Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame

[Don R Brown]

To paraphrase Mark Twain: "Reports of SGHOF's death have been greatly exaggerated!" I'm glad to hear this.

[Bill McCloskey]

To paraphrase Mark Twain: "Reports of SGHOF's death have been greatly exaggerated!" I'm glad to hear this.

I'm going to need more than empty promises, the same promises made a year ago, before I'm convinced of anything especially when given by the person who had all of Bill Ferguson's invaluable historic archive of steel players removed from youtube forever.

[Lee Baucum]

To paraphrase Mark Twain: "Reports of SGHOF's death have been greatly exaggerated!" I'm glad to hear this.

I'm going to need more than empty promises, the same promises made a year ago, before I'm convinced of anything especially when given by the person who had all of Bill Ferguson's invaluable historic archive of steel players removed from youtube forever.

Agreed. Such a wonderful resource...gone.

~Lee

[HowardR]

The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame was a historical period in time known as.....The Bronze Age, which has gone the way of buggy whips, VHS tapes, floppy disks, and outhouses.

[Doug Earnest]

Did the donation from The Sage Foundation materialize and if so might we learn the details?

As a Hall of Fame that has been funded by the steel guitar community for 40 or more years and whose actual transactions, not merely summaries of financial statements, have not been available to the community, I think it's fair to ask about funding and where it is being spent. I checked into all of it a couple of years ago and do agree that what has been reported does seem to be withing the legal guidelines of the requirements for this type of entity.

That being said, continued solicitations of funds and repeated statements of visions for the hall of fame, without visible results or even a clear plan have gone on for an awfully long time. Though not required by law, a publication of a ledger of transactions of funds would go a long way to continue to foster the goodwill of the community. That is only my opinion.

A website has been mentioned many times and would appear to be the only practical means of memorializing our great players. Pictures can be made of the nice existing bronze plaques, and pictures of new members can easily be digitally made to look like the physical plaques if so desired. Whatever funds are actually in the account of the Hall of Fame would likely endow the maintenance of website like this for a very long time.

[Mary Wallace]

As the spokesperson for Sage Foundation, it is my pleasure to report that the Foundation's contributions to date to the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame (SGHOF) total $700,000. Three grants have been awarded to date, occurring in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

A brief history: Sage Foundation contributions are made to pre-selected charitable organizations which undergo a thorough vetting process and investigation into their organizational history, structure, and financials. The SGHOF met the standards of accountability to state and federal authorities and exceeded the Foundation's required transparency, operating in a legally and fully compliant manner for the purposes outlined at formation. All previous and current reported use of funds are in full compliance and pass conflict of interest and private benefit tests. Though taking a salary or stipend would be standard and appropriate for a non-profit officer or administrator, no Scott family member has ever done this. That the family had kept the organization active and in good standing at the cost of significant personal sacrifice over many years primed the Foundation’s outreach to Michael in 2021.

At that time, a grant proposal to plan for a future location for the HOF was invited and the first grant awarded in 2022. Additionally, the resurgence of SteelRadio.org was funded, as is on-going operational support which includes development of a website. The HOF planning process is active and ongoing. We have worked closely with Michael over the last three years and are very pleased with the progress to date. Sage Foundation remains committed to joining the Steel Guitar community in furthering the worthy dream of a permanent home for the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. Thank you, Mary Wallace

[Roger Crawford]

$700,000.00 grants and the funds raised from private donors and money raised from HOF shows at the ISGC should have more to show in the way of progress on a brick and mortar building.

[Fred Treece]

Location location location, Roger.

Thank you for the informative message, Mary Wallace.

[Doug Earnest]

Thank you Mary Wallace for this information.

What a fantastic amount to have donated. I did know some about the foundation and organizations it supports, but would never have dreamed that anything like this could ever happen to the SGHOF.

This deserves great recognition by the community.

