I have been working on this project for 2 years now and it is starting to take shape. It is in prleliminary editing stages. There is much great interview footage with such greats as Bud Isaacs, Hal Rugg, Doug Jernigan, JD, Joe Wright, Sarah Jory, John Hughey, Randy Beavers, Russ Hicks, Scotty, Buddy Charleton and the list goes on. There is also some good live footage and some great soundtrack music generously donated for use.

Initially the film started out primarily as a tribute to the late Jeff Newman, but with so much information put forth, it has grown to cover the evolution of the steel guitar from the Hawaiian roots to modern day performers and the crazy state of the art gear that follows. It will even touch on this great online community and the fraternity of the steel heroes and the un-sung sidemenin general. Tunings, Setups, Push-Pull, Emmons Vs. Day, Nashville, Opry, California, Gear, Hall of Fame, Jazz and Exploration, and The Future of the Instrument.

The reason for this post is to take it to the next level for an hour long television documentary. If they can do shows on battleships and monster trucks, I feel the Steel deserves to be more widely known and appreciated by the general public.

The editor expressed the importance of period still photos during narrations. I would like to ask anyone out there to please contribute what they have. Looking for Sol Hoopii, Leon, Buddy Emmons, Lloyd Green, Jimmy Day, Pete Drake, Sneaky Pete, West Virgina Creeper, Red , ....etc. Any photos or footage is greatly needed to help tell the story. So if you any photos in digital or hard copy which could be use, please feel free to contact me via email or phone.

A portion of proceeds will go to Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame. Another portion will go to a general Scholarship fund to help the younguns get into the steel guitar and to learn from various teachers. The film will still be dedicated to Jeff Newman and the other greats
who have helped make the instrument what it is today.

Thanks and God Bless
Rand

A portion of

I got some stuff you might be interested in for this project.

I asked Hal Rugg if he had any footage of him playing live. He said, "I was in the Gretchen Wilson video, but gee, come to think of it, I never got any of my own......hmmm, maybe you could talk to her people(record company???)"

I wish there was footage of Jeff Newman playing with the light bulbs at convention...or the chainsaw incident....general gags......blindfolds, oversized picks and bars, shoe laces tied to steel guitar legs.