Top 10 Pedal Steel Guitar Solos of all time

Charlie Hansen · Post by **Charlie Hansen** » 12 Jul 2018 3:55 am

Trucker's Cafe - Buddy Cage

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 12 Jul 2018 4:22 am

Gary Hoetker wrote:So many...but for my money...
I Didn't Jump The Fence-Cal Smith (Pete Drake)....

Good call!

I almost included it on my list, but alas, the topic is 'Top-10 steel solos' and I thought Pete Drake's solo on Ray Pillow's "Take Your Hands Off My Heart" was off-the-chain.

BTW; Years ago, I played "I Didn't Jump the Fence" with a country honky tonk band and had a lot of fun learning Pete's solo.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 12 Jul 2018 4:55 am

And of course, who am I to pick the greatest, but a couple that were mind altering/game changing to me and made me spend days even weeks behind my steel fairly early on.

Highway 40 Blues w/Bruce
Blue Bayou w/Dan
Misty w/JD

And of course, so many more.

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 12 Jul 2018 7:02 am

I might be wrong but I don't recall anywhere in Pedal Steel history where this famous (to me) solo was played, before Buddy Cage played it, but the Steel playing throughout this entire song is stellar tone/taste/technique, imho

Listen to it from beginning to end!
The famous lick starts a few seconds after the 1min:40sec mark.
Buddy Cage - Hello MaryLou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-4rGrMM8Ek

Tucker Jackson · Post by **Tucker Jackson** » 12 Jul 2018 10:27 am

That's a great one, Pete. Also, here's a live version of "Mary Lou," with a different take on the solo:
https://youtu.be/MZWw87UgrwI?t=6m23s

And while we're talkin' Buddy Cage, he basically solos throughout a lot of songs and what he plays under the vocals is sometimes the best part. It's the quick blocking that makes it work.
For example, check out this section of "Truck Drivin' Man" from that same live Dutch TV taping in 1972:
https://youtu.be/MZWw87UgrwI?t=2m21s

And, different concert, I love the way he ends the solo on this live version of "She's No Angel" with that clean flurry of notes:
https://youtu.be/J-f5yTgg2PY?t=1m55s

.

Rich Upright · Post by **Rich Upright** » 13 Jul 2018 9:31 pm

Panama Red--New Riders--Buddy Cage
I Still Believe in You--Desert Rose Band--JayDee
The New Soft Shoe (Live)-- Gram Parsons--Neil Flanz
Touch My Heart--Ray Price--The Big "E"
The Steel Guitar Song--Kim Murray--Dickey Overbey
The White Light--Lloyd
Dire Wolf--Grateful Dead--Jerry Garcia
I Never Go Around Mirrors--Daryle Singletary--Player unknown
Country Boy--Ricky Skaggs--unsure of steeler

Rex Mayfield · Post by **Rex Mayfield** » 14 Jul 2018 6:28 am

Spanish Eyes (Randy Reinhardt) by Bobby Flores
Country Boy (Bruce Bouton) by Ricky Scaggs

Marc Muller · Post by **Marc Muller** » 14 Jul 2018 7:25 am

Buddy Emmons John Hartford album All in the Name of Love, Gentle On My Mind - just sick.
Jerry Garcia - Teach Your Children, getting about as much melodic mileage out of 3 pedals as a musician can get.
Honorable mention is Sneaky Pete and the beautiful transition on Jackson Browne's Take it Easy into Our Lady of the Well.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 14 Jul 2018 7:43 am

Yep, Sneaky on Take It Easy/Our Lady, and Tomoroww Is A Long Time cover by Sandy Denny. A classic ride.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV0YXsmERqA

Randy Schneider · Post by **Randy Schneider** » 14 Jul 2018 7:52 am

Rich Upright wrote: I Never Go Around Mirrors--Daryle Singletary--Player unknown

That wonderful stuff was courtesy of Mike Johnson.

Chris Templeton · Post by **Chris Templeton** » 14 Jul 2018 8:37 am

Weldon Myrick: "Right Or Wrong"- George Strait.

