Steve Green
From:
Gulfport, MS, USA
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Posted 14 Apr 2016 6:19 am |
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Most people know Don Helms as the steel guitar expert behind Hank Williams’ classic sound. Actually, Hank didn’t hire Don until January 30, 1950. Prior to that, there were a handful of songs (16 to be exact) that Jerry Byrd played steel on.
It’s hard to imagine two different steelers than Jerry Byrd and Bobby Koefer. Jerry wrote the book (literally and figuratively) on steel guitar method and technique. He was known as the “Master of Touch and Tone†(and basically all things “Steel Guitarâ€). Bobby, on the other hand was one of the most unorthodox steelers to ever live. He played with a flat bar, held in a seemingly cumbersome manner. He didn’t use finger picks – only a thumb pick.
One of the songs Jerry played on was “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cryâ€. In this video, Bobby Koefer plays it. Compare Bobby’s steel break to the original Williams/Byrd recording. Despite their differing styles and approaches to the instrument, I think Bobby really channels Jerry in this song. To me, he totally nails it. (P.S. – The vocalist is OK, but personally I think he “oversells†it.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvg7jrVYvT0
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Some songs I've written |
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