The Strange Story of the Steel Guitar, Country's Most Magical Instrument

[@CyrusWaugh]

What makes Grady so good is making videos not many would think of asking for and they’re so well researched and told

[@GradySmith]

Aw damn, man. Thank you.

[@redhotdiscoboy]

Here here!! Incredible content!

[@GoDawgs18]

Don Helms deserves a mention. “Hey Good Lookin” is possibly the most iconic steel guitar line in country music history

[@mraycgz]

I caught his show a few years before he passed. He basically told his life story while playing all those beautiful steel licks. His wife was with him and it was truly an act to see. From Hank to Ray Price all the way to Alan Jackson renting his steel guitar for more than Don ever made in a year while playing it. It was really special.

[@GoDawgs18]

@@mraycgz that’s an amazing experience

[@tablature6121]

Also, I think Speedy West deserved a mention, and in the "girl players" category, most definitely Sara Jory: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIitY6ioZtmDjac&ab_channel=HandymanPete

[@blaisemacpherson7637]

Lloyd mains aka dixie dad deserves a mention. Also embarrassing that grady had to mention franklin. Should have been TOP of the list.

[@blaisemacpherson7637]

Oops my bad commented too early.

[@collierrocks]

Jerry Garcia’s pedal steel intro to Nash’s Teach Your Children is one of the best opening licks in pop history.

[@deanevangelista6359]

Yeah, and Garcia had only recently started playing that instrument.

[@edgarvolkov8631]

I am from Ukraine. It was years ago in my teens when I heard a random song featuring steel guitar. It went deep and stroke the very bottom of my soul. Much later after doing a research I found it was country music. Forever fan of both the genre and the instrument. Keep her cryin'. It's beautiful

[@adams8585]

What’s the name of the song?

[@dannork1240]

More proof of the Universal Power of Music bringing all humanity together 👍🏼

[@dragonflySummer09]

Have to talk about Jerry Byrd, the first inductee into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame, and who was known as the “master of touch and tone”…. He left Nashville when it appeared to him that Country Music was getting away from the sound he was using in the 1950s, and he moved to Hawaii, where he died about 15 years ago… my dad played steel in 1952 for Little Jimmy Dickens and became friends with Jerry Byrd…

[@pAWNproductionsDE]

I'm not a particularly big fan of country, but I've always found this instrument fascinating, especially the pedal steel with all its complexities. I'm glad videos like this exist, and I hope the instrument expands into more genres

[@leadsin99er]

Some classic hits like All I wanna do - Sheryl Crow, Tiny Dancer- Elton John, Something in the way she moves- james Taylor all incorporated steel guitars albeit not being county genre.

[@isaiahgendron2332]

i believe the band Swans has incorporated a pedal steel player over their last few albums, theyre like nowave/noise/doom/experimental in terms of genre! one of my fav uses of the instrument tbh

[@ronniesimonet5922]

Crosby, Stills Nash and Young used the steel guitar in "Teach Your Children". The progressive rock band "Yes" used it spectacularly in "And You And I"

[@theoracle3747]

The notes to play whatever "genre" anyone wants are all on the pedal steel guitar's fretboards - C6th or E9th, doesn't matter. But the specific tunings of each neck lend themselves to playing certain genres, simply due to the ease or relative difficulty of playing the chords common to the various genres. For example, the E9th tuning, and the common pedal copedants (what the pedals and levers do) was ingeniously designed for the country music genre, and is most often used for that. But if you want to play classical music on the E9th neck, the notes are all there.

[@erikheddergott5514]

You might go for Susan Alcorn, she also played with Mary Halvorson.

[@brandigabriel6921]

The history lessen we didn't know we needed. I loved it! Great job, Grady.

[@theoracle3747]

"lesson"

[@baroqueguitarist5673]

I’m surprised Speedy West didn’t get a mention. I’ve been a huge fan of Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West my whole life. There playing never gets old.

[@goodun2974]

They did mention Buddy Emmons but they never mentioned that Buddy did a couple of records and tours with Danny Gatton on Telecaster.

[@OdaKa]

@@goodun2974 is what you just said connected to the comment you' re replying under? If so, how?

[@goodun2974]

@@OdaKa Speedy West + Jimmy Bryant = high-octane steel guitar and Telecaster interplay. Buddy Emmons + Danny Gatton = high-octane steel guitar and Telecaster interplay. If somebody is a fan of one of these pairings, they should probably listen to the other because they might like that as well. What, you really feel like you gotta play gatekeeper here?

[@OdaKa]

@@goodun2974 No, I was asking genuinely. This is my first time learning about these people, so I wanted to know why you were naming different people than what was being talked about.

[@InvictusAeterna]

Steel guitar has ALWAYS been my favorite instrument since I could remember, and it is what spoke to me most in my love for country music. I play lap steel, and my favorite thing to do is incorporate jazz in it as he showed the night life album. To me, country isn’t country without the steel

[@briandoerger883]

Wished the video would have gone twice as long, would love to see the in-depth clips of him playing!

