The International Steel Guitar Hall of Fame
Since the cancelling of Scotty’s International Steel Guitar Convention 2016, the Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame has to adapt. The HOF’s newest inductees, Del Mullen and Neil Flanz, were inducted during the Denver show on June 12th 2016. This ceremony and the entire Denver show was broadcast live on SteelRadio.com. The Denver Steel Guitar Show was held at Lannie’s Cabaret (16th and Arapahoe – Denver, Colorado)
Future inductions and their presentation locations will be posted on our web site and the Steel Guitar Forum as well as other social medias. The Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame, its plaques and historic artifacts are in storage and we are working on getting a permanent location.
Michael Scott
The Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame, Inc.
St. Louis, MO.
Inductees – 1978 thru 2016
| JERRY BYRD #1 MAJOR INFLUENTIAL STYLIST, COMPOSER AND ARRANGER “THE MASTER OF TOUCH AND TONE” BORN: MARCH 9, 1920 LIMA, OHIO DIED: APRIL 11, 2005 INDUCTED: 1978 |
| LEON McAULIFFE #2 WESTERN SWING PIONEER BAND LEADER, COMPOSER OF THE MOST FAMOUS INSTRUMENTAL “STEEL GUITAR RAG” BORN: JANUARY 3, 1917 HOUSTON, TEXAS DIED: AUGUST 20, 1988 INDUCTED: 1978 |
| ALVINO REY #3 BIG BAND PIONEER. SOUND EFFECTS AND TUNING INNOVATOR, AND FATHER OF THE PEDAL STEEL GUITAR BORN: JULY 1, 1908 OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA DIED: FEBRUARY 24, 2004 INDUCTED: 1978 |
| HERB REMINGTON #4 SWING STEEL PIONEER, MAJOR STYLIST, BLENDER OF THE HAWAIIAN SOUND WITH WESTERN MUSIC. RECORDING ARTIST, AND COMPOSER OF THE CLASSIC “REMINGTON RIDE” BORN: JUNE 9, 1926 MISHAWAKA, INDIANA INDUCTED: 1979 |
| SOL HOOPII #5 MOTION PICTURE ADVISOR AND PERFORMER. TUNING AND STYLE INNOVATOR, COMPOSER, RECORDING ARTIST. “MUSIC EVANGELIST FOR HIS LORD”, AND “HAWAIIAN MUSIC’S GREATEST STEEL GUITARIST” BORN: 1902 HONOLULU, HAWAII DIED: 1953 INDUCTED: 1979 |
| JOAQUIN MURPHEY #6 INTRODUCED JAZZ IMPROVISATION TO WESTERN SWING, DEVELOPED SINGLE STRING RIFFS INTO AN ART FORM, AND STYLIZED THE SKILL OF CHORD EXPRESSION. BORN: DECEMBER 30, 1923 HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA DIED: OCTOBER 25, 1999 INDUCTED: 1980 |
| SPEEDY WEST #7 UNIQUELY IDENTIFIABLE STYLIST WHO SO COMBINED CHORDAL EXECUTIONS AND SINGLE-STRING RIFFS THAT PUBLIC RECOGNITION OF THE STEEL GUITAR AND HIS NAME WERE ACHIEVED. HE PIONEERED THE “CRASH-BAR” TECHNIQUE, COMPOSED INSTRUMENTALS THAT BECAME CLASSICS TO THE INSTRUMENT’S PLAYERS, AND IS “STEEL’S FOREMOST SHOWMAN.” BORN: JANUARY 25, 1924 SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI DIED: NOVEMBER 15, 2003 INDUCTED: 1980 |