Dick Hitchcock · Post by **Dick Hitchcock** » 14 Jul 2018 8:50 am

Lloyd Green....."Kaw Liga"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwNKiiPdyOg

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 14 Jul 2018 9:20 am

Marc Muller wrote:Buddy Emmons John Hartford album All in the Name of Love, Gentle On My Mind - just sick.

+1
And the definitive version of one of the greatest songs ever written.

Bill Miller · Post by **Bill Miller** » 14 Jul 2018 11:17 am

Highway 40 Blues solo by Bruce Bouton.

Jim Fogarty · Post by **Jim Fogarty** » 14 Jul 2018 2:01 pm

"Above and Beyond" - Buck Owens (Mooney on steel)

"Cotton Fields" - Charley Pride Live at Panther Hall - (Lloyd Green on steel)

"Tomorrow and Me" - Michael Nesmith - (Red Rhodes on steel)

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 16 Jul 2018 10:36 am

Charlie Hansen wrote:Trucker's Cafe - Buddy Cage

That's a quite unusual choice. How could Buddy Cage play so fast?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDKc8ODUEIc

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 16 Jul 2018 12:19 pm

Marc Muller wrote:Buddy Emmons John Hartford album All in the Name of Love, Gentle On My Mind - just sick....

I agree, Marc. That whole album, All in the Name of Love, on Flying Fish Records, is wonderful. To listen to it see below.

When Flying Fish founder, Bruce Kaplan suddenly died, the catalog was sold to Rounder Records and All in the Name of Love, like many other Flying Fish albums, was never re-released on CD. Fortunately the vinyl of All in the Name of Love can be heard on YouTube. Here is side one of the album. Gentle on my mind starts at 8:24 and Buddy's solo at 11:44:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GutbULy9_mk

Part One of Side Two (Emmons plays some tasty stuff on the second song, "Don't Try to Hide Your Tears From Me", his solo is at 5:50 and on the song "The Ten Chord Blues" in which his solo starts at 7:35 and includes a piece of the infamous 'Pat Martino Monster lIck'):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ATsGkjfTpg

Part Two of Side Two (Emmons' solo on the "The Deck Hand's Waltz" starts at 3:09):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_a92hGeBDQ

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 16 Jul 2018 12:23 pm

Joachim Kettner wrote:
Charlie Hansen wrote:Trucker's Cafe - Buddy Cage
That's a quite unusual choice. How could Buddy Cage play so fast?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDKc8ODUEIc

Here's the Album version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO2acfK_Gr0

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 16 Jul 2018 7:35 pm

So many great solos out there... it's like choosing from the stars in the sky...
I'll throw in with "Rainbows All Over Your Blues" - John B Sebastian with Buddy Emmons, and a cut I had the pleasure of playing piano on..."I Sang Dixie" - Dwight with Tom Brumley.

Terry Winter · Post by **Terry Winter** » 16 Jul 2018 8:22 pm

Of all my favorite solos by far Lost In The Feeling" is my favorite bar none!

Marc Muller · Post by **Marc Muller** » 17 Jul 2018 5:07 am

Glenn Suchan wrote:
Marc Muller wrote:Buddy Emmons John Hartford album All in the Name of Love, Gentle On My Mind - just sick....
I agree, Marc. That whole album, All in the Name of Love, on Flying Fish Records, is wonderful. To listen to it see below.