[@simply2341]

I saw Reed with CWG in Columbus back in April. The crowd was so electric whenever he would do a solo. So much talent.

[@georgekovacs4278]

I always enjoyed hearing Sneaky Pete Kleinow, the pedal steel player for Gram Parsons band Grievous Angel and David Lindley who played lap guitar for Jackson Browne, both in the mid-seventies.

[@goodun2974]

I was going to bring up Sneaky Pete's name but you beat me to it. I've been a Lindley fan for decades, seen him play a number of the number of times, and got to meet him at a gig. Meghan Lovell is another really good lap steel player.

[@tattoofthesun]

Oh man, there’s nothing like Gram Paraons for me. GREAT mention

[@mattolsonmusic8683]

I love Gram parsons and sneaky Pete is one of my all time favorite pedal steel players.

[@alanfbrookes9771]

As a longtime steel player myself, and an active member of the Steel Guitar Forum, I really enjoyed this video. No errors at all. The main thing that was missed out is why the pedals are there, to allow access to chords which couldn't be played with just a tone bar and open tuning, even with C6. I'm surprised there was no mention of Jerry Byrd and Don Helms, but you can't get to everyone.

[@michaelmonthey5974]

I would like to see beginner’s guides for other iconic and influential instruments in country music like the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and fender telecaster guitar.

[@Kahscho]

It would be great to see videos from other icons discussing their instruments (e.g., interview Jerry Douglas for dobro, Michael Cleveland for fiddle, etc.)

[@anjumsings9827]

This was an eye opener! I truly didn't know anything, like, whenever Grady's mentioned the "steel" in the instrumentation I've had no clue what he was talking about. The history was fascinating and now having language to put to that sound I grew up listening to is something I'm grateful for. Plus, Read had such a kind and generous personality, I was just smiling watching him. I'm sure his students love him. Loved the video and hope for more informative ones in the future!

[@allenhayesmusic]

Love that Hoot Gibson has a part in this amazing story! He was one of my grandpa’s favorite cowboy actors.

[@wolfganggoyim]

How could he not mention Ralph Mooney. He's the best steel guitar player ever. RIP moon

[@TheDive25]

Yep, my personal favorite.. along with Jerry Byrd.

[@jasonlopez53099]

Pick it moon !

[@IKenichiSmithI]

As a Native Hawaiian we have been contributing to the mainland for a long time

[@timturner36]

Since the early Worlds Fair Cultural exchanges

[@IKenichiSmithI]

@@timturner36 even the civil war, both Hawaii born and native alike brother.

[@gxtmfa]

Any slide guitar you hear in blues, rock, country or elsewhere all started in Hawaii.

[@counterflow5719]

Joseph Kekuku is the name to remember, a Hawaiian. I "like" the way he gets left out when the video maker restates and summarizes the history. He completely and conveniently starts history with the Texas playboys. Give credit where it is due. Joseph Kekuku, a Hawaiian, developed the Steel Guitar for the world's enjoyment.

[@alansturgess1324]

Back in 1962, when I was a young lad, my local record shop near Birmingham (UK) stocked a lot of American country guitarists' LPs. One that I bought (I still have) is 'Nashville steel guitar' (Starday/London) with instrumentals by Pete Drake, Jimmy Day, Don Helms, Herby Remington, Dick Stubbs, Al Petty, and Little Roy Wiggins. 60 years later, it's still a great record.

[@VidarLund-k5q]

I bought that Starday LP in the late sixties as well.

[@joewer2839]

Grady Smith is the one stop shop for all a country fan can ask for

[@InventorZahran]

"When you hear twin fiddles and a *steel guitar,* you're listening to the sound of the American heart." -George Strait, in 'Heartland'

[@thomaslgrice]

Arena western swing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnuohHl6nNuqgZY

[@frankchilds9848]

For what it's worth, I have lived in Hawaii for most of my life, and I respect you for acknowledging the Hawaiian part of steel history! Thank you and aloha!

[@NelsonStJames]

I was always a fan of 1950’s music, and I was always drawn to the sound of a steel guitar in a lot of 50’s rock and roll, so I’ve never thought of the sound of the steel guitar as sad, it’s always put a smile on my face when I hear it,

[@TheFlutecart]

For those of you who have not listened to much Hawaiian music, do your earhole a favor and give it a good listen. Even the Hawaiian language is melodic like like a bird singing and the music is as rhythmic as the interlaced waves.

[@machoprotegido5607]

Cool my german father always called it "Hawaii Guitar".

[@blakecote5867]

What a swath of information we are so lucky to have. Read, thank you for giving us your insight, it's truly a treat. Thanks Grady for setting it up, keep up the amazing work. Your choice of topics you decide to cover is unrivaled.

[@ms.annthrope415]

Great history. Never in a millions years would I have guessed that it came from Hawaii. But it just shows how all music have such complex paternities and lineage influences.

