I recently got back from a hula competition where my band played for a number of dancers. While there, I met another Hawaiian steel player (a mature man who I think was in his 70s). I was of course excited to meet another steel player, as rare as they come. The two of us instantly hit it off talking about our steel heroes, our favorite guitars, etc.

Smack in the middle of the exchange the man said to me (in a very "father to son" sort of way), "I don't want to tell you what to listen to but whatever you do, don't go listening to Jerry Byrd. Once you get that stuff in your playing you'll never shake it."

And this was not the first time this had been expressed to me. I have been approached by so many other Hawaiian steel players and non-steel players alike, of many different ethnicities, telling me the same... Jerry Byrd does not sound Hawaiian and that he is misleading people (albeit unintentionally, of course) into thinking that what he plays is Hawaiian music... that it has caused me to wonder.

I personally have never doubted Jerry Byrd's unparalleled command of the instrument. However, I was wondering if someone might offer a break-down of exactly how and why Jerry Byrd's playing is "not Hawaiian".

I truly hope the answer is beyond mere bigotry.

And to never engage in any discussions of JB's "Hawaiian-ness" again ....

But she said nothin' about the topic of Hawaiian steel evolution ... so ...

Single string playin' dominated the early years of Hawaiian steel .... as players started addin' more and more harmony notes to the melody .... the sound became more "Lush" and less "Driving" .....

Of course the "Great Ones" can do both ... depending on the situation

quote:

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"I don't want to tell you what to listen to but whatever you do, don't go listening to Jerry Byrd. Once you get that stuff in your playing you'll never shake it."

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My response to this statement, if I were conversing with that gentleman, would have been to ask the question, "how do you know that; do you copy his playing?"

I have been listening to Jerry Byrd all of my life and my playing does not sound like his. I intentionally play in a higher staccato tone and I purposely change some of the phrasings that I hear Jerry play to try to develop my own style.

Given the choice of sitting in the audience and listening to myself play Hawaiian, any other Hawaiian player that I've ever heard, or Jerry Byrd;___I'll choose Jerry every time.

Rick

[This message was edited by Rick Collins on 05 November 2002 at 03:53 PM.]

Jr. Brown lived and played in Hawaii for awhile and he told me that the anti-haole racism amongst some musicians there is astounding. I've not spent enough time there to see it, but that's his take on the matter. Perhaps some of you residents can discuss the situation.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

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don't go listening to Jerry Byrd. Once you get that stuff in your playing you'll never shake it.

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I'm not a Hawaiian player, but the above comment is narrow-minded and unprofessional.
The guy who said that sounds like a one-trick-pony who probably doesn't perform that one trick very well! I'll bet he would cut off his right foot if he could play like JB.

There's a lot of BS in the music biz, and it's important to sort out the BS from the truth. Everyone has an opinion, so consider the source when you hear comments like the one above. It's tunnel-vision and nothing more.

Buddy Emmons once said that in his mind Jerry Byrd stood "head and shoulders" above the others. That's because of Jerry's TOTAL mastery of the instrument IMHO.

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My Site - Instruction | Doug's Free Tab | Steels and Accessories

All I can say about JB is that it's the most amazing playing on the non-pedal steel I've EVER heard. I sure as hell can't get close to doing that. Is it "authentic" Hawaiian? I dunno. I'm not Hawaiian and I've never lived there. But, what I DO know is: it makes me smile.

Is there ANY better reason to make music? Not for this steel hacker.

This occurs in all facets of art. It's a natural progression to extend the limits, if there are, at all, limits. The same thing can be said of country music, right?

Jeff, I'm sure we would like to hear what your friend, who made the statement, would say after reading all this commentary.

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The bottom line of all this is,....Does it really matter?

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It matters;___because Jeff apparently didn't try to set the gentleman who made the statements straight.

The two statements are not only bigoted, the last one is untrue.