When Flying Fish founder, Bruce Kaplan suddenly died, the catalog was sold to Rounder Records and All in the Name of Love, like many other Flying Fish albums, was never re-released on CD. Fortunately the vinyl of All in the Name of Love can be heard on YouTube. Here is side one of the album. Gentle on my mind starts at 8:24 and Buddy's solo at 11:44:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GutbULy9_mk

Part One of Side Two (Emmons plays some tasty stuff on the second song, "Don't Try to Hide Your Tears From Me", his solo is at 5:50 and on the song "The Ten Chord Blues" in which his solo starts at 7:35 and includes a piece of the infamous 'Pat Martino Monster lIck'):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ATsGkjfTpg

Part Two of Side Two (Emmons' solo on the "The Deck Hand's Waltz" starts at 3:09):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_a92hGeBDQ

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Another great Flying Fish is Hillbilly Jazz with incredible Doug Jernigan playing, Vassar, Bromberg and other legends. Not sure if this made it to CD. Luckily still have Hartford and HJ albums from when I was a teenager. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afu9dssl95k

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 17 Jul 2018 7:36 am

Marc Muller wrote:Another great Flying Fish is Hillbilly Jazz with incredible Doug Jernigan playing, Vassar, Bromberg and other legends. Not sure if this made it to CD.

Hillbilly Jazz indeed was released on CD in 2009, albeit missing a tune or two from the original double LP. It's Flying Fish FF 70101. I wholeheartedly concur with your assessment of Hillbilly Jazz, All In The Name Of Love, and especially Harford's 1977 version of Gentle On My Mind (see my first post on this thread above).

Ben Rubright · Post by **Ben Rubright** » 17 Jul 2018 10:10 am

'Getting Over You Again' by Gene Watson with BE.
'Wish I'd Seen Your Goin' Comin'' by Johnny Bush with BE.
'A Love Like Ours' [Nameless Shuffle] by Laney Hicks with........ah...ah...ah.....Oh Yeah, BE

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 17 Jul 2018 11:19 am

Marc Muller wrote:
Glenn Suchan wrote:
Marc Muller wrote:Buddy Emmons John Hartford album All in the Name of Love, Gentle On My Mind - just sick....
I agree, Marc. That whole album, All in the Name of Love, on Flying Fish Records, is wonderful. To listen to it see below.

When Flying Fish founder, Bruce Kaplan suddenly died, the catalog was sold to Rounder Records and All in the Name of Love, like many other Flying Fish albums, was never re-released on CD. Fortunately the vinyl of All in the Name of Love can be heard on YouTube. Here is side one of the album. Gentle on my mind starts at 8:24 and Buddy's solo at 11:44:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GutbULy9_mk

Part One of Side Two (Emmons plays some tasty stuff on the second song, "Don't Try to Hide Your Tears From Me", his solo is at 5:50 and on the song "The Ten Chord Blues" in which his solo starts at 7:35 and includes a piece of the infamous 'Pat Martino Monster lIck'):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ATsGkjfTpg

Part Two of Side Two (Emmons' solo on the "The Deck Hand's Waltz" starts at 3:09):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_a92hGeBDQ

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn
Another great Flying Fish is Hillbilly Jazz with incredible Doug Jernigan playing, Vassar, Bromberg and other legends. Not sure if this made it to CD. Luckily still have Hartford and HJ albums from when I was a teenager. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afu9dssl95k

Marc, Hillbilly Jazz was the debut album for Flying Fish. I bought the album when it was released. There is a CD available through Rounder Records (Rounder bought Flying Fish). However, there is one track missing from the vinyl: Ray Noble's classic song, "Cherokee":
https://www.amazon.com/Hillbilly-Jazz/d ... merReviews

You can check out the songs on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-rjIs ... N0Wfy2EPVz

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

Greg Derksen · Post by **Greg Derksen** » 18 Jul 2018 5:01 am

Buddy Emmons "Lady be good solo" on Buddy Spicher and friends
Paul Franklin "Fade to Black" Dire Straits
Doug Jernigan "Makin the rounds"
Tommy White "when ever he plays the steel"
Mike Johnson "I never go around mirrors"
Dicky Overbie "We Could" on youtube , so soulful.
Sonny Garrish "So many of his parts that fit songs so well"

The Steel Guitar Forum

Top 10 Pedal Steel Guitar Solos of all time

So many great ones...

Yin Yang

Re: Yin Yang

Re: Yin Yang

Re: Yin Yang

Re: Yin Yang

Re: Yin Yang