| NOEL BOGGS #8 POP AND WESTERN SWING BAND RECORDING ARTIST WHO STYLIZED THE “MELLOW TONE” USING MULTIPLE, NON-PEDAL TUNINGS FOR HIS PATENTED “NECK-HOPPING” TECHNIQUE. HE ACHIEVED SMOOTH, COMPLEX, AND FULL CHORD EXPRESSION. BORN: NOVEMBER 14, 1917 OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA DIED: OCTOBER 1974 INDUCTED: 1981 |
| BUDDY EMMONS #9 MAJOR STYLIST, TUNING INNOVATOR AND ORIGINATOR. CREATOR OF ENDURING LICKS, RIFFS AND UNIQUE JAZZ IMPROVISATIONS, COMPOSER, AND FOR A QUARTER CENTURY, “THE WORLD’S FOREMOST STEEL GUITARIST.” BORN: JANUARY 27, 1937 MISHAWAKA, INDIANA DIED: JULY 21, 2015 INDUCTED: 1981 |
| JIMMY DAY #10 RECORDING ARTIST, COMPOSER, AND TRUE HONKY-TONK BACKUP MUSICIAN WHO ACHIEVED SUCH EXPRESSION ON THE E9th TUNING AS TO BE KNOWN AS “MR. COUNTRY SOUL.” A ROBUST AND EARTHY ROAD PERFORMER WHO HAS INFLUENCED HUNDREDS OF ASPIRING PLAYERS FOR OVER THREE DECADES. BORN: JANUARY 9, 1934 TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA DIED: JANUARY 22, 1999 INDUCTED: 1982 |
| DICK KAIHUE McINTIRE #11 MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK AND RECORDING ARTIST FROM THE 1930’s TO 1950. BAND LEADER, COMPOSER, AND PROFOUND INSPIRATION TO SCORES OF STEEL GUITARISTS WHO FOLLOWED. THE MASTER OF PURITY, TASTE, AND EXPRESSION OF HIS DAY. BORN: APRIL 6, 1902 HONOLULU, HAWAII DIED: MAY 20, 1951 INDUCTED: 1982 |
| EDDIE ALKIRE #12 MASTER TEACHER, MUSIC PUBLISHER, COMPOSER, PERFORMER, CREATOR OF THE ALKIRE EHARP AND PIONEER OF THE 10-STRING STEEL AND GUITAR OF AMPLIFICATION. HE DEVOTED A LIFETIME TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE HAWAIIAN GUITAR AND TO THE ENRICHMENT OF ITS PLAYERS. BORN: DECEMBER 6, 1907 HACKER VALLEY, W. VIRGINIA DIED: JANUARY 25, 1981 INDUCTED: 1983 |
| RALPH MOONEY #13 COMPOSER, RECORDING SIDEMAN, ROAD MUSICIAN, AND TUNING INNOVATOR (HIGH G SHARP). CREATED “MOONEY” TAKE-OFF AND “CHICKEN PICKIN'” BEFORE SUCH STYLES HAD NAMES. SO UNIQUELY ORIGINAL THAT HE REMAINS UNDUPLICATED. BORN: SEPTEMBER 16, 1928 DUNCAN, OKLAHOMA DIED: MARCH 20, 2011 INDUCTED: 1983 |
| DON HELMS #14 INDELIBLE STYLIST AND RECORDING ARTIST WHO BROUGHT THE UPPER OCTAVES INTO PROMINENT USE AND GAVE THE “HANK WILLIAMS” BACKUP IT’S ENDURING RECOGNITION. A “DRIFTING COWBOYS” ROAD MUSICIAN AND STEEL PIONEER FOR FOUR DECADES. BORN: FEBRUARY 28, 1927 NEW BROCKTON, ALABAMA DIED: AUGUST 11, 2008 INDUCTED: 1984 |