The thing I remember most though was his deference to the native steel players. I was asking about harmonics and he played down his own ability and instead pointed me in the direction of a native player somewhere else in the Hawaiian islands (wish I remembered who). He was sincere ... I know this for a fact. He loves Hawaii and its people and its music. He may not ever shake his haole origins but he's done a reasonable job on fitting in.

And about Jerry Byrd: If I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand......

Howard,,you should run for office. The Mens
Room.

"May The Byrd Of Happiness Fly Up Your Nose"

[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 05 November 2002 at 08:58 PM.]

Jody: I need to talk to you. Send me an email or your Ma Bell number. Thanks...

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Jerry has recorded a total of 30 albums over the years. To pick one that best shows his range of music I would suggest you purchase his last and final CD titled "BY Request". Here are the liner notes written by Jerry from that CD. They will give you an idea what to expect in the songs.

"This collection of music covers a wide range of themes and cultures as music can do better than any other meduim: not only by country, but even sections of countries with all their many and varied musical instruments. Like "Steel" Guitar for instance...(Didn't I lead you into that nicely?)
We all know (or should) that Steel Guitar is a Hawaiian instrument by birth, but is now known and played world-wide. It can be anything the player wants it to be and can be played in a style that reflects any country's music culture, and better than any other instrument because its sound can be altered to suit any music and its ethnic nuances. There is no limitation other than the player's ability.
I have tried over the years and again herein, to show some of Steel Guitar's many traits, and how adaptable it is to other kinds of music, yet always retaining its "Hawaiian-ness" as the underlying theme because, to me, that is really where it is at its expressive best and where I can best express my deep, and lifelong love of Steel Guitar. An instrument of styling, Steel Guitar is the most individual of all: no two players can possibly sound exactly alike.
I hope that you will enjoy this collection for years to come as so many of you have my recordings in years past. Most of the selections were by request, thus the varied content, and in order to cover the most of them, I did so by medley".
Ever grateful, Jerry Byrd.

The CD can be ordered from Scottys Music, Cord International.com or Mele.com as well as many of the large book stores such as Borders, etc.

[This message was edited by Jack Byrd on 06 November 2002 at 08:23 AM.]

I think Jerry's playing on Marty Robbin's "Hawaii's Calling Me" is outstanding, and exemplary of his mastery of the instrument...don't know if it's available on CD, but the vinyl seems to pop up from time to time in the used bins.

Satin Strings Of Steel
Hawaiian Beach Party
Hi Fi Guitar

I bought 8 JB cassettes from Tom many years ago and I recently burned them onto CD for my personal listening, not to distribute and it's the only steel guitar music that I can listen to over and over and never get tired of. There's miles of tone and feeling in the music. I have to stop whatever else I'm doing when I hear Jerry Byrd.

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My Site - Instruction | Doug's Free Tab | Steels and Accessories

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Byrd so impacted the sound of traditional Hawaiian steel guitar delivery as to cause modern players and a listening public to deem his interpretation of it as authentic Hawaiian, even though there is no true standard of authenticity for the sound of a steel guitar playing Hawaiian music. Byrd though, changed the perception of how the music should be delivered on a steel guitar. If you allow yourself to be absorbed by his interpretive styling of the Island's melodies, it is easy to conclude that the music's originators intended it to be played in the Byrd manner. Today, all major recording productions (motion pictures, plays, commercials, etc.) emphasizing this musical genre, use players who can duplicate the Hawaiian guitar sounds typical of Byrd's stylized delivery.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

In the documentary .... ethnomusicologists Dr. Ricardo D. Trimillos and Dr. George S. Kanahele discuss the "Tin Pan Alley" days ....

They alluded to the fact that the "Hapa-Haole" music generated during this era was the way "Hollywood and the rest of the world" thought Hawaiian music was played ...

Well they were referring to Sol Hoopii, Andy Iona and Dick McIntire ....

I also remember reading ... that alot of folks were VERY unhappy with Andy Iona's "Big Band" approach to Hawaiian music and his (and Hoopii's) role in Hollywood's portrail of Hawaii .... hula "dancing" ... shimmering grass skirts ... etc.

