From: Lebanon, MO

Paul McCartney
Marshall Tucker
The Carpenters
Pure Prairie League
Poco
Judy Collins
Bob Dylan

I'll try to remember others, there's a bunch more and get back.

Terry

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Medeski, Martin & Wood
Robert Randolph
The Campbell Brothers

Mike Winter · From: Portland, OR

New Riders of the Purple Sage
Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

Hartsfield
Mason Proffitt
Timothy P. and Rural Route III Very Happy

!(Thanks, Jerry--Heard some of y'all's stuff at Candy's house)

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Jim The slide on the Looney Tunes was done by Freddie Tavares who worked on the original Strat with Leo Fender.Somewhere I have a recording of the Tavares Brothers.
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Reece Anderson · From: Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.

Jim C....Looney Tune cartoons are still very popular with kids.

A simple triad with the root on top and sliding an octave quickly will simulate the sound. I sometimes add a 6th. Either will do, and you will immediately see their face light up.

I played a number of shows for the Elementary Public School System a few months ago, and each band member explained their instrument and played something for the kids so they could hear its sound.

When it was my time, I asked them how many had ever seen a steel guitar, and seldom did a hand go up. I then asked how many liked Looney Tune cartoons and of course every hand went up.

I then asked if they had ever heard this sound....I then played the octave slide and they all went ballistic and cheered. After each show they would rush up and gang around my guitar wanting to hear more. They were mesmerized with the sound....and come to think of it, the sound is what also hooked me and at an early age, and at the time I didn't have a clue what one even looked like.

I received my first steel guitar the following Christmas and I remember being disappointed because I thought it was supposed to be made out of steel.

Ricky Thibodeaux · From: Dallas,Texas

Aldus Roger & the Lafayette Playboys
sa c'est bon

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

Reece, you're selling the masses short.

I think most all of them know that those "whiny noises" come from a double-decker table-slide thingamabob.

Laughing

Steve Gorman · From: Gilroy California

The Pointer Sisters, remember "Fairy Tale?"

Beautiful playing by Weldon Myrick

Fred Eddie-Quartey · From: Illinois, USA

Nigerian Juju artists:

King Sunny Ade
Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey
Dele Abiodun
Segun Adewale
Shina Peters

Bent Romnes · From: London,Ontario, Canada

Reece, I loved your story about the grade school kids and how they went ballistic at the sound of the familiar Looney Tunes slide.
Young kids are so accepting to 'new' sounds. Their brains are void of biases like "oh that sounds like country, I don't like that stuff!"

Take my little granddaughter Kate who just turned 3.
(I have told y'all before but it's worth telling again)
When she comes over for a visit she comes over to where I am in front of the computer. She gets up on my lap and clamps the earphones on her head and has to listen to Curly Chalker play Alberta Bound three times in a row.

You think she might grow up loving the sound of the pedal steel? Smile

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Some more from the rock, pop, or folk arenas -

Ween, Ryan Adams, The Byrds, Danny Gatton, Mike Nesmith, Neil Young, Shawn Colvin, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Sheryl Crow, Linda Ronstadt, Ian Tyson, Jewel, R.E.M., David Byrne, The Black Crowes, Tracy Nelson/Mother Earth, Joan Baez, Tom Rush, Bonnie Raitt, Karla Bonoff, Red Rider, Lyle Lovett, Little Feat, Joe Cocker, Delaney and Bonnie, Frank Zappa, The Bee Gees, John Lennon, Fleetwood Mac, Martha and the Muffins, Billy Bob Thornton, Drive By Truckers, U2, Dickie Betts, Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker, Warren Zevon, Bruce Springsteen, The Mermen, Taj Mahal, Mike Bloomfield, Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Tom Paxton, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Goodman, Joe Henry, The Dead String Brothers, Harvey Mandel, Steve Stills, Brewer & Shipley, Ann Murray, ...

There are plenty more.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Dave, the problem with your nicely-done list is that pretty much anyone who knows those artists/groups is no stranger to steel guitar. Let's face it, most of those artists and groups were active 30+ years ago! (I can't believe I said that). Brewer & Shipley?? Oh Mommy! Whoa!

Joe Miraglia · From: Jamestown N.Y.

Reece- Sat. night playing a gig, two girls on the dance floor asked me what I called what I was playing.I answered "a steel guitar",than added "I bet the first time you girls heard a steel guitar, you were about 3 years old.Just before Porky Pig said "da,da,da, that's all folks". I then played that famous lick Smile

And they said,"Yes,that's it!" Joe
www.willowcreekband.com

Charles Curtis · Posted 30 Jan 2008 1:32 pm

Ever visit Jay Dee Maness's web-site and look at the list of people that he's worked with? However, in this area, when it comes up in conversation, most are not familiar with it.

Les Anderson · From: The Great White North

I've been asked not what is is but, "how come you call it a steel guitar when it's not made of steel at all"?

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Jim - Ween, REM, The Black Crowes, Jewel, Bonnie Raitt, Frank Zappa, John Lennon, Joe Cocker, Zappa, The Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac, U2, and so on? I don't think the mainline fans of these types of bands/people are particularly into steel guitar at all. At least not the ones I know.

I was trying to list artists outside the realm of country music or steel-guitar jazz, who might be more familiar to fans of popular music of all ages - older or younger, and not particularly fans of steel guitar.

btw - with the exception of Bon Jovi (25 yrs?), all the artists in Reece's original list have been around for at least 30 years.

Dave Burr · From: League City, TX

Great job Dave! Don't forget "The Flying Burrito Brothers", "Manassas" and "The Wallflowers".

You're right there are MANY more.

Respectfully,
David Burr

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Reggae artists Toots and the Maytals used one on one of their recordings. Bob Marley may have used a lap steel on one too, but it might have been a standard 6 string guitar played with a slide.
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