[@goodun2974]

There was some kind of World's Fair or Exposition in the US in the early 1900s, like 1904 or 1906 I think, and Hawaiian musicians were brought over to perform; people went absolutely crazy for it. This was likely the first major introduction of lap steel guitar playing to mainland America. There is an excellent 4-part PBS documentary called American Epic, about the "songcatchers", both amateurs and professional promoters, who fanned out across America with portable recording equipment in the early 1900's. It contains capsule histories of various music styles including Hawaiian music, Cajun music, Dixieland jazz, blues, country, folk and so on, fleshing out some of the subjects covered in Ken Burns country music series and delving into other tangential subjects. The story of the rediscovery of Mississippi John Hurt is particularly poignant; and the final episode features a lovingly restored 1929 Western Electric record cutter and amplifier system in gleaming brass and gold with a rack full of tubes. Famous musicians including Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, Elton John, and others show up to cut 78 rpm records direct to disk through a single shared microphone! A great series if you can still find it. I watched it a couple years ago online via Amazon Prime. I'm generally a bit more into hard edged lap steel (for blues and rock) than I am into pedal steel, but some of the players I like include David Lindley, Megan Lovell (of Larkin Poe), Junior Brown, and Cindy Cashdollar (Asleep at the Wheel). Several other people here have mentioned that you kind of forgot about Speedy West, who is every bit as influential as Buddy Emmons. You might have noted that Buddy played with Danny Gatton, or vice versa! If you wanna hear some really unusual lap steel playing, check out Dan Dubuque here on KZbin; he plays heavily amplified *acoustic* Weissenborn lap steel, with lots of distortion and effects, in a very rhythmic and percussive style, and plays covers of Tool, Nirvana, and Rage Against the Machine songs. A huge sound! You wouldn't think this would work at all, but I really like it, even though the songs are a bit outside of my usual tastes. How is it that bottleneck-style slide guitar was never mentioned? It's just a different branch on the same slide-guitar tree. Some of my faves are Ry Cooder, John Mooney, Johnny Winter, Duane Allman, the awesome Dave Hole from Oz, and last but not least, Sonny Landreth, who combines the fingerpicking of Chet Atkins with the slide of Robert Johnson and Johnny Winter, and the electricity of Hendrix. He has been John Hiatt's secret weapon for several decades, and a regular at the Crossroads festival; Knofler, Clapton, and Brad Gill all sing his praises.... Other lap steel players worth listening to are David Lindley, Meghan Lovell, Cindy Cashdollar and Junior Brown. Even David Gilmour of Pink Floyd played lap steel on records and concerts, as did Steve Howe of Yes.

[@Ozmulki]

Country without steel is less than satisfactory. I love all songs that start with a steel guitar!❤ fantastic interview.

[@steeljj]

Hi Grady and Reed, you both did a great job! Thanks for your big support to the steelguitar community! Johan

[@kurtkuhlman5350]

Awesome video. I was at that Jesse Daniel concert in Nashville! The concert was awesome in general, but Caleb Melo absolutely rocked it, even played with his face covered at one point. It was amazing!

[@codydewayne3490]

Really wish there were more pedal steel players around. Would love to learn but it’s very expensive to get started. It’s the best instrument in country music, in my opinion. Would like to see a part two!

[@missgreen114]

Such a brilliant video! Deep dives like this show the rich diversity of country music's history. Country music today is often aligned with a white vision of what America 'used' to be - when in actuality many of the tools and mediums used to express stories were created/adopted by black Americans, Hawaiians, Native Americans, European immigrants, and more. Country music is so much more than the limited idea of American history and culture, and it is wonderful to see how different voices have contributed to the genre's evolution. Thank you Read and Grady.

[@williamjenkins4913]

Country has a bit of a checkered past. It is bluegrass intentionally scrubbed of "black" influence. Created by and for poeple that didnt want any of that "N** music". While I'm not trying to make any claims about modern musicians you can definitely hear that history in the genre.

[@igorwerry]

What a good start of the day is watching this episode of Grady! Thanks and greetings from the Netherlands

[@RobMacKendrick]

I write Buddhist country (yes, really) and I've got a song called Steel Guitar, in which a succession of people ask the Buddha deep, probing questions about the human condition, and he begs off, saying: I'd need a steel guitar A touch of pedal steel With a shiny bar So it would make you feel Like it was in your soul From the very start Yeah, to lay that down I'd need a steel guitar This came from my deep yearning for a steel guitarist to tell 'em how I feel. Fiddle and slide guitar are fine too, but I learned from George Strait, Gordon Lightfoot, Blue Rodeo, Lyle Lovett, Don Williams, Michel Rivard, George Harrison, and Zachary Richard (just off the top of my head) that if you want to land a punch, you're gonna need some steel. Great video! I always wondered how steel guitar ended up in country. Funny how it's such an anchor part now, like it was always there.