It was also stated in the film that during this era ... Hawaiian records outsold ALL other types of music .... I guess those days are long gone

"Authentic" or not .... JB and the above mentioned Hawaiian-Born artists provided the world with the greatest steel playin' EVER ... BAR NONE (pun intended)!!!

PS. The film also shows a STUNNING display of vibrato ... via Billy Hew Len .

I've said it often ... this "Driving" single string style (vibrato .. attack .... bouncy-ness) ...

Is the main difference between Pre-War and Post War Hawaiian steel playin' ...

Hawaiian-born players and "Haole" players alike !!!

[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 06 November 2002 at 11:24 AM.]

If I'm not mistaken, the Hawaiian islands are smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and for the last three hundred years any boat that crossed the Pacific had to stop there to rest and refuel.

I'm sure there were musicians on those boats. Musicians always seek out other musicians. All musicians "borrow" musical ideas from each other. Those traveling musicians learned from the Hawaiians and vice versa.

Nothing exists in a vacuum.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 06 November 2002 at 11:31 AM.]

Here is a taste ... ties in with the above 2 posts:

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Once, though, he overstepped his mark badly by jazzing-up the venerated royal song, "We Two In The Spray", into "The Hawaiian War Chant". Charles King was not amused, accusing Noble of "murdering" their music. The matter wasn’t helped by an extraordinary recording by Andy Iona and his Islanders in which the leader’s electric steel guitar spluttered and bomped through its amplifier like rock & roll way ahead of its time. But all this was in 1936 and now I’m also too far ahead of my story...........

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I would like to thank you all for these insightful replies. I wanted to be extremely cautious about taking the many grumbly anti-Jerry Byrd sentiments I hear as "word" and so turned to the forum for an alternative viewpoint. EVERY ONE of the replies was invaluable to me.
I purposely stated the topic so as to inflame response and I apologize if that offended anyone.

* * * * *

Please (and I am begging you on my knees)don't take me as being arrogant or pompous but I would have to deny that (I am already wincing at the the thought of the ensuing backlash)... I was inspired to play the steel by the first steel player I ever heard: Benny Rogers, and learned (and am still learning) from picking apart every album I could get my hands on of David Keli'i, Jules Ah See, the B and F Rogers, and Billy Hew Len. With the exception of Jules (who died in 1960), these guys continued to get the steel on record even after most had abandoned it.

There are also students of Barney Isaacs still around. Bobby Ingano is also a self-taught musician whose major influence was Feet Rogers...there are a number of young people learning from him.

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Jeff Au Hoy

[This message was edited by Jeff Au Hoy on 06 November 2002 at 12:53 PM.]

How many of today's steel guitarists first heard and fell under the steel guitar's
spell due to:

1. Jerry Garcia on "Teach Your Children"
2. Santo & Johnny on "Sleepwalk"
3. Bobbe Seymour on "Angel Of The Morning"
4. Ernie Tavares on the beginning of every Loonie Tunes Cartoon.
5. Buddy Merill on the Lawrence Welk show.
6. Pete Drake on Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" album.
7. Sol Hoopii on a Betty Boop cartoon.
8. Gary Brandin on "Sponge Bob Squarepants".

It doesn't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you come home for dinner... There are many different homes.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

I think some people are upset that Jerry Byrd's music is called Hawaiian music just as some people are upset

that pizza with pineapple on it is called Hawaiian Pizza

or that certain college kids get dressed up in blackface, spear, and loin cloth and proclaim it Hawaiian Luau Day

or that people continue to dance the Hula in cellophane skirts...

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Just a thought...

I think that considering whether Jerry Byrd sounds Hawaiian is a different issue than whether one likes his music.

* * *

By the way: If at any time I am coming off sounding like a provincial-minded islander please, by all means, declare it so!

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Jeff Au Hoy

[This message was edited by Jeff Au Hoy on 06 November 2002 at 03:29 PM.]