| BUD ISAACS #15 RECORDING ARTIST, COMPOSER, ROAD MUSICIAN AND PIONEER WHO REVOLUTIONIZED THE SOUND OF THE STEEL GUITAR BY HIS INTRODUCTION OF THE PEDAL-GLISS., THEREAFTER ESTABLISHING THE “MOVING TONE” AS THE DOMINANT STEEL EXPRESSION IN COUNTRY MUSIC. BORN: MARCH 26, 1928 BEDFORD, INDIANA DIED: OCTOBER 4, 2016 INDUCTED: 1984 |
| “LITTLE” ROY WIGGINS #16 MOST IDENTIFIABLE AND POPULAR RECORDING STEEL GUITARIST OF THE ’40s AND ’50s. WITH VOCALIST, EDDY ARNOLD, HIS “TING-A-LING” SOUND WAS HEARD ON 75 MILLION RECORDS SOLD. HE INSPIRED A GENERATION OF PLAYERS TO PURSUE THE BEAUTY OF THE SMOOTH, PURE MELODY LINE. A MAN OF CHARACTER AND QUIET DETERMINATION, HE VIEWED “ARTFUL SIMPLICITY” AS A PERFORMER’S FIRST VIRTUE FOR ADVANCING THE STEEL GUITAR. BORN: JUNE 27, 1926 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE DIED: AUGUST 3, 1999 INDUCTED: 1985 |
| CURLY CHALKER #17 AN INDIVIDUALIST WHO ADVANCED THE STEEL INTO POP AND JAZZ, CREATED HIS OWN COUNTRY SWING GENRE AND MAINTAINED HIS MUSICAL INTEGRITY DURING THE POPULARIZATION OF THE STEEL’S COMMERCIAL SOUND. A TECHNICIAN WHO INVENTED BAR “QUAKING” AND INTRODUCED VOLUME “GUTTING.” HIS CASCADING CHORDS, DELIVERED WITH THE SPEED OF SINGLE STRING RIFFS, IDENTIFY HIS UNIQUE STYLE AS THE “CHALKER SOUND.” BORN: OCTOBER 22, 1931 ENTERPRISE, ALABAMA DIED: APRIL 30, 1998 INDUCTED: 1985 |
| HAROLD “SHOT” JACKSON #18 DESIGNER, MANUFACTURER, RETAILER, PROMOTER AND RECORDING ENTERTAINER. HE PIONEERED SHO BUD GUITARS AS A DOMINANT SOUND IN COUNTRY MUSIC. BUT ABOVE ALL, TO SCORES OF STRUGGLING PLAYERS, THEIR COURAGE AND THEIR DETERMINATION TO ACHIEVE THEIR VERY BEST AND THEY DID! BORN: SEPTEMBER 4, 1920 WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA DIED: JANUARY 24,1991 INDUCTED; 1986 |
| PETE DRAKE #19 INNOVATOR OF THE “TALKING STEEL’ SOUND INTO COUNTRY AND ROCK MUSIC, NOTABLE STYLIST, RECORDING ARTIST, SESSION PLAYER AND STUDIO OWNER WHO HAS ADVANCED THE STEEL SOUND INTO ALL FORMS OF MUSIC. PETE HAS BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF NUMEROUS MAJOR AWARDS FOR GOLD AND PLATINUM RECORDS HE PRODUCED, AND FOR THREE DECADES HAS BEEN A BENEFACTOR TO THE INSTRUMENT AND ALL STEEL GUITARISTS. BORN: OCTOBER 8, 1932 AUGUSTA, GEORGIA DIED: JULY 29, 1988 INDUCTED 1987 |
| LLOYD GREEN #20 COMPOSER AND ARTIST WHO CREATED INNUMERABLE DRAMATIC RUNS. PEDAL EFFECTS AND RIFFS (“THE LAGGARD NOTE.” “SPLINTED HARMONY.” ETC.). DOMINATING SESSION RECORDING FOR OVER A QUARTER CENTURY. APPEARING ON THOUSANDS OF RECORD SIDES. WITH THE GREATEST VOCAL ARTISTS. HE ACHIEVED HIS UNIQUE MUSICAL INTEGRITY THROUGH TONE, TASTE AND STYLE. “MR. NASHVILLE SOUND” BORN: OCTOBER 4, 1937 LEAF, MISSISSIPPI INDUCTED: 1988 |