[@Hal_T]

This video could have been twice as long and I would have loved every minute. In the mid-50s our family traveled from Virginia to California by car through the south. I was less than 10. My father loved music, so the radio was always on. That's how I fell in love with anything played on steel.

[@halwakka504]

I'll be honest, I don't really like much country music but the sound of the steel guitar is absolutely amazing.

[@adams8585]

What I like to do is find good country songs with steel (usually from the 70s and 80s when steel guitar was used A LOT) and put them in a playlist. A good pedal steel solo can make a song magical

[@ifolkinrock]

Hey, it's Read! He was my first country music mentor. He helped this bluegrass guy put down my Martin and pick up a Telecaster for the first time.

[@Billybob-eo5vf]

Live forever - billy joe shaver The best example of a steel guitar in history. I love that song.

[@c6e9]

I've not found any version of that song that has a steel guitar on it. Great tune, but no steel. If you can point to a version with steel, I'd love to hear it.

[@hurtinalbertan8399]

This was amazing. Thank you! My favourite instrument, hands down. Ralph Mooney was an amazing steel player with Waylon Jennings.

[@yst998]

he’s the greatest steel player of all time

[@flordeespinart]

having pedal steel and just steel tunes playing on a loop will be something so soothing to just zone out. no vocals...just steel on its glory swinging through all the moods. I think it will even help on finding sleep in restless nights

[@JasonWilliams-nm4qq]

I wish this video had been around 10 years ago. It more or less sums up and validates everything I’d learned through years and years of scouring the internet with little to no guidance whatsoever (barring some obvious holes). I’m excited/jealous for any newb steel players that find this vid as a starting point.

[@NemoNepersonne]

Nice interview. Lloyd Green is my favorite. Exquisite. The ukulele reached Hawaii on 22 August 1879, first played there on that day by Portuguese. About 400 of them were brought on a ship to work on the sugar plantations. They brought what is now called the ukulele with them, and Hawaiians loved it. It’s a Portuguese instrument.

[@adampursell8110]

I just saw Robert Randolph open up for Zac Brown Band! He also played with them during the end of the show.

[@robbes7rh]

Steel guitar is capable of adding amazing harmonic textures to a song that no other instrument can match. My golden example for pedal steel is the album version of “These Days” from Greg Allman’s solo album, Laid Back. I also liked hearing it on Working Man’s Dead by the Greatful Dead. The group traveled to Nashville(?) in 1970 to record their second album and though there was some collaboration with country music players, Jerry Garcia learned the rudiments of steel guitar and played it on several tracks which added wonderful mood and character to those songs.

[@RockReynolds]

Good video! I love the "steel sound", especially pedal steel. Two of my favorite players were Tom Brumley and Ralph Mooney. I am fascinated with the evolution of "Honky Tonk". --- Love 'Ol Hank, despite the fact, that Hank didn't have a drummer, didn't sing harmonies, didn't have a Telecaster, and Hank's fiddler, Jerry Rivers, was pretty much limited to double-stops. --- When Ray Price "inherited" Hank's traditions, putting pedals on the steel, had just been invented, Ray started incorporating singing harmonies, and Ray's fiddle was more geared towards "single notes". "Crazy Arms" in 1956, is considered by some to be a "turning point" in "Honky Tonk". --- THEN, Buck Owens seemed to take the Ray Price "Model", emphasize pedal steel more than fiddle, and added the snare-drum "brush" sound and Telecaster. BTW, the "brush" snare-drum sound, can be traced back to an old-time fiddle tradition, called "straw beating", which accompanied old-time fiddle tunes. Speaking of "Telecaster", I am under the impression, that Leo Fender was the one who came up with the idea of putting pedals on a steel guitar. If Leo wasn't the first, he was one of the earliest. --- Sadly, sadly, sadly, I had to "leave it behind", and, although I couldn't play it, I actually owned a Fender Model 1000 Pedal Steel Guitar, ironically, the most DISRESPECTED guitar, ever made by Fender. --- The Model 1000 had two necks, eight strings each, with 8 pedals, usually three to one neck, five to the other. --- When I first bought the Model 1000, I had my old-time fiddle instructor do some basic maintenance. When my old-time fiddle instructor returned the Model 1000, he said, "Get this monstrosity out of my sight, and never let me see it again." --- I had paid $300 for the Model 1000, and $300 for repair. --- As my instructor said, the Model 1000 was a MONSTER!!! I couldn't believe how HEAVY the guitar was. The body of the Model 1000 was NOT a "Frame" as later models such as "Rosebud", but instead, was a SOLID BLOCK OF WOOD, in a CAST-IRON frame! I never weighed the guitar, but I'm guessing that the two cases weighed close to 100 pounds. --- My understanding is that the reason the Model 1000 quickly fell out of favor, was that the string-pulling mechanisms under the neck, were CABLES, not rods. I was told by a steel player, that the Model 1000 was difficult to keep in tune. --- Nevertheless, man, oh man, I miss that guitar. It was an important piece of History, but I was on the move, and the guitar was too heavy to take with me. I used to think, "Most 1950's solid body guitars from Fender, are worth 10's of Thousands of dollars. I have, what must have been a PREMIER Fender solid-body guitar from the 1950's, and book value was $1,000." I consider one of the CLEANEST non-pedal players, to be Jeremy Wakefield, who played with Wayne Hancock. Jeremy was so clean, that Lloyd Maines switched to Producer, to allow Jeremy to play. Once again, great video. Rock

