@@CodiCox Alton Yancey

From Cave City Arkansas

His name is Alton Yancey. My dad.

@@robertrogers49 1979 I think

@@lha3954 thanks

Are you from Arkansas?

Missouri, met you at MFA

@@dustinowens2222 oh ok cool

@@user-lw5xi9ec6p Not so fast. Isaacs did get one of the first pedal steels but he didn’t invent them. Herbert Hise working with Jay Harlin at the Harlin Brothers firm built the first one called the Music-Kord. The patent was number 2519044 which indicates it was granted in 1944. Jay Harlin held the patent. This instrument had 8 strings tuned E7 and 4 pedals. At almost the same time Gibson, in Kalamazoo then, came out with a 5 pedal instrument called the Electraharp. It looked like a desk and the 5 pedals were facing the left foot fan shaped like a hand with the the fingers stretched out. Harlin sued Gibson for patent infringement and Gibson had to stop making Electraharps. Meanwhile Bigsby had perfected his lever device and it was becoming popular. The sound got the attention of steel players who soon figured out pedals could get them all kinds of string manipulations. Forrest “Bud” Isaacs always said he was inspired by Bigsby. Harlin licensed his patent and Gibson became the first pedal steel that became widely commercially available. Other wanna be instrument makers started figuring out how to get around Harlin’s patent by changing the mechanics, like cables vs. rods, which pedals worked what strings, straight vs. rotary movement to work the strings, lever angles, etc.. Bud Isaacs is usually considered the first pedal steeler to play on a hit record, namely Webb Pierce’s “Slowly” in 1954. Actually Speedy West out in California had been using pedal steel since about 1947 on records that probably outsold Webb’s Decca single. Nevertheless Isaacs inspired a rush of Steelers to add pedals. Home made set ups had everything from chicken wire to brake pedals. Even Ralph Mooney rigged up his own pedal steel in his early days. Whatever the legal situation was, pedal steels became standardized with a few easily handled differences (see Jimmy Day) within a short time and are all about the same mechanically now. Not sure who added knee levers but they’ve been around since the late fifties. Sorry to say, Bud Isaacs passed away a few years ago, but he was playing ‘til the end.

Fully agreed

@@robertrogers49 no but uploading full segment of night before

@lha3954 thank you so much.i wish I could see of the early grand ole opry televised shows that aired on pbs nashville in the late 70s early 80s. By the way thank you for posted everything that you have.i'm really enjoying it