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Pedal Steel Guitar

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not henry

Well-Known Member
As some one who has always loved the sound of the pedal steel I found the yearning to make that noise to be quite overwhelming. It has finally ended in me getting an instrument of sorts but there seems to be no thread dedicated to it on Urban.
My favourite players are Sneaky Pete and Sara Jory. But just about any old C and W will do.
Anybody on here play or know about them?
 
First time I heard Sneaky Pete was with Zappa. The incredible Waka/Jawaka album. Alongside Sal Marquez, George Duke, Aynsley Dunbar and Don Preston et al.
 
Lloyd Green’s great. Played with just about everyone. I first knew who he was on Sweetheart of the Rodeo by the Byrds, but I’d heard him without knowing his name on countless songs before.

 
Demola Adepoju is the man who introduced pedal steel guitar to Nigeria.

Some time in the 70s he heard a record of Hawaiian music and decided he wanted to play Hawaiian guitar. He headed down to the docks in Lagos and asked around sailors until he found someone who had one who'd sell it to him. He taught himself to play and joined a local group.

The rivalry between the big Juju bands in the late 70s saw King Sunny Ade and Chief Commander Ebenezer Obay adding more and more instruments to their bands to create a distinctive sound. Sunny Ade saw Adepoju play in a battle of the bands and recuited him to his African Beats band. Sunny Ade, getting notice internationally, picked up a couple of pedal steel guitars for Adepoju in London. He first appeared on the 1977 album Syncro Chapter One and steel guitar became part of the sound of Juju music.



Adepoju also appeared on some album called Graceland in 1986.
 
BJ Cole is the only well known player I know, he used to play with Alabama 3, one particularly memorable event was at the Galway jazz festival with John Prine guesting on Speed of the Sound of Loneliness with Alabama 3 (I think John Prine sang, or they may have popped on stage with him later, or my memory could be completely making things up, anyway all 3 parties were present…).

He has played with a LOT of people. Lovely bloke as well.

bjcole.co.uk

BJ Cole

Home page of BJ Cole, a musician/group from London. The legendary pedal-steel maestro BJ Cole. The list of artists that he's worked with and the vast amount of tracks that he's played on means that you've heard him even if you haven't heard of him.
bjcole.co.uk bjcole.co.uk
 
Last edited:
spitfire said:
BJ Cole is the only well known player I know, he used to play with Alabama 3, one particularly memorable event was at the Galway jazz festival with John Prine guesting on Speed of the Sound of Loneliness with Alabama 3 (I think…).

He has played with a LOT of people. Lovely bloke as well.

bjcole.co.uk

BJ Cole

Home page of BJ Cole, a musician/group from London. The legendary pedal-steel maestro BJ Cole. The list of artists that he's worked with and the vast amount of tracks that he's played on means that you've heard him even if you haven't heard of him.
bjcole.co.uk bjcole.co.uk
Click to expand...
He was the go-to guy for indie bands that wanted a bit of subtlety in the 90s. I saw him play with The Verve and I think REM had him playing at one time. Plays some lovely stuff if he's the guy I'm thinking of.
 
Voley said:
He was the go-to guy for indie bands that wanted a bit of subtlety in the 90s. I saw him play with The Verve and I think REM had him playing at one time. Plays some lovely stuff if he's the guy I'm thinking of.
Click to expand...

Yes, he was a regular with The Verve as well, that's the fella.
 
Don't know much about them, but I would recommend Michael Perlowin as some doing something a bit different with the instrument.

 
not henry said:
What was the gizmo that that he laid on the strings at 2.19 I initially thought it was something to do with 12th frets and overtones but this is not where he placed the apparatus. Does anyone know?
Click to expand...
Yes, although I was surprised to see it used with a pedal steel. It’s an E-bow: a hand-held electronic bow for guitar. A battery-powered unit usually used by the pick hand, creating bow-like sustain, letting the guitarist mimic strings, horns, and woodwinds
 
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