Old Memories

As far as I know, Tom Adams is the only pedal steel guitar player active on the Users Forum - and a damn good one! He has opened for, and played with, some of the country music greats over the years. Most of you probably don't know that Ronnie Fields' uncle, Gene Fields, founded GFI back in the 1960s. They quickly became one of the premiere makers of pedal steel guitars. Several of the A-list Nashville steel players used a GFI.

I, too, am a huge fan of the pedal steel.

This is the type of backing track you would have heard on country songs from early George Strait, Gene Watson, and many others in the '60s, 70s, and early 80s.

So, I put this together, hoping they might enjoy it. This is my way of saying thanks to them for their contributions to the country music industry for the past several decades.

Thanks, gentlemen!

Ronnie: my youngest brother used to live just down the road from GFI. He lived in Niangua, MO. Several members of my family live in the Springfield - Branson area.



Song Summary - Old Memories

File:Old Memories.SGU

Key=C , Tempo 80, Length (m:s)=3:36


Style is _DAKOTA.STY (Dakota Plains Country Ballad)

RealTracks in style: 1536:Bass, Electric, PopBelieve Ev16 065
RealTracks in song: 3159:Guitar, Baritone Electric, Rhythm AmericanaSlow16thsBrentFX Ev16 060
RealTracks in song: 2930:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm FolkRock8thsBrent Ev 100
RealTracks in song: ~362:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 2001:Pedal Steel, Soloist CountryPaul Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 624:Fiddle, Soloist George Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 3160:Guitar, Baritone Electric, Rhythm AmericanaSlow16thsBrent Ev16 060
RealDrums in style:Modern Pop Ballad Drums with Shaker [Multi]


Paul Franklin, one of the very best pedal steel players to ever record in Nashville, is playing the pedal steel track.on this song.

Nice instrumentation. It sounds like there's a lyrical song waiting to be written for it.

Alan, nicely done! That's a cool tribute. Have always been a big fan of the pedal steel, too. This sounds really relaxed, and I like the pedal steel in the long composition format, which I don't hear much. THANKS as well for the fascinating trivia on Tom and Ronnie's connection. Huh. It IS a small world! (FWIW, there's a volume swell at 1:37 that jumps out a bit. Didn't detract from my enjoyment whatsoever.) Really appreciate the thoughtful composition!

Wow, you bring out the smiles, Alan. And thanks for mentioning Tommy and Ronnie. I did not know. Excellent choice using Paul Franklin. BiaB uses some incredible session players, and there are some very talented folks here who know how to direct them. This is so good. It's a good composition to show off the talents and sounds of such a cool instrument. It's very difficult to play with all the knee levers and stuff.

it's really a beautiful instrument (pedal steel) highlighted by your song.
Laurent

Really nice!

Hi, Alan.

Nice track - mellow country. Pedal steel is one of those instruments that - in the right place - fits like nothing else.

Thanks for the trivia - it's always cool find out a bit more about people and music history.

I enjoyed the listen!

A country instrumental at its best.
Paul plays a great pedal steel lead.
Great backing band and mix.

Thanks a bunch for the listen and nice comment. I appreciate it!

Alan

Hi Ron,

Sorry for the tardy and brief reply. Di is having some serious medical issues.

Thank for the listen and very nice comments! Much appreciated.

I'm aware of the issue at 1:37 - there's a noisy artifact there, and I can't get rid of it - so I just dropped the volume for that particular beat and then brought it back up. I have several songs featuring pedal steel for the entire piece. Will post a few more here and there.

Thanks again.

Alan

HI Marty,

Thanks so much! I've admired the work of Tommy and Ronnie since I've been here. And the pedal steel is an oft-forgotten instrument, so I wanted to shine a little light on it. And yes, paul Franklin is a great player - and a nice guy from Detroit. He's soft-spoken and always respectful.

Many thanks,

Alan

Merci beaucoup, Laurent!

Alan

Thank you, David. Sorry for the tardy reply - Di is having serious medical issues again, so my time is there.

Take care,

Alan

HI David,

I fully agree with you about the placement for the pedal steel. Tom and Ronnie are interesting and talented folks!

Best to you,

Alan

Hi Mario,

Many thanks for the listen and nice comments - appreciate it very much. The 60s and 70s are my favorite times for country music.

Take care,

Alan

Good stuff, Alan!

I knew the trivia about Tom, but not about Ronnie. Cool!

Alan, I’m glad I stopped in this morning. Thanks for your kindness. Not many can put together an instrumental with your degree of competency. I was lucky enough to have had a few interactions with Gene Fields. He was a wonderful and caring man who was well respected in the steel guitar community. He fixed a problem I was having on a steel that he had built and I had bought used. He paid the shipping and talked with me quite a while. Who does something like that? He worked with Leo Fender for a while and was the designer of the Starcaster. It was Fender’s answer to the Gibson 335. Thanks to all the who mentioned me in the comments. A great way to start my day! Tom

Hi Al-David,

Pretty, very captivating composition. The violin combines perfectly with the guitar. Well done. I appreciated.

Jani

Nicely done tribute Al.
We've been privileged to have Tom play steel on several of our collaborations.
The man certainly knows what he's doing!

Enjoyed it!
J&B

Alan...I too love pedal steel...this is a lovely example of the fantastic sound of the emotional and expressive instrument...and then to add the fiddle...ahh...sublime!...you have captured my heart with this wonder piece!

Man, I'm soooo glad you put this on here! After playing guitar for years, my dad cut the tip of one of his left fingers off, so he switched to a steel. I spent most my childhood with a pedal steel in my living room. I love that instrument! I first met Paul Franklin when I was 18. He was in his 20's and already playing for Mel Tillis. My dad now lives near Nashville and occasionally goes to recording sessions. About 6 months ago I got a call from my dad - I thought. It turned out Dad was at a session again and he had Paul give me a call from my dad's phone! I've met him and his folks a few times through the years, but he wouldn't remember me. Still we had quite a laugh and joked on the phone with each other for quite a while. In addition to being an ace on the steel, he's also just a real nice guy.

I'm looking forward to hearing more of your steel songs. I love to hear Tom play steel, but had no idea about Ronnie's background. I won't mention it here, because I don't know if I'm supposed to know, but I've learned that another one of the highly respected pedal steel guitar players in Nashville has done some tracks for PG Music, so I'm hoping we'll have yet another great one to pull from in the near future! Can't wait to hear what you'll do with that!!

Brad

Thanks for the mention, actually during the 60s, Gene was still working for Fender, and he said Leo Fender sent him to machinists school to learn the craft of making steel guitars. He founded GFI in the 70s, and was actually inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame.
For a long time, Vince Gill used John Hughey as his steel player who made the famous break on "Look At Us". After he passed away, Vince asked Paul Franklin to take his place and he has done a marvelous job!!