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Topic: RIP Bill Keith |
Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 24 Oct 2015 10:22 am |
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I heard that Bill Keith passed yesterday. Together with the late Winnie Winston (another master banjoist/pedal steeler), they wrote the classic "Bible" of pedal steel study that so many of us learned from in our early days.
RIP Bill and thank you for your huge contributions to steel guitar.
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 24 Oct 2015 10:34 am
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| Sorry to hear this. All around iconic cat. Bravo, Bill. |
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Terry Wood
From:
Lebanon, MO
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Posted 24 Oct 2015 11:08 am
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| Prayer for the Family and Friends! |
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Cliff Kane
From:
the late great golden state
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Posted 24 Oct 2015 3:05 pm
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A great guy and very smart, and an important stylist and inventor, the single most important figure in popularizing the melodic style of 5-string banjo playing, as well as inventing his Keith tuners, which improved upon the Scruggs tuners, which relate to pedal steel guitar mechanisms, no surprise. A great loss. RIP.  |
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Carl Heatley
From:
Morehead City,NC
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Craig Stock
From:
Westfield, NJ USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2015 7:14 pm
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Sad to hear, condolences to the family.
Got to see him play at the PSGA Show two years ago.
RIP
_________________
Regards, Craig
I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.
Today is tomorrow's Good ol' days |
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Ned McIntosh
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 2:11 am
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I was one of thousands who bought "Pedal Steel Guitar" in the 1970s and thus began my involvement with the steel-guitar. The names Winnie Winston and Bill Keith became burned into my memory. They were my guides as I began my journey.
Bill's contribution to the steel-guitar was matched by his contribution to bluegrass banjo, in terms of playing-technique and teaching.
Tributes and anecdotes about Bill are pouring in on the Banjo Hangout forums, for those who want to learn more about this amazing man and his life's work.
RIP Bill, and thanks for inspiring so many of us, whether on five strings or ten.
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The steel guitar is a hard mistress. She will obsess you, bemuse and bewitch you. She will dash your hopes on what seems to be whim, only to tease you into renewing the relationship once more so she can do it to you all over again...and yet, if you somehow manage to touch her in that certain magic way, she will yield up a sound which has so much soul, raw emotion and heartfelt depth to it that she will pierce you to the very core of your being. |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 6:49 am
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RIP Bill. A banjo legend.
_________________
Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Clyde Mattocks
From:
Kinston, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 8:20 am
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Met him backstage at the Opry and we talked pedal steel. A very nice person. I'm saddened to her this news.
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LeGrande II, Nash. 112, Fender Twin Tone Master, Session 400, Harlow Dobro, R.Q.Jones Dobro |
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Lyle Dent
From:
Little Rock ,Arkansas
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 10:16 am
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Truly sad news for the banjo family. To see his magic look at the Grey Fox tribute to Bill this year.
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Rittenberry Prestige SD-12,Mullen G2 SD-12 ,Mullen PRP S-12 BMI S-12 V8 octal, BJS Bars, LiveSteelStrings,Steelers Choice Seat. |
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Lynn Stafford
From:
Ridgefield, WA USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 11:19 am Bill Keith, Rest in Peace
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I want to extend my deepest condolences to Bill's family and friends. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have a few very pleasant phone conversations with Bill a while back. He shared a few stories about his time spent with the Blue Velvet Band and their European travels, along with some information about his Emmons wraparound.
Here are a couple of clips of the Blue Velvet Band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j2O7W-scaA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N_kXJ6UvOA
Here is the photo of Bill Keith that's on page 39 of "Pedal Steel Guitar".