| BILLY BOWMAN #21 THROUGH RADIO, TOURING AND RECORDING, THIS WESTERN SWING PIONEER BLENDED HIS UNIQUE MELLOW STEEL SOUND WITH BOB WILLS’ TEXAS PLAYBOYS THRU THE 50’S. HE COMPOSED AND RECORDED SUCH CLASSIC INSTRUMENTALS AS “B BOWMAN HOP” AND “MIDNIGHT IN AMARILLO” AND DISTINGUISHED THE INSTRUMENT THROUGH A LIFETIME OF PERFORMING. BORN: OCTOBER 30, 1928 JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE DIED: AUGUST 6, 1989 INDUCTED: 1989 |
| HAL RUGG #22 HE TOOK THE COMMERCIAL SOUND FROM ITS INFANCY TO COUNTRY JAZZ. HE EXPANDED ITS MUSICAL DEPTH TO CREATE THE IDENTIFIABLE SOUND OF LORETTA LYNN, GEORGE JONES AND THE OPRY STAFF BAND THROUGH TELEVISION, SESSION WORK AND ARRANGEMENTS. HE HAS BEEN STEELS MEDIA MAN THRU THREE DECADES. BORN: JULY 21, 1936 NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK DIED: AUGUST 9, 2005 INDUCTED: 1989 |
| BOB WHITE #23 BOB PIONEERED THE 10 STRING GUITAR, ORIGINATED SCORES OF ENDURING LICKS AND RIFFS, INTRODUCED THE MAJOR 7TH AND MAJOR 9TH PEDAL CHANGES AND BROUGHT A MODERN SOUND TO HANK THOMPSON’S BRAZOS VALLEY BOYS. WITH HANK, HE WAS THE FOREMOST SWING STEEL PLAYER OF THE 50’S DECADE. BORN: JUNE 15, 1932 JENNY LIND, ARKANSAS DIED: NOVEMBER 21, 2003 INDUCTED: 1990 |
| DAVID KELII #24 THIS HAWAIIAN DEDICATED A LIFETIME TO THE STEEL GUITAR. PIONEERING MULTIPLE TUNINGS AND INSPIRING SCORES OF PLAYERS BY HIS STYLE. HE POPULARIZED THE INSTRUMENT THROUGH HIS RECORDINGS AND HIS MANY YEARS OF BROADCASTING WITH “HAWAII CALLS.” BORN: MAY 29, 1914 LAHAINA, MAUI, HAWAII DIED: APRIL 3, 1983 INDUCTED: 1990 |
| ZANE BECK #25 A FORMIDABLE PLAYER, TUNING INNOVATOR. MASTER BUILDER AND HONEST BUSINESSMAN. HE PIONEERED THE USE OF KNEE LEVERS, AND WAS THE FIRST TO INSTALL THEM ON PRODUCTION GUITARS. HIS ZB AND BMI STEELS SET A STANDARD FOR DESIGN, SOUND, AND EASE OF PLAYING. A HUMBLE MAN WHOSE DEPTH OF CHARACTER LIKEWISE SET A STANDARD TO MEASURE OTHERS. BORN: DECEMBER 24, 1927 CLARKSVILLE, ARKANSAS DIED: MAY 26, 1985 INDUCTED: 1991 |
| TOM BRUMLEY #26 WITH HIS IMPACT ON “TOGETHER AGAIN” TOM’S “PURE” STEEL SOUND INFLUENCED ALL STYLES FROM THE ’60’S FORWARD. TOURING, COMPOSING AND RECORDING, HE GAVE THE BUCKAROOS AND STONE CANYON BANDS AN IDENTITY WITH HIS ZB. HE BUILT ZB STEELS FOR A TIME BUT CONTINUED PERFORMING. TOM BROADLY INFLUENCED COUNTRY AND ROCK PLAYERS AND CREATED A 30-YEAR LEGACY OF “THE BRUMLEY TOUCH.” BORN: DECEMBER 11, 1935 STELLA, MISSOURI DIED: FEBRUARY 3, 2009 INDUCTED: 1992 |