[@xOtherStone]

Literally got chills when Reed demonstrated “sad country” on the steel. That’s just why I love that instrument so much

[@dennisfox8673]

Great video! And I say this as more of a general guitar fan, as opposed to a country music fan. Your enthusiasm (and Read’s too!) is pretty infectious. I loved the history lesson, I was aware of the role of Hawaiian guitar in developing slide guitar techniques, but not the names or the timelines, that was great to learn. Keep up the great work!

[@margarethouse404]

As to timelines : Either 3 minutes after it developed in Hawaii , it was instantly stolen in rural Mississippi , OR more likely it independently evolved at the same time in the Mississippi Delta . From whence , the Other early 20th Century independent path of mixing musical genres - The Travel Medicine Shows . Before Radio , before records and record players trickled down to the poor and working folks , before major concert tours , Medicine Shows brought package shows of players of several genres of music to play for the same audiences through out the rural South. Among them were " Hillbilly String Bands " and Delta Bluesmen . They would be exposed to each other's music , and jam with each other . Brought the Steel Guitar into Country ( as opposed to Western Swing ) music , and influenced the expansion of Blues into additional sub genres , with Hill Country Blues , Piedmont Blues , and Texas Blues have Hillbilly influences .

[@brettday1278]

I play both pedal steel and dobro and I love learning about the history of the steel guitar!

[@robertdablemont8131]

Love this video, I have always loved the lap steel, dobro and steel guitar even though I am a rock and roller. Found out many years ago that my grandfather on my Mom’s side played Hawaiian lap steel in bands in Hawaii. All the players you mentioned I love. Also Rusty Young who recently passed away, and Cindy Cashdollar.

[@joemedley195]

The 2019 book about the history of the electric guitar, “The Birth of Loud” has detour through the history of lap steel. When steel players got amplified they got all the solos, which made regular guitar players want to amplify so they could get solos too. That lead to the invention of the electric guitar. It also mentions that during the Hawaiian music fad, bands would play what we would call country one night and Hawaiian the next. They weren’t going to leave the steel player at home on country nights, which is how steel became part of country. What’s striking to me is that a long forgotten musical fad lit sparks that lead to the defining sounds of both country and rock.

[@danwittmayer6539]

I enjoyed the video, especially the history section. Somehow you guys didn't mention how much concentration a pedal steel player must have to not mess up. In a country band performance I usually see the contrast between all the other smiley bandmates & the steel player looking like he's seriously reading a book.

[@margarethouse404]

Left hand , right hand, foot pedals and knee levers at the same time is like walking . chewing gum , juggling , and tumbling at the same time .

[@obscuredbythecloud1175]

Great video! It reminded me of the Cocaine and Rhinestones episode about Ralph Mooney. If anyone wants to learn more fascinating information about steel guitar and its place in country music, I highly recommend that episode as well as the series in its entirety.

[@TinManKustoms]

I'm honestly surprised that Junior Brown didn't get a mention here because he created a gut steel instrument that combines steel guitar and a guitar in one

[@blaisemacpherson7637]

Oh he is fun

[@charlesgplott5133]

JBs' instrument is called a "Git/Steel" It's a T-style neck and a lap steel neck on one body.

[@tiffanypadilla3591]

Thanks for shouting out Laurel Cove Music festival, the most amazing venue ever!!! Super cool video Grady! Love love love. Steel guitar's sure make the music a million times better

[@cv2tv]

I was blessed enough to see Junior Brown twice. He built his own steel guitar combined with an electric guitar and switches between both while standing up. Definitely take a trip through his music, he does the opening for Better Call Saul and has been a legend for several decades now.

[@VidarLund-k5q]

Junior Brown is an incredible artist on his double instrument. He's a fine singer as well, reminding me of Ernest Tubb.

[@surnamehrubes5632]

Thank you Hawaii for inventing the steel Guitar. Cowboy music will always be grateful to your sound.

[@monto39]

My favorite 3 - Sol Hoopii, Bob Dunn (Musical Brownies) + Ralph Mooney on the early Buck Owens records. This was a freaking cool video

[@ShaneFrameSessions]

Great topic and great job telling the story of the Steel Guitar.

[@kiwitealc5353]

I'm so behind watching because you're on a roll with these videos! Finally got to watch this one, super interesting stuff. You're really good at finding cool people to interview and interviewing them well.

[@mikeramone003]

Dont forget about Junior Brown and his "GitSteel"

[@reedgilliammusic]

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Reed a couple times when opening for CWG. Absolutely top notch musician and a even better guy to talk to!

