Sneaky Pete at ISGA in St Louis

tom anderson · Post by **tom anderson** » 24 Jan 2019 10:42 am

Does anyone know if Sneaky ever performed at the ISGA shows in St. Louis?

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 24 Jan 2019 11:44 am

he certainly should have. is he in the Hall of Fame? I fear the answer to both questions is no

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 24 Jan 2019 11:52 am

I don't think he ever played at ISGC but he was indeed inducted into the SGHOF in 2007.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 24 Jan 2019 11:58 am

oh good, he certainly deserves it. shame that it was posthumous

thanks Jim

tom anderson · Post by **tom anderson** » 24 Jan 2019 12:58 pm

I was at the convention that year and watched the induction. As I remember Buddy Emmons gave a nice tribute. The introductory and postlude music though had nothing to do with Sneaky’s playing style or tunes that he was famous for. No “Beat the Heat” or “Christines tune”. I was surprised they didn’t ask Mike Headrick to play. He had a booth out in the hall and had done the great Steels on Wheels CD which had tons of Burrito songs emphasizing Sneaky’s style.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 25 Jan 2019 3:45 am

I knew Pete since about 1977 and he told one time that he "just didn't get" steel guitar conventions. "It's like a bunch of little old ladies that get together and compare their sewing techniques". Joaquin had roughly the same opinion although Murph did play Scotty's once in 1976.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 25 Jan 2019 8:40 am

Well, Pete's "little old ladies" comment is pretty cynical, but he had that side to him, rock star or no. Fact is, some of the pros just aren't very outgoing or gregarious, which are characteristics you'd need if you're around a bunch of civilian hobbyist wanna-bes who idolize every note you've ever played and want to discuss them with you. Joaquin is a prime example of that. Outgoing, he was not.

And then there's the "hang," getting together with old friends and simply enjoying each other's company. I've attended shows that I wasn't invited to play or couldn't because of a physical injury, simply because I love hanging with my homies a couple-three times a year. These are friendships that go back decades, and opportunities like steel shows are few. I must admit that I listen to relatively little of the picking going on in the main rooms. The conversations in the hallways, vendor rooms in particular and the bar are too entertaining to miss.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 25 Jan 2019 9:15 am

Herb, is there any truth to the rumor that almost no one associated with the Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame had ever heard of Sneaky during his lifetime?

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 25 Jan 2019 9:33 am

That's an overstatement. IMHO, most on the Board were aware of Sneaky and Red, but were generally unaware of the degree of their significance to steel guitar. Those players needed an advocate to make the committee informed on their contributions and HOF worthiness. Which in retrospect is why Jeff Newman initially nominated me for the Board, since I came from CA, knew Red and Pete, and didn't have a Nashville-centric agenda. Additionally, copious amounts of information supplied by certain members of the community, Joe Alterio and others among them, made a big difference in the electability of Red/Pete to the HOF. Later members of the HOF Board, Chuck Lettes and Al Brisco, added much to the wider perspective of the committee.

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 26 Jan 2019 12:09 am

Sneaky Pete was scheduled to play Scotty`s show sometime around the turn of the century, I forget....
I even wrote to Scotty and he sent me Sneaky`s email address.
I wrote to him asking for an interview for a music magazine here in Finland. I had a monthly column back then...
He generously agreed to do the interview but eventually had to cancel coming to St. Louis due to health reasons. This could have been 2000, maybe.... Maybe later....

Damir Besic · Post by **Damir Besic** » 26 Jan 2019 3:48 am

I really enjoy being around musicians in general, not just steel players... I think I enjoy that just as much as playing, taking pictures of the musicians and instruments is something I love to do as well... I guess just about anything that has to do something with music or arts will get my attention...

Stu Schulman · Post by **Stu Schulman** » 26 Jan 2019 5:40 am

Speaking of sewing circles,a few years ago my ex dragged me into a store in Anchorage Alaska that sold musk ox wool ,The woman behind the counter explained to me that musk ox wool will keep you much warmer than conventional wool,As I started nodding off she explained to me that woman in different villages had different stitches,and they could tell where a person is from by their stitches?who knew?

