What was the first song to make you fall for the steel?

[saddletramp]

Growing up in semi-rural Northern Ireland I was exposed to a lot of American music such as Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, George Jones, Tammy etc., which at that time I totally rejected because it wasn't considered cool. C'mon, I was a teenager, and part of the problem was the bad name country and western got from some of the Irish country artists from that era -- I won't name them, but you can probably guess. Besides, Rory Gallagher was making the guitar seem so attractive.

Then I heard the steel solo at the end of this …



and that was it. I was also listening to NRPS, Pure Prairie League, Commander Cody, Flying Burritos, Manassas. I got to see Commander Cody and the Burritos in Cardiff. I even got to meet Sneaky Pete

I knew someday I would try to play a pedal steel. Well, it's taken me a few years to get around to it, but now I'm totally hooked on this and non-country playing too. Now I'm going back to all the music I turned my nose up to when I was a teenager and listening to steel licks

[Will C]

I fell in love with the sound of the steel after hearing "Woodstock" by Matthews Southern Comfort. Those ethereal soaring notes were out of this world. But it took me a long time to get the notion that it was something I could try to learn. I regret the wasted years.

Will Cowell

[johnherring]

While I was vaguely aware of psg was and what could be done with it, it wasn't until about '77 that I walked into Sho-Bud's on Denmark St (I worked in the West End for 30+ years) and heard John Edmed playing Londonderry Air, that I was smitten. Oh dear! I was quite happy playing rocky blues, or was it bluesy rock? A week later,John sold me a Little Buddy and I've been trying on and off ever since. Spent some time pestering Ron Mawn. Gigged for a few years. Still need more practice.

[Nick Bidmade]

Red Rhodes on James Taylor's song 'Sweet Baby James'. Simple, but tasteful.

[smitbar]

Jimmy Page & Led Zeppelin for sure, also Steve Howe with Yes on a Fender Stringmaster steel & also a Sho-Bud Pro1

[smitbar]

I fell in love with the sound of the steel after hearing "Woodstock" by Matthews Southern Comfort. Those ethereal soaring notes were out of this world. But it took me a long time to get the notion that it was something I could try to learn. I regret the wasted years.

Will Cowell

Yes indeed, I have a fondness for that one..

[ZBSD-10]

AS said by Will and smitbar, it had to be "Woodstock" for me as well, swapped my 1954 Gibson LP "Black Beauty"
for a Rose Morris ( Denley) 8 -string ,4 pedal job back in 1971, if I knew then ,Oh well !
Frank. Wales

[elparkirio]

Probably this, first gig i ever went to aged 11....Sir Paul Franklin

[ossettjohn]

I used to listen on a Saturday lunchtime to a country music show on the BBC Light Programme and loved the sound but had no idea what it was. I bought a Judy Collins album Who Knows Where the Time Goes in the late 60s and the great Buddy Emmons played on Someday Soon. I found out then what the instrument was.

[Tony Smart]

That was probably the Murray Kash programme.

He had an astounding knowledge of Country Music at that time, especially Western Swing and played a lot of music with steel in it, - a rarity then.