| DeWITT SCOTT #27 “SCOTTY’S” LIFETIME ACCOMPLISHMENTS THROUGH INSTRUCTING, PRODUCING AND RECORDING, ATTEST TO HIS OBSESSION WITH THE STEEL, ITS PLAYERS AND ITS CULTURE. HIS WRITINGS AND CONVENTION PRODUCTIONS HAVE MADE HIM SYNONYMOUS WITH THE INSTRUMENT, IT’S ADVANCEMENT AND IT’S PLAYERS. SUPPORTED BY HIS FAMILY, IF NOT EVERY PLAYER IN THE WORLD, HE IS TRULY, “THE AMBASSADOR OF THE STEEL GUITAR.” BORN: APRIL 10, 1932 AMARILLO, TEXAS DIED: SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 INDUCTED: 1992 |
| BOB DUNN #28 PREMIER WESTERN SWING MUSICIAN, STRONG INFLUENCE ON PLAYERS OF HIS ERA, PIONEER USING ELECTRIC STEEL SOUNDS ON RECORDINGS. THE FIRST STEEL GUITARIST TO INTRODUCE JAZZ LICKS INTO COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC. BORN: FEBRUARY 8, 1908 BRAGGS, OKLAHOMA DIED: MAY 27, 1971 INDUCTED: 1992 |
| JOSEPH KEKUKU #29 CONSIDERED BY HISTORIANS AS THE INVENTOR OF THE HAWAIIAN STEEL GUITAR. EXPERIMENTED WITH THE DESIGN OF THE COMPONENTS NEEDED TO GIVE BIRTH TO THE “STEEL GUITAR” THAT ARE STILL USED TODAY. BORN: 1874 LA’IE, HAWAII DIED: JANUARY 16, 1932 INDUCTED: 1993 |
| BUDDY CHARLETON #30 RECORDING ARTIST AND STYLIST IN COUNTRY JAZZ, TOURED FROM 1961 TO 1973 WITH THE TEXAS TROUBADOR BAND, “RETIRED” AFTER TWO DECADES OF CLUB AND SESSION WORK TO SHARE HIS MASTERY BY TEACHING-FOR HIM, HIS GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR US, HIS LEGACY. BORN: MARCH 6, 1938 NEW MARKET, VIRGINIA DIED: JANUARY 25, 2011 INDUCTED: 1993 |
| DOUG JERNIGAN #31 CONCERT, SESSION AND MAJOR RECORDING ARTIST, HE HAS SHARED HIS KNOWLEDGE AND ADVANCED THE STEEL AND DOBRO INTO COUNTRY JAZZ. HE ACHIEVED SINGLE STRING DELIVERY BEYOND MERE RIFFS, BUT FOR COMPLETE TUNES, WITH FLOWING, SCORCHING SPEED. BORN: JANUARY 5, 1946 PENSACOLA, FLORIDA INDUCTED: 1994 |
| FREDDIE TAVARES #32 EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND IN HAWAIIAN MUSIC: MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS; RECORDINGS; RADIO; TV. A CONSUMMATE MUSICIAN. ADVANCED THE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY OF PEDAL STEEL GUITAR DURING HIS TENURE WITH THE FENDER CO. – 1953-1980. BORN: FEBRUARY 18, 1913 PAIA, MAUI, HAWAII DIED: JULY 24, 1990 INDUCTED: 1995 |
| BOBBY GARRETT #33 WITH JIM REEVES, HANK THOMPSON AND MANY OTHERS, GARRETT ADVANCED THE STEEL GUITAR THROUGH RECORDING AND TOURING SINCE 1949. WHEN HE COMPOSED AND RECORDED THE CLASSIC “ROSE CITY CHIMES” IN 1958. HE HAD BEGUN PERFECTING THE TECHNIQUE THAT WOULD LEAD TO HIS TITLE OF “THE KING OF THUMB STYLE”. BORN: MARCH 22, 1935 DALLAS, TEXAS DIED: APRIL 24, 1999 INDUCTED: 1995 |
