Hello Steel Guitar Forum folks. In response to my Robert Randolph article which ruffled so many feathers, I promised to give you folks the opportunity to vote to tell me who the greatest living pedal steel guitar player is. Well, here’s your chance. Go to my editorial column, and towards the bottom you’ll find a list of candidates (suggested by you) and a link for e-mail to cast your vote. Enjoy!
http://www.nighttimes.com/nt_main.asp?page=editorial

The other piece that got me into trouble was my review of Robert Randolph and the Family Band’s show here in St. Louis. I wrote an upbeat, positive review of a performance that I really enjoyed—so much so that I had the audacity to call Mr. Randolph the “greatest living pedal steel guitar player”. Well, that bent some folks out of shape. Apparently there’s a radical posse of pedal steel guitar players and afficionados out there who were prepared to string me up, as it were. Man, this really matters to these folks.
Some were rude, but some were very gracious and made some good points. I promised them that they would have their turn to weigh in on this matter on NT. They made suggestions about who the greatest living pedal steel guitar player really is and I promised to print their names in full. Here they are:

Smiley Roberts
Buddy Emmons
Lloyd Green
Bobbe Seymour
Paul Franklin Jr
Jimmy Day
Reece Anderson
Sonny Curtis
Milo Deering
Buzz Evans
Neil Flanz
Joe Goldmark
Sneaky Pete Kleinow
Lloyd Maines
Lucky Oceans
Weldon Myrick
Red Rhodes
Mike Smith
Bud Tutmarc
Roy Ayres
Dallas Frazier
Doug Jernigan
John Hughey
Rusty Young
Sarah Jory
Buddy Cage
Buddy Charleton
Don Helms
Herb Steiner
Dan Tyack
Jerry Garcia
Hal Rugg
JD Maness
Tommy White
Joe Wright
BJ Cole
Pete Drake
Jim Loessberg
Ricky Davis
Jim Cohen
David Wright
Jimmie Crawford
Johnny Cox
Russ Hicks
Randy Beavers
Del Mullen
Tom Brumley

--Ken Kase
Editor
edited: please don't hold it agains me if your hero is not on the list.
feel free to vote for him nevertheless

[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 17 August 2004 at 10:33 AM.]

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Don't fall into this.

He wrote that RR "is the greatest living steel guitarist". Anyone who would write that is uninformed. Journalist are just a dime a dozen and this guy, in regards to the steel guitar, is about number 0.

If Ken Kase wants to become a responsible,educated music critic then let him do the work himself. There is plenty of info here on the forum and on the net for him. He knows that what he wrote was pretty ill advised and now he wants the Steel Forum community to just spoon feed him so he can take it all and put his journalistic spin on it and come out looking better than he does now.

He should have done his homework on his own before he made such blanket "looks good on paper" statements.

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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

Tired of Emmons getting ignored? Here's your chance to set it straight. And be polite-you'll get farther. It's not his fault he's not an expert on a niche instrument very few people play well. He probably got that line from RR's publicist. And if he gets an overwhelming response for Emmons, he may do a story on that! Clearly, he's interested. Let's not run him off. And bickering amongst ourselves over this is silly-there's simply no arguement here at this time.

JB

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Fulawka D-10 9&5
Fessenden D-10 8&8
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
www.buddycage.net

http://www.nrpsmusic.com/index.html

quote:

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People who don't care for country music or Western swing would be left cold by most of those on the list.

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only because they're ignorant...so who cares what they think anyway? J/K

[This message was edited by Stephen LeBlanc on 16 August 2004 at 02:21 PM.]

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

I sent him a nice long message, adding Paul Franklin.
But also why many of those names deserve equal mention for their strong points.
Such as speed picking,
jazz improv,
solid base of work,
impecable harmono-melodic sense

As well as contribution to the instrument both a a player and as an innovator.

A better phrase might have been : Most Influencial Steeler.
Some one included high up on ever steelers best list in several catagories.

Over all by the most criteria, it has to be Buddy Emmons.

Sure there are some players who do things BE isn't doing, but there are so many things he DID FIRST, and still does in exemplary fashion.

But I ain't never seen pick blocking like Joe Wiright, excepty possibly Paul Franklin.. but I haven't seen him live yet.

Doug Jernigan is the king of fiddle tunes and does bebop lines as good as anybody around.

Paul Franklin is extremely versatile, fast and precise, and has some lovely fusion jazz pieces and fast fiddle tunes to his credit.

Lloyd Green has the best taste around : less notes more feeling.

But BE has much of the above,
has been there and done that before most anyone,
Is still doing it to an high order,
Is likely listed as an influence by ALL the above players to one extent or another.
He is a chord maven and a single note wailer.

And then add things like Sho-Bud, Emmons PP, Splitting A + B, and other mechanical inovations.

Playing seminal tracks with legends at an early age
.
A 50+ year career! And still pickin'

His basic copedent is considered a standard.
When you set up a steel what is likely the 1st question you are asked :
Emmons Vs Day... well there's more Emmons.

Ken Kase deserves a respectful steeler education, because then he WILL publicize the players and the instrument to the benifit of all.
And he is interested... don't knock it.

We have an RR wave to ride, to elevate the PSG to new recognition and to induct a new generation into it's delights.
Lets not waste the possible exposure.

[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 17 August 2004 at 12:02 AM.]

My vote is cast.

[This message was edited by Mike Headrick on 17 August 2004 at 08:33 AM.]

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Zum U-12 8&6
John Hughey's biggest fan

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Bob
intonation help