Do Steel Guitarists Ever Lose Their Cool?

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

They always appear to be far from losing their cool. What might cause them to lose their cool? Perhaps a cut finger caused by a broken string whipping and cutting a finger on the picking hand?

Alan Tanner · From: Near Dayton, Ohio

Cool what??

Dick Sexton · From: Greenville, Ohio

I lost a pretty cool extension cord Friday week. But one of my band mates found and returned it. That's pretty cool, looking out for each other. Now I wish he'd get off my donkey about it.

Don Hinkle · From: Springfield Illinois, USA

I was playing at our state fair couple years ago with my shiny black mullen guitar. Some drunk threw his cup of draft beer at someone else on the dance floor and it ended up on ME and my mullen!!!
I was beyond mad, upset or angry.. I was PISSED.
I stood up and pointed out a state police officer in the crowd (there were probably 3000 people at this event with security everywhere). I stopped the band, pointed out the dude and had him escorted OUT.
The beer thrower was mad as could be... but not as mad as me.. ohhhh was I mad...
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Emmons Legrande III SD10
Emmons Legrande III D10
Session 400
Fender guitars
Fender amps

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

As a steel player, working in the top band in the Portland, Oregon, market at age 15, I lost 'mine'

From that day on, I've always marveled how the macho guys will leave their girlfriends and wives unattended for a week, or even two weeks, so that they march off into the deep, dark woods with a bunch of their buddies so that they could get drunk and be generally irresponsible. I felt it was my youthful duty to take care of the home front. I tho't it was cool!

Dale Hampton · From: Missouri, USA

Lost my cool tonight. It all started last night. I play with two bands at this time. The one last night plays LOUD. I put toilet paper in my left ear so that I'm not deaf by the end of the night. We go in as a country band and this is a rock bar and the owner is unhappy and there is a hint of not getting paid,so luckily some of the guys are able to rock out the rest of the night and we we get paid. Ears ringing I load up and go home. Tonight I played with the other band at a senior dance and for the third week have to deal with a guitar/fiddle player that starts at the start of the song a don't stop till the end or sometimes after the song has ended. I attempted several times to take my turn on some fill and he just kept flogging away. I picked up an empty coffee cup and flipped it against the wall behind me. The drummer saw this and knows what my problem is and just smiled at me. I'm going to my room now Mad

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I punched out a singer on stage during a rock concert in NYC. He kept jumping up and down like a moron and bumping into my steel. I warned him a couple times then made it so there would be no more jumping that night.

Some gigs are more battle condition than others. All sorts of stuff happens.
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Bob

Alan Tanner · From: Near Dayton, Ohio

Once when I was playing in Lancaster, CA, the drummer was flirting back and forth with some gal. Anyhoo, her boy friend caught them over his shoulder while they were dancing. So up over the rail comes Mr. Macho. Stomps right on my pedals and tangles a cord and the mic almost goes over. As he started for the drummer, being a large person myself, I got him by the shirt and back of his britches and swung him back over the rail in a circular motion. He lit down on the dance floor, the crowd was cheering, he got up, grabbed his girl, and even tho' I played there a couple more years, I never saw them again. Didn't see any murders or beat downs in the local news either.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Years ago, in the town of New Marlborough, a man whose first name was Henry, ran a saloon there. I was there playing steel and lead guitar in the "Easy Livin'" Band one night, when the moon was full. A large crowded dance floor became an enticement to an imbibing individual to carelessly fling himself like a bowling ball, dead center into the players on stage. He crashed into the drummer after slamming the mike in the mouth of the bandleader. I was lucky on that particular evening. He missed me by inches, for which I was thankful, although it had taken the rest of the night to settle down from the close skirmish with the menace to our band equipment.

Joe Casey · From: Weeki Wachee .Springs FL (population.9)

I have had my share of situations on the bandstand...Some people just never learned the diference between a kindness and a weakness..Until then..

Roger Shackelton · From: MINNESOTA (deceased)

Sometime in the late 1970s, Curly Chalker was playing at A motel lounge near the Hall Of Fame, in Nashville. Some dude, who may have known Curly, started playing a harmonica near the bandstand. Curly stopped playing & in an angry tone told the guy "Hey man this is my gig."

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

I was told by a Connecticut personage a number of years ago that he was questioning Jimmy Day while he was preparing to play a scheduled performance, and that Jimmy snapped, "Run along sonny". I guess you can imagine that abruptly ended that interruption.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

I remember almost losing my cool at a nightclub called Mary's Diner, in Claverack, N.Y. I knew the man who was in charge of hiring the bands for weekend entertainment. I was booked in there with The Country Travelers Band one Saturday night. When I tried to set up my steel, the back legs were missing. It dawned on me, that I left them home. I cut a 2x4 the proper length, and (C) clamped it to the middle of my steel. It didn't interfere with my knee levers, and I hardly noticed a bit of difference in playing the instrument. That is as close as you can get to going home empty-handed after traveling 40 miles one way.

Bill Moran · From: Virginia, USA

Your playing a benefit gig, only about 5 or 6 songs, and you get written out of the program. I know the fiddle player doesn't care but my fiddle and amps weigh 200 lb ! LOL Razz

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Bill

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Bill M.,

A job related experience that by another measure would easily exceed the writing out of a particular performance, would be, as I once was trapped in a blinding snowstorm on route #20 in the Becket, MA woodlands. I was attempting to make it up the Berkshire Hills to a nightclub, called the SUMMIT HOUSE. My older Rambler sedan stalled suddenly as if the ignition was turned off. I made a lightning quick maneuver by U-turning and pulled to the curbing on the opposite side, heading down the hill. With my equipment stashed in the back of the Rambler, I exited the vehicle. There was an embankment to the right of the vehicle, and up I went towards a dim lighted window of someone's home. The band was expecting my arrival at the club, and there I was, trapped in a blinding snowstorm. Risking alarming the occupants, I had no other choices as I knocked on the door. Believe it or not, the only light in my grasp, was a candle that was in my glove box of the old Rambler. My luck suddenly changed at that moment! A middle-aged man opened the door, and a man at least 90 years old, called to me from a rocking chair saying, put out the candle! Put out the candle! The occupant of the dwelling assisted me with a bright battery powered light. I proceeded to use a points rubbing trick that I had learned on my own, and was able to fire up the engine. The band was just finishing setting up as I rushed through the door. I kept my cool...

Alan Tanner · From: Near Dayton, Ohio

I hate car problems, equipment problems, people problems, or ANY problem that upsets my karma right before a performance. Sometimes it seems that once I have broken the train, it is hard to get back on track again. It usually gets worse as "start time" approaches and the problem doesn't get solved until the very last minute....

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

A friend was in the back parking lot trying to make a repair on his pickup truck. He was patching up by trying to make a temporary fix to allow him to make it home. All of a sudden he yanked out the part in pieces and exclaimed, "Now I'll have to fix it right!" I couldn't have agreed more to his decision for not making the quick repair.

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