[@jerryderr8043]

Thank you so much! I for one really needed this video for my own curiosity. I've been learning lap steel for 5 years and can't get enough of the history.

[@HSLSENG]

I love the sound of steel but knew hardly anything about it, this was such a cool interview! Read’s passion for the instrument was so great to see, looking forward to see him play next month

[@alexposilkin9683]

Jerry Douglas has always been one of my favorite musicians. Every time he solos it’s like magic is being made. And if you want to hear steel guitar in a different context, take a listen to Juju Music by King Sunny Ade and his African Beats (1982). Not sure if it’s lap steel or pedal steel, but it sounds like it’s from outer space.

[@margarethouse404]

Jerry Douglas is the most widely known throughout the larger music world , from his session work with everyone , in every genre of music . Arguably the greatest Dobro player of all time was Mike Aldridge , but he stuck closer to Bluegrass universe , and wasn't as well known to the general public . Of living Dobro players , give a listen to Rob Ickes .

[@archerygirl_ab]

I have always loved the steel guitar, so I was excited to see this video pop up at the top of my Subscriptions page. If I could learn how to play any instrument, it would be a steel guitar. I've actually looked for instructors where I live, but haven't found any. Loved learning about the history of the steel guitar ❤️

[@davehopping7212]

Check out the Steel Guitar Forum. A lot of nice folks( and a few national-level players) hang out there.You can also find all kinds of print, video, and Skype instruction as well as resources for good new and pre-owned steels, amps, accessories,et cetera. I do have to say, though, that Grady over-emphasizes the complexity a little. It's true that a pedal steel is mechanically complex, but the playing part of it is easier than it's made out to be once you get a little "muscle memory" going. The only downside is that it does take some $$ to get into the game, and guitar players (especially) tend to get sticker-shocked. Me, I considered it money well spent.

[@JasonJBrunet]

Don't rule out online lessons! I've been taking lessons over zoom from a Hawaii music school on Oahu, and I have learned a lot from them. Ke Kula Mele is the school.

[@goodun2974]

@@davehopping7212 , Pedal steel guitars may be expensive but lap steell guitars can often be had quite inexpensively. A few years ago you could buy Asian made lap steels for just north of $100 I think. And even vintage ones from the Fifties rarely run much more than $500 unless they're particularly collectible ( Old Fender lap steels are an exception because they were built with vintage telecaster pickups in them, which people rob to put into actual telecasters).

[@davehopping7212]

@@goodun2974 Right you are! And a non-pedal lap/console steel uses the same left-hand bar and right-hand picking techniques as do pedal steels, so those can be learned without the upfront bux needed to get into a pedal. Worth considering also that a great deal of the best classic country ( classic blues, too) was done on non-pedal steels, and some VERY cool sounds lie under those short little 36 fret boards. It's entirely legitimate to start a steel guitar journey with a lap-steel, and a lot of pedal wizards bring a lapsteel to work. For some superb non-pedal, check out Lawrence Welk sideman Buddy Merrill on KZbin

[@goodun2974]

@@davehopping7212, I am mostly a fan of blues and blues based rock, but I enjoy almost any kind of really good slide playing ---- though I definitely prefer it a little on the gritty side ---- and that encompasses both bottleneck styles (like Ry Cooder, and Sonny Landreth), lapsteel styles (David Lindley, Cindy Cashdollar, and Meghan Lovell), and yes some pedal steel too. It is also worth mentioning that if any beginners here happen to luck onto almost any laps steel made by National/Valco (Supro, Airline or whatever it's branded) with the infamous string-through pickups, at an affordable price, BUY IT! Those things absolutely rock, and the pickups just scream.

[@cityslicker77]

As someone that knows nothing about any of this, but am eager to learn now... thanks for this history lesson. Saw Robert Randolph open for the Allman Brothers as a kid, I didnt give steel guitars much thought until recently when I saw Larkin Poe. Megan Lovell was playing an instrument that reminded me of RR but she was running around the stage. It was a lap steel she had modified. In looking into it, I came across her diy vids. I know steel guitars aren't recommended to be the first thing you try and jump into, but guess I'm jumping haha my amazon cheapo lap steel just came in and it's a blast so far, Ive got a list of musicians to look up just from this comment section.. thanks!

[@kevinferrin5695]

Read is delightful. Thank you for the interview.

[@DG-hm1on]

Just like your deep dive into Hunter Hayes and convo about Canada Country Music, you did it again! I love these formats as I learn about something that I didn't think about before. Keep up the great work!

[@Rockhead84]

Awesome historical and current breakdown of this distinctive instrument that brings such a great sound to music tracks!

[@affmusic]

Great work - I made a point of messaging Read on the Steel Guitar Forum, thanking him. Absolutely spot on, even mentioned my friend Susan Alcorn - great interview! I appreciate what you do - keep it up!

