The Strange Story of the Steel Guitar, Country's Most Magical Instrument
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Published 2022-08-23
Today's video is all about the journey of the steel guitar, from its development in Hawaii, to its journey into Western movies, to its status as one of THE instruments of country music. We go over over the legends (Sol Hoopii, Barbara Mandrell, Buddy Emmons, Robert Randolph, Paul Franklin, and so many others) and the different kinds of steel guitars (pedal steel, lap steel, dobro, etc), and we do it all with the help of Read Connolly - the steel guitar player for both Charles Wesley Godwin and Zach Bryan! Read is the best. We love Read. I worked really hard on this one, so I hope you love it!
Read's social media:
readconnolly.com/
instagram.com/readconnolly
00:00 - Country Fans Love Steel Guitar
03:11 - The Origin of the Steel Guitar
05:53 - How Steel Came to Country
09:51 - The Different Kinds of Steel Guitars
11:17 - The Main Players You Should Know
15:40 - What Pedal Steel Evokes In Music
17:20 - Pedal Steel Demonstration & Mood Challenge
20:02 - Lap Steel and Dobro
20:53 - The Next Generation
Find Grady:
Website: gradywsmith.com/
Patreon: patreon.com/gradywsmith
Subreddit: reddit.com/r/CountryMusicStuff
TikTok: tiktok.com/@gradywsmith
Instagram: instagram.com/gradywsmith
Facebook: facebook.com/gradysmithwriter
Spotify: open.spotify.com/playlist/5SBRhqxctG4awl4apGxaZm?s…
All Comments (21)
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What makes Grady so good is making videos not many would think of asking for and they’re so well researched and told
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As a Native Hawaiian we have been contributing to the mainland for a long time
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Don Helms deserves a mention. “Hey Good Lookin” is possibly the most iconic steel guitar line in country music history
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Jerry Garcia’s pedal steel intro to Nash’s Teach Your Children is one of the best opening licks in pop history.
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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
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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.
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Wished the video would have gone twice as long, would love to see the in-depth clips of him playing!
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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
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The history lessen we didn't know we needed. I loved it! Great job, Grady.
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How could he not mention Ralph Mooney. He's the best steel guitar player ever. RIP moon
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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
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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.
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I saw Reed with CWG in Columbus back in April. The crowd was so electric whenever he would do a solo. So much talent.
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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.
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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…
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Thank you Hawaii for inventing the steel Guitar. Cowboy music will always be grateful to your sound.
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"When you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar, you're listening to the sound of the American heart." —George Strait, in 'Heartland'
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I now desperately need to hear someone put a steel guitar through some absolutely GNARLY fuzz pedals
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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.
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Grady Smith is the one stop shop for all a country fan can ask for