[Darrell Criswell]

I just can't believe there we're $700K in donations, steel players are not wealthy, and I also cannot believe there would be more than 100 a year (and that is an optimistic figure) who would visit it. I would love to be proven wrong.

[Donny Hinson]

Half a century ago, it seemed we all wanted to play "like that". But nowadays, a lot of the newbies seem to be saying "I don't want to play like that".

I could be wrong, and I don't mean this in a critical manner, but I don't think the HOF would be as meaningful now as it was when the steel guitar was more popular, and the bulk of the famous players were just middle-aged, or slightly over. Young people (the newer players) these days, as I see it, just aren't as interested in history and tradition as previous generations were. We older folks grew up with the instrument, and we witnessed, first hand, the "Golden Age" of pedal steel. But the younger generation now, they're more into current goings-on, the new sounds and technology, as well as newer styles and textural employment of the steel guitar. The vast bulk of the members of the HOF are, let's face it, at least two or more generations back now, and they're largely forgotten these days by the music world and listeners in general. I wish it wasn't so, but the splintering of what was once a pretty homogenized and like-minded community of players into smaller and more individualistic groupings is hard to ignore.

Could a HOF be germane and popular, now? I have my doubts.
"To everything, there is a season...", etc., etc.

[Roger Crawford]

Darrell, I believe Mary stated that the $700,000.00 grants were from the SAGE Foundation, not from steel guitar players. However, there were benefits and shows that were to fund the SGHOF, so the total amount generated is substantially more.
I agree with Donnie that the idea has lost its appeal with the newer generation of players. It may be time to let the sleeping dog lie.

[J D Sauser]

I am nobody to even opine. Yet I have thought about the SGHOF many times since Scotty's passing and with that "Steel Guitar" loosing it's "Capital", St-Louis, MO.

Someone posted "location, location", and I agree. The Int'l SGC was the BIG event for decades... but it's not anymore. While I recent the idea that Steel Guitar should be related to Country Music mainly, I feel that IF Steel Guitar was to have a home attached to a geographic location, rather than to personality or and event, Nashville would still seem a good "Mecca" to think about. After all, Steel Guitar should not only be kept alive to those who play and know it, but to the world and Nashville seems to have grown economically and further developed it's presence in the music field and related tourism.

Had our Landlord b0b been younger, I might have suggested attaching the HOF to the Steel Guitar Forum. I believe the two should belong together eventually, the physical part and the "virtual", as it could attract and help secure a steadier and more permanent stream of "income" from donations.
After all, we all come and go and pass on, what seems to survive are "virtual" entities like this Forum.
But again, I am nobody to even opine.


... J-D.

[Jeffrey McFadden]

The Steel Guitar Hall of Fame was a historical period in time known as.....The Bronze Age, which has gone the way of buggy whips, VHS tapes, floppy disks, and outhouses.

It's an aside, and not relevant to the topic, but... buggy whips are still made, still bought and sold, and still useful for their original purpose. I own several myself.
That higher tech stuff may be obsolete, but buggy whips live on. Personally I expect them to outlive the automobile.

[Mike McBride]

I’d be interested in leading the effort if funding is secure. I’ve managed construction projects of up to $15 million in value. My plan would be to start with a mobile display and have it evolve into a permanent home.

Are there artifacts in storage somewhere now?

Is the $700,000 in a bank account or something? Is there a Board of Directors?

[J D Sauser]

I’d be interested in leading the effort if funding is secure. I’ve managed construction projects of up to $15 million in value. My plan would be to start with a mobile display and have it evolve into a permanent home.

Are there artifacts in storage somewhere now?

Is the $700,000 in a bank account or something? Is there a Board of Directors?

I think Tom Bradshaw is the last surviving member of the board.

Given that a "museum", potentially with a merchandizing space (a builder's outlet/specialized store) and maybe some space for steel guitar lessons won't require a lot of space, yet should be ON the tourist and fan path, of lets say a place like Nashville... I don't know what the cost would be now... after all, Nashville is booming.

... J-D.