The Hawaiian steel guitar changed American music. Can one man keep that tradition alive?

[DJ Mango]

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2024-04-01/hawaiian-steel-guitar

Pedal steel player player Speedy West poses for a portrait at a luau celebrating his album “West Of Hawaii” in 1958. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

 

[merlin666]

Thanks for the article. This is such a cool instrument though I personally don't know anyone who owns or plays it. I think this was also the first electrified instrument with a pickup many years before the regular guitars.

 

[man0a]

Mālie Lyman is the great-granddaughter of famous ukulele player "Aunty" Genoa Keawe. She is mentioned at the end of the Alan Akaka article. In this video, she is accompanying her mother. I have seen her performing at a couple of shows in Honolulu. There are more videos of her on YouTube.

 

[DJ Mango]

Ke Kula Mele Hawai‘i School of Hawaiian Music is a Hawaiian Music school headed by steel guitar master Alan Akaka.

https://kekulamele.com

 

[DJ Mango]

 

[ampeep]

Just got some great news! Hadn't seen Tets, our steel guitar player since before the pandemic. Found that he's playing a gig with a small group on thurs & turns 100 this year! He used to tell me that I shouldn’t use written music - he never did; he’d just ask me the key of the next song & he’d simply play the leads & fills.

Once in a while, get to jam with Kamaka, who's excellent on steel guitar, guitar & bass.

 

[rainbow21]

Just received an email introducing a songbook from F Sokolow:

Fred Sokolow Store

Books, DVDs, CDs Digital Downloads and much more! Banjo, Uke, Guitar, Dobro, Bass, and autoharp lessons in Bluegrass, Country, Jazz, Rock, and Ragtime.

www.sokolowmusic.com

 

[KohanMike]

Thanks for the article. This is such a cool instrument though I personally don't know anyone who owns or plays it. I think this was also the first electrified instrument with a pickup many years before the regular guitars.

From what I've read, Rickenbacker invented the lap steel in1932, which was picked up by country groups. Then during the San Francisco World Fair in 1939 where there was a Hawaiian plaza, the players from Hawaii picked up on the lap steel.

 

[Gress]

Thanks for the article.

 

[Canada Jim]

I have a number of friends who play steel guitars. The "steel" refers to the slide, made of steel, glass, ceramic. . .
My friend Al plays both pedal steel and acoustic lap steel, in his case an old REgal resophonic.


My friend Jimmy is playing pedal steel here


My .son Darcy's bandmate Christine is a wonderful lap steel player.