Pedal steel guitarist stirs up whirlwind
By CRAIG HAVIGHURST, PETER COOPER and BRAD SCHMITT
Staff Writers
and KEITH RYAN CARTWRIGHT for The Tennessean
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Robert Randolph wore a Harlem Globetrotters T-shirt for his late afternoon set on the BellSouth stage, which was appropriate, because he plays his instrument — the pedal steel guitar — with the same virtuosity with which the Trotters handle a basketball.
But the generous Randolph never shows off. His upbeat, gospel/rock raves stem from a charismatic, missionary zeal that's impossible to resist. Backed by his Family Band, which includes two cousins on bass and drums, Randolph produced a dramatic hour of music, including semi-spiritual tunes like You've Got To Move and Press On.
With his slide, he can play whole sequences of notes, while his picking hand floats in the air like a bronco rider or a preacher. When the spirit hits him hard, he'll kick his chair across the stage and dance like a madman while never missing a beat. He keeps a constant eye over his shoulder, locked in with his band, and exhorts everyone — audience included — into a deeper state of ecstatic fever.
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©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
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