Recent posts on CSNY have reminded me what a great song Teach Your Children is. The harmony is golden, of course, but the other great thing about it is the steel guitar.
Can anyone recommend any other great pedal steel guitar songs?
There a loads of them, but my favorite pedal steel song is the Flying Burritos Brother’s “Christine’s Tune”. That’s Sneaky Pete Kleinow.
You also should check out anything by Michael Nesmith and the First National Band. His steel player Red Rhodes was fantastic.
Another favorite track: Uncle Tupelo’s “Anodyne”. Can’t remember the name of the pedal steel player at the moment. ETA: looked it up. Lloyd Maines.
I’m reading different accounts as to whether this song is technically using a “pedal steel” guitar, versus a “lap steel” (I suspect it’s the latter), but either way, “Sleep Walk” is an awesome song.
I sure have bookmarked this thread, I’m a big sucker for pedal steel guitar.
Grand Junction by Poco
Yeah, Rusty Young for Poco always played great. His pedal steel guitar often sounded like a cross between guitar and organ, I don’t know how he did it and what effects he used.
OMG, I’ve wanted to know the name/artist of this song for YEARS! Thank you thank you thank you thank you…
There is a ton of pedal steel by Jerry Garcia on the New Riders of the Purple Sage album. Here’s “I Don’t Know You:”
There is some fun and unusual pedal steel on King Sunny Ade’s “Ja Funmi”
The same guy played on Paul Simon’s Graceland
Love that version of ‘I Fall to Pieces’. These are great. Keep the recommendations coming!
Dire Wolf (2013 Remaster) - YouTube
Dire Wolf by the Grateful Dead (yep, Jerry Garcia, of course) is another favorite of mine. Also great vocal harmony coupled with steel guitar.
Don’t murder me
I’m begging you please don’t murder me
pleeeeease don’t murder me.
Buddy Emmons was a master. Also check out his work with Lenny Breau.
You are most welcome!
I remember having heard the song here and there for years (in the '80s and early '90s), without knowing the name or the artists (and this was before the Web, of course, which would have made looking it up far easier).
Mazda used the song for a Miata ad in '91, and that’s when I finally was able to figure it out – I asked my mother (born in 1940), if she recognized the song, which she did, and she gave me the name of it.
The album, Lost in the Ozone, by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airman has lots of great pedal steel. The title track is an example:
I love it!! When I was a kid ‘Hot Rod Lincoln’ was my favorite song. Commander Cody comes through once again.
Heh, I own a couple of pedal steels, I’m not very good at playing them, but I enjoy them.
And yeah, Bobby Black is one of the absolute greats. It doesn’t hurt that everyone else in the band was basically one of the greats, as well.
Seriously, that version of San Antonio Rose is THE version for me.
Look no further than Elvis!
Probably need to include Robert Randolph in this list, here’s his “Crossroads:” I can’t remember the song that made me go buy “The Word” which was his band with the North Mississippi All Stars but holy smokes:
It’s funny you say that. It was my first favorite song, and my parents bought me the LP around when it came out, when I was four or five years old.
Definitely need at least one Red Rhodes track in this thread