[@christophkuberl6023]

Just need to leave this here: I definitely missed a mention of Larkin Poe and Megan Lovell here. It’s not exactly country, but they are putting the steel guitar in the center of attention of their relatively young audience:)

[@ScottHz]

ditto the Larsen Poe, and also not country, Ben Harper is a big lap steel player.

[@polintr]

I was waiting for Megan Lovell’s name to drop too! To me they’re country. They started with bluegrass (with Megan on dobro), went to blues, and tour with Willie Nelson. Either way, Megan is an amazing lap steel player.

[@SonicCatharsis2012]

Mike Johnson is another great player who’s played on countless hits!

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

Grady Smith It's sometimes called Slide Guitar because you use a Slide to Change the pitch of the strings while you strum them. Little Joseph Kekuku started the Slide Guitar craze when he was 11. In 1889 he invented the Slide Guitar & a neat Guitar accessory (called a Guitar Slide) that you can use to change the pitch of the strings.

[@markbutcher4100]

Sara Jory needs to be mentioned. Ok she’s from the uk but she made one of the best records of country standards when she was a kid!

[@marvindoolin1340]

Seconded!

[@bldallas]

Very cool. Such a complicated instrument; I’m a guitar player, but can’t imagine learning to play pedal steel. Just amazing.

[@willieb3765]

I was very glad you included Barbara Mandrell in the list of greats - - I saw her in Germany in 1970, she played Proud Mary on her steel guitar (she also played guitar and banjo), best I have ever heard that song sound.

[@jonahmontgomery9753]

My grandfather played steel almost all his life and I remember him playing sleep walk all the time, so the steel guitar is a very special instrument to me

[@countryfan523]

This was cool, thanks Grady! Watched a Paul Franklin rig rundown video one time and just amazed how complicated pedal steel is.

[@joeking433]

It took me a long time to realize that all of my favorite rock songs were songs with steel guitar in them. I was listening to Chicago III the other day and "What Else Can I Say" came on, one of my favorites of that album and I realized it had steel guitar in it. Even Chicago used the steel guitar! Steely Dan was another band whose first few records had a lot of steel guitar. David Gilmour played a lot of steel guitar on Dark Side Of The Moon, probably my favorite album of all time.

[@normgrinstead2348]

The Downhomers/Shorty Cook, played pedal with country on live radio in Ft. Wayne In. They got a radio show playing Hawaiian music,the people liked it , so they gave them a show playing country music. Shorty had a one minute commercial to tear down the steel and get ready for his regular guitar set up. This was such a hassle he spent the next week learning the country songs on steel,hence a huge influence on country music, Shorty is a huge overlooked talent, and influence…. This was related to me by Shorty himself when as a young man he hired me to work for him. I learned a lot about guitars, and the music biz from this remarkable man. Still the most haunting sound ever,so mahalo to the Hawaiians for this. Please check out Shorty!

[@bobshepherd2966]

The Down Homers were a first-class group who later moved from Indiana to WTIC in Hartford, Connecticut. I first saw Everett ("Shorty") Cook playing an instrument I'd never heard at the Dalton, Mass. Community House when I was 12 or so. I went home after, described what I'd heard, and my musician Dad went to work converting our family ukulele into a mini-steel by raising the strings with a piece of wooden pencil(!). That was the beginning of my journey through a converted Silvertone guitar to a Fender 2-neck 8-string instrument that I still own, 70 years later. Thanks, Shorty!

[@javabeanz8549]

This brought me back to my childhood, my grandpa had a custom built three neck Hawaiian/Steel Guitar, and he and his band used to play lots of dances back in the 1930's and 1940's. So I grew up with lots of music from the late 1800's forward, especially Western and Swing.

[@dandrechesterfield5411]

Nice to see Susan Alcorn get a shout out. Y'all should check out the artist Talk West and also Gary Peters if you like more experimental pedal steel

[@HautaAntero]

For the long time, I use tuning C#, G#, F#, G#, C#, E tuning, but then I found tuning what I like to use both dobro, and lap steel. And that tuning is Open A. E, A, E, A, C#, E. To me, this tuning feels more natural, it was similar with my older tuning, especially C#, and E part, but it was surprisingly easy to utilize in many different songs, both sad & melancholic and happy & upbeat. Open A, that is tuning what I recommended.

[@jeffmcdermott3193]

I was surprised that there was no mention of Junior Brown (or is he considered a novelty act)? I first learned about Hawaiian slack key guitar from, of all people, new age piano artist George Winston.

