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Author
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Topic: Pedal Steel Guitar and 70's Soul Music
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Marc Weller
Member From: Upland, Ca. 91784
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posted 08 July 2006 09:42 AM
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Listening to the Spinner's "Sadie" yesterday for about the millionth time since '72 I noticed for the first time a pedal steel guitar in the mix !! Playing counterpoint with a wah wah Stratocaster of all things.70's Soul has been one of my favorite musical genres since, well, the 70's. So many great songwriters and performers. The Spinner's were Motown artists. Any idea who played steel on this recording? Any other examples of steel on Motown or other soul music recordings from this period? Did any of you get session calls for this type of music back in the day? |
Dan Beller-McKenna
Member From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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posted 08 July 2006 03:50 PM
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Marc, my one and only studio gig was in 1981 ('80?) adding a steel track to a Teddy Pendergrass song, "Don't Leave me out along the Road," at Philadelphia International studios (not to be confused with Sigma Sound where, I believe, most of the Philly soul hits were recorded.) The track was a sort of throwaway that the producer had handed to the assistants to work with. They thought it had cross-over potential so the idea of the steel came up. I never heard of its being released, but years later saw that it had appeared on an album in the mid '80s. With great excitement I put on the track, only to find that the steel had been cut out: almost. Must have been a later hand trying to eradicate my part, because there are still one or two (VERY!) brief moments when the steel bleeds through. I get a kick out of turning the volume up and .. wait.. hold on ... … THERE!.. there I am on a Teddy Pendergrass cut! Very funny. Dan
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Dan Beller-McKenna
Big Red
Durham, NH |
Marc Weller
Member From: Upland, Ca. 91784
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posted 08 July 2006 11:19 PM
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Dan, That's a great story. I was once at the Western Connection in La Verne Ca. and they had a great cover band, The American Made Band, performing contemporary country stuff. To my surprise they did a fabulous rendition of "If You Don't Know Me By Now" a Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes/Teddy Pendegrass tune. As I recall it was well received by the line dancing crowd. |
Larry Jones
Member From: Santa Rosa, CA, USA
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posted 09 July 2006 09:36 AM
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i just got though reading the book about the sound of philadelphia what a great book. the most colorful charater in the book was the great producer thom bell who is from jamaica . his father played pedal steel and his mother played piano they had eight kid and they all had to take piano lessons. that song was dedicaed to all the mothers of the world,i will research and see if i can find out who played steel on it |
Aaron Harms
Member From: Missouri, USA
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posted 09 July 2006 12:45 PM
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Our band recently started covering "Ebony Eyes" by Stevie Wonder...late 70's, but still...and although I'm playing bass so far, I heard that Sneaky Pete played steel guitar on the cut originally.This is by far my favorite thread on the forum, by the way...I've been interested in the idea since I started playing pedal steel, and it's nice to know that other people are talking about it....in fact, www.myspace.com/benedictions has something about Stevie Wonder fronting the Flying Burrito Brothers...lol...before I had found out about the Sneaky Pete connection....it's a good day, today Thanks guys! Aaron ------------------
Fender 400, 6 pedals + a lever; Gibson Les Paul Signature, Gibson Ripper, Ampeg Gemini II, assorted boxes...
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Andy Zahnd
Member From: Plaffeien, Switzerland
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posted 09 July 2006 01:33 PM
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I don't know I'm in the position to answer that, because, after 14 years playing, I feel still like a beginner!Anyway, I owned diff. guitars in the past and at this moment, I play regurarly a almost brand new Millenium M 3. I never ever had a guitar I had not to tune! frozen or hot... nothing will make to my MSA a difference! (and that is true)
Seldom to tune that bugger! I have broken strings on the 5th and the 3th(more often on the 5th), but belief me, sometimes, esp. outside gigs... with the TT PU.. I hear that I play a PP soundwise! That steel really has it in it! I belief, all new guitars are great, the MSA has just a few extras.. that tells me to hang on with it! Because I love the sound of it and... to play with it! just a comment of a beginner..... |
David Wren
Member From: Placerville, California, USA
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posted 10 July 2006 04:48 PM
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Hey, "My Girl" is my absolute favorite song to play PSG on... so many horn and vocal part to try to grab  ... especially the chorus! ------------------
Dave Wren
'96 Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com |
John Billings
Member From: Northfield Center, Ohio, USA
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posted 12 July 2006 01:10 PM
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Many years ago, when I lived in Milwaukee, friends from several different bands would get together once a year and play "soul music." Sam and Dave, Pickett, James Brown, etc.. We were called Hot Potato and the Abdomen! Our lead singer was a guy named Zeus. I played my old ShoBud D-10 through a Marshall stack. Great fun. Big band with drums, congas, horns Hammond and a couple of guitars. |
Earnest Bovine
Member From: Los Angeles CA USA
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posted 12 July 2006 01:51 PM
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Your search - "Hot Potato and the Abdomen" - did not match any documents. |
Billy Wilson
Member From: El Cerrito, California, USA
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posted 12 July 2006 02:01 PM
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How 'bout Buddy E on Ray Charles' version of "I Feel so Bad I Feel Like a Ballgame on a Rainy Day" Awesome "soul" steel on that one. Also the Hacienda Bros records are produced by soul music man Dan Penn who is helping them inject soul tunes onto their honky tonk. The way Dave Berzansky weaves his steel into the mix where the Hammond B3 might have seems like a real natural. |
John Groover McDuffie
Member From: California, USA
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posted 12 July 2006 03:09 PM
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I remember hearing Red Rhodes on a Commodores tune, I think it was Sail On. But I geuess that was in the '80's, so it may not count 8~) |
John Billings
Member From: Northfield Center, Ohio, USA
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posted 13 July 2006 12:47 PM
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Earnest, I don't think a search of my main band, "Methyl Ethyl and the Ketones", would bring up anything either. Still, we did exist! |
Bill Bassett
Member From: Rimrock, Arizona, USA
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posted 16 July 2006 09:21 AM
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But seriously folks...Didn't Sneaky Pete get a lot of gigs with those 70's R&B guys? Stevie Wonder comes to mind.BD |
Lefty
Member From: Grayson, Ga.
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posted 16 July 2006 10:33 AM
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The Pointer Sisters "Fairy Tale" comes to mind. A great song, though more country than funk.
Lefty |
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