_________________
Best regards,
Lynn Stafford
STEEL GUITAR WEST
http://www.steelguitarwest.com
Steel Guitar Technician (Restoration, Set-up, Service and Repair work)
Previous Emmons Authorized Dealer & Service Technician (original factory is now closed)
ZumSteel Authorized Service Technician
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Michael Breid
From:
Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 5:57 pm
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| What a great loss. I got to see him with the Kweskin Jug band right after he'd gassed everyone with his chromatic style of banjo playing. He then went on to write a great steel guitar book with Winnie Winston. I still have my copy. RIP Mr. Bill. You were a classic. |
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Allan Jirik
From:
Wichita Falls TX
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 7:01 pm
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| Though Brad Keith "There's only one Bill in my band" was with Monroe for less than a year he set the bar for the other banjoists that followed. He pioneered the melodic style and proved that the banjo had a legitimate place in jazz and classical music. His knowledge of music theory was amazing and if I'm not mistaken in addition to his contribution to Pedal Steel Guitar, Bill wrote the tablature for the Scruggs book (1968). What a musician, what a man. Gonna play some Devil's Dream tonight in his memory. |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 26 Oct 2015 6:17 am
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There a nice solo Played by him in the song "Green Rolling Hills Of West Virginia" (at 10:30).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M5HEG2JJ34
RIP Mr. Keith.
_________________
Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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John Brabant
From:
Calais, VT, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2015 7:44 am
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Oh no! This has been the most god-awful year for many of our friends and mentors. I was recently thinking that I have to see Bill playing out as it has been quite a while. I am very saddened by this news, a true mentor of mine and many of us. We will miss you Bill.
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John Brabant
1978 Emmons D-10 P-P |
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John Macy
From:
Rockport TX/Denver CO
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Posted 26 Oct 2015 7:36 pm
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Sad news indeed...I got to spend some time with him in the early '70's when we were booked on the same shows together...a delight to visit with and I loved his playing...rest easy!
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John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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steve takacs
From:
beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)
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Posted 27 Oct 2015 2:54 pm
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Bill, thanks for the music ride and the instruction you gave us.
My Scruggs banjo book does not get a lot of action these days but my copy of Pedal Steel Guitar certainly does. The latter provided me with a solid foundation for pedal steel. I'll bet that is true for a ton of other steel guitarists.
Condolence to the family. stevet
Last edited by steve takacs on 27 Oct 2015 2:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 27 Oct 2015 2:55 pm
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| blue velvet band....muleskinner, with clarence white. |
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Frank Freniere
From:
The First Coast
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Posted 28 Oct 2015 4:35 am
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Well done, Bill.
Condolences to the family. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Ron Page
From:
Penn Yan, NY USA
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Posted 29 Oct 2015 7:56 am
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RIP Bill.
As Jim said, that was the Bible of PSG for a lot of us. I had the original with the floppy vinyl record inserted and then bought another just a few years back with the DVD.
Condolences to Bill's family and friends. What a great and lasting contribution to our instrument and its players.
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HagFan
Emmons Lashley LeGrande II |
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Edward Efira
From:
California, USA
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Posted 29 Oct 2015 9:48 am
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RIP Bill,
I first saw you with Karen Dalton in the early 70s in Paris, playing steel and banjo and you blew my mind. Your moving to France created a brand new Bluegrass and Folk Rock scene, and a long list of french musicians honing their new skills, picking your brain, your immense knowledge/generosity and then their instruments... Godspeed
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<small><b>'75 Sho-Bud 4&4, '01 Zumsteel 8&8, 2012 Zum Hybrid 4&6</b></small> |
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John Brabant
From:
Calais, VT, USA
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Posted 30 Oct 2015 8:27 am
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Bill speaking at the IBMA awards ceremony October 1, 2015 in his induction to the IBMA Hall of Fame. He gives tribute to so many great musicians and makes mention of his taking up the steel guitar at 3:06. Really great and a bit sad to see this great man reduced by this awful disease, that took Winnie as well, to a wheelchair. RIP Bill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ZxvoxLmXY
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John Brabant
1978 Emmons D-10 P-P |
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Karlis Abolins
From:
(near) Seattle, WA, USA
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