[@goodun2974]

Junior Brown is excellent but he's arguably better as a Telecaster picker than he is as a lap steel player. I don't think he plays pedal steel as far as I know, and anyway his songs definitely run a little more to tongue in cheek parody than to straight-ahead country, and he incorporates Hendrix licks and hard- edged rockabilly and Bakersfield twang into his playing. Another great lapsteel player who deserves mention, and who works in both country and Western swing and occasionally in blues, is Cindy Cashdollar. In a more rock edged vein, I am a big fan of David Lindley, and Meghan Lovell of Larkin Poe. But how is it that this interview never mentioned bottleneck-slide style playing? They also didn't mention that around 1906 I think there was a World's Fair that brought Hawaiian musicians to America and that helped ignite the craze for lap steel playing. Slide guitarist and historian of National guitars Bob Brozman said that between 1910 and 1930 it was almost automatic that any acoustic guitar purchased by mail order would come with a Dobro extension nut to raise up the strings, and a slide bar.

[@theZenofBroccoli]

Agreed, esp since Junior pays homage to so much beach and surf steel music, a la Hawaii!!

[@thomaslgrice]

I would refer to JB as more of a niche act. I think the term novelty diminishes his talent. I love his stuff. He is developing a pedal guit-steel. I look forward to hearing him use it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2qzm6Ofba-patU

[@lindsaythomas2283]

Great video !! As a budding Bluegrass Dobro player, I really enjoyed hearing the history of "steel". Cheers from Akron, Ohio.

[@wingracer1614]

Was hoping you'd mention Greg Leisz but at least he was in the scrolling honorable mentions. The guys is fantastic. Check out Matthew Sweet's I Almost Forgot to hear a great example of his work.

[@zigravos]

Definitely did not expect this to be this mind blowing. Cheers and aloha!

[@GinoGenero]

Loved the history lesson. I was hoping my favorite, Speedy West would get the mention he deserves as a pioneer of pedal steel. (1947)

[@alexwood5573]

I hung out with Read after a CWG show in Asheville, NC. When you said you had an expert I was hoping it was him! Super friendly guy and extremely talented. Can’t wait to see him play a two show at Red Rocks!

[@michaelkiese7794]

7:02 Sol Ho'opi'i. HO. OPI. I. Just wanted to help others with the correct pronunciation with Sol's last name. The apostrophe in the Hawaiian language is called an "okina". When you see the okina in a Hawaiian word or name, you put a hard stop and cut off the sound. That matters a lot in pronunciation. It can be quite a tongue twister for the uninitiated. lol. So for us native English speakers, whenever you see that okina in a Hawaiian word, think of it as a period. Ho'opi'i = Ho. opi. i. Start slow and purposefully put the hard stop at the designated okinas. Then gradually try and say it faster including the hard stops until you get to conversational speed. You'll get much closer with correct pronunciation of Hawaiian words just knowing that bit of info. Cheers! Thanks for making the video!

[@MrChildren87]

It’s not country, but several tracks off of Brian Eno’s album “Apollo” from the early 1980s made heavy use of the pedal steel to create a sense of space and openness. Good representative tracks include “Deep Blue Day” and “Silver Morning”. It might not be your cup of tea, but I thought I should mention it - it was my entry point into interest in this incredible instrument.

[@justinreeder3514]

There's like a 90% chance if you put steel guitar in your song I'll love it

[@DocBrownGuitar]

Great video. I started playing in the last few years, and I'll echo what was said in the video, the steel guitar community is very welcoming and supportive.

[@HannahGuitars]

Currently about 5 years in learning the Lap steel. Played guitar for 40+ years and thought "how hard could it be"? The answer is really freekin hard - but so rewarding. Great video Grady.

[@margarethouse404]

Lap Style , ie Dobro and Steel really should be thought of as their own instrument/ class of instruments , NOT an extension of armpit guitars . A very sizable portion of Lap Style players have zero background with vertical guitar , and wouldn't know what to do with one if you handed one to them . If anything , a background in keyboards helps in conceptualizing Steel/ Dobro playing .

[@paulussantosociwidjaja4781]

Like that "I don't hide anything". Cheers! Interesting musical instrument, indeed and so difficult to cover it only using the pitch band, glide pedal, and after touch on keyboards. Thanks and GOD bless you both.

[@Jonito2345]

You might not read this but I just saw Charles Wesley Godwin & the Allegheny High live tonight. Just wow.

[@pudman33]

Interesting and very cool video. Love the history behind this amazing instrument. Lloyd Green is the first person I think of when I think the steel so nice to hear him being recognized here as one of the GOATs. Thanks for doing this one!

[@maverickdallas1004]

Lloyd Green was the defining Nashville steel guitar sound on so many 1960s-70s country records.

[@ChrisHoppe-wordmeme]

Nice interview! I love the sound of all the modalities steel offers. Learned a few new names to lookout for as well.

[@ryleighrage]

I love the steel guitar. It can instantly give anything a country vibe. Brian Eno used pedal steel on his Apollo album as a tribute to the southern upbringing of some of the astronauts on that mission, to stunning effect (for the steel guitar nerds out there, Daniel Lanois played steel on that album). And it would be an oversight to not mention that the theme from Lon Lon Ranch in Zelda: OoT has a midi steel guitar sound, really giving that place a true Western vibe. Anyway, the care and work you put into this video is recognized. Thanks Grady!