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 26 Jan 2019 11:43 am

Michael Johnstone wrote:I knew Pete since about 1977 and he told one time that he "just didn't get" steel guitar conventions. "It's like a bunch of little old ladies that get together and compare their sewing techniques".

I think it's pretty fair to say that when you don't care much about people's music, you probably don't care much about them, either. Musicians, like most, tend to gravitate towards like-minded people, and avoid those who think differently. Commonality is a bridge, and individuality is a fence.

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 26 Jan 2019 1:05 pm

I remember hearing about one time when Sneaky attended the St Louis Show. The way I heard it, Pete was in the audience and Buddy Emmons gave him a shout out to acknowledge him during his own show, and called Pete his favorite steel player.

Rich Upright · Post by **Rich Upright** » 7 Feb 2019 11:34 pm

I vagely remember watching a TV show on special effects in Science fiction, of which I am a major fan, and they were interviewing some Hollywood special effects guys, and while interviewing one of them, the name Pete Kleinow popped up to identify him. I guess it was the same Sneaky Pete; I dunno. Not that common a name.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 8 Feb 2019 3:09 am

One and the same Rich. Pete very likely had a higher income from his work in the film and TV industry than he did as a pedal steel player. Pretty amazing - he was a major contributor in both industries.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 8 Feb 2019 5:45 am

Indeed. He was one of the animators of Gumby!

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 8 Feb 2019 2:32 pm

Jim Cohen wrote:Indeed. He was one of the animators of Gumby!

Yes, he was, but his career went far beyond that... Read this short article I linked to.

pete gave "life" to one of the most iconic characters in the history of science fiction... Some great photos, and some great comments on pete's technical skill.. he was truly a genius... bob

https://skynetsarmy.net/2017/02/19/an-i ... erminator/

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 8 Feb 2019 5:10 pm

If there's a Hall of Fame for the animation technicians, I'm sure Pete would be in it, if not already.

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 9 Feb 2019 5:47 am

And don't forget 'Davey and Goliath', always watched that on Sunday morning before church.

Ron Funk · Post by **Ron Funk** » 9 Feb 2019 5:35 pm

http://www.buddyemmons.com/_board/000001d7.htm

Mike Bienstock · Post by **Mike Bienstock** » 9 Feb 2019 10:12 pm

I had the good fortune to work with Pete doing animation/special visual effects for one of the RoboCop movies, ironically long before I decided to learn to play steel. I knew who Sneaky Pete was at the time but didn’t know he and the animator Pete Kleinow were one and the same! We had many laughs about it and much more. What a great sense of humour he had. Whether it was music or animating puppets, his heart flowed through his hands.

K Maul · Post by **K Maul** » 10 Feb 2019 6:35 am

Yeah,that list is great to see. I remember back in the 70s the stalwart pedal steel players I knew, Emmons devotees all, who turned up their noses at Pete. I would tell them that I liked them both. So...take THAT! Hahaha.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 10 Feb 2019 7:00 am

K Maul wrote:Yeah,that list is great to see. I remember back in the 70s the stalwart pedal steel players I knew, Emmons devotees all, who turned up their noses at Pete. I would tell them that I liked them both. So...take THAT! Hahaha.

Yes I remember those days.. I too emulated pete, cage,garcia, young, perkins, call, etc in those years.
The steel players that liked the nashville players were more polished sounding, could play jazz and swing on C6 besides E9, but yet the country rock E9 guys got all the better gigs with the better bands. Saw it several times.
a band would audition 3 or 4 steel players, and the country rock guys always got the gigs... . That style resonates with musicians, polished sounding or not... bob

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 15 Feb 2019 9:43 am

This Flying Burrito Bros album called "Live In Tokyo" has some pretty incredible Sneaky Pete playing from end to end.
My favorite song on the album is White Line Fever.
The steel playing is just great!

If you click on the "Show More" button, you can then click to the beginning of any song, or just listen to the entire album.
Also, I think the drummer is a GREAT country-rock drummer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPm_1voGkXA