| BILLY ROBINSON #34 THE YOUNGEST MEMBER OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY IN 1948. HE ENHANCED THE HIT RECORDINGS OF RED FOLEY, GEORGE MORGAN, WEBB PIERCE, CARL SMITH AND MANY OTHERS ON RADIO, RECORDS AND TOURS. HE ADVANCED THE INSTRUMENT AND HONORED OTHERS WITH HIS TALENT FOR DUPLICATING STEEL STYLES. HIS SKILL PROVIDED VOCALISTS WITH SHREWD AND ARTFUL ACCOMPANIMENT, A STEEL GUITAR PIONEER BORN: AUGUST 6, 1931 NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE INDUCTED: 1996 |
| JOHN HUGHEY #35 A TOURING, RECORDING, AND PERFORMING ARTIST FOR OVER FOUR DECADES. HIS PURE SOUND STRENGTHENED THE SUCCESS OF RECORDINGS BY CONWAY TWITTY, VINCE GILL AND MANY OTHERS. THE UNDISPUTED MASTER OF BAR SHIVER AND PRECISE UPPER-REGISTRY INTONATION. HE CREATED MUSICAL EMOTION AND DREW ATTENTION TO THE INSTRUMENT THROUGH HIS FLAWLESS DELIVERY. FLAVORED WITH HAUNTING ELOQUENCE. BORN: DECEMBER 27, 1933 ELAINE, ARKANSAS DIED: NOVEMBER 18, 2007 INDUCTED: 1996 |
| WELDON MYRICK #36 THIS RADIO, TELEVISION AD SESSION MUSICIAN BECAME A MEMBER OF THE GRAND OLE OPRY STAFF BAND IN 1966, IN THE FOLLOWING DECADES, HE PERFORMED AND RECORDED WITH HUNDREDS OF MAJOR ARTISTS. WELDON’S PLAYING EXCELLENCE CONTRIBUTED TO OVER 2 DOZEN GOLD RECORDS AND ALBUMS THAT SOLD IN THE MILLIONS. THIS PIONEER ADVANCED THE STEEL BY THE SKILL AND SENSITIVITY OF HIS ARTFUL DELIVERY. BORN: APRIL 10, 1938 JAYTON, TEXAS DIED: JUNE 2, 2004 INDUCTED: 1997 |
| JOHNNY SIBERT #37 THIS SESSION AND ROAD PLAYER WAS THE INFLUENTIAL STYLIST AND CORE MEMBER OF CARL SMITH’S “TUNESMITHS” BAND FOR 2 DECADES, BUT RECORDED WITH MANY OTHER ARTISTS INCLUDING LEFTY FRIZZELL, LITTLE JIMMIE DICKINS, GENE AUTRY, JOHNNY BOND AND THE EVERLY BROTHERS. A TRUE STEEL PIONEER OF RADIO, TELEVISION AND RECORDING DURING THE ’50S AND ’60S. BORN: NOVEMBER 24, 1933 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA DIED: DECEMBER 23, 2013 INDUCTED: 1998 |
| BARNEY ALVIN KALANIKAU ISAACS, JR. #38 THIS HAWAIIAN WAS THE ISLAND’S PREMIER PLAYER DURING 6 DECADES PERFORMING REGULARLY AT ALL THE ISLAND’S MAJOR HOTELS. HE TOURED THE MAINLAND, CANADA AND JAPAN. AND WAS THE FEATURED INSTRUMENTALIST ON HUNDREDS OF RECORD SIDES AND NUMEROUS ALBUMS AND FOR 25 YEARS, HE WAS THE STEEL GUITARIST OF THE “HAWAII CALLS” RADIO BORN: JULY 18, 1926 HONOLULU, HAWAII DIED: FEBRUARY 12, 1996 INDUCTED: 1999 |
| JEFF NEWMAN #39 A SKILLFUL PLAYER BY AGE 20 AND TEACHER BY AGE 26. HE PRODUCED HIS FIRST ALBUM COURSE IN 1969. THIS FIRST TOURING PEDAL STEEL TEACHER (1971) ALSO ESTABLISHED THE FIRST RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL IN 1976. HIS TABLATURE SYSTEM AND VOLUMES OF STUDY COURSES HAVE BECOME INSTRUCTIONAL STANDARDS FOR 3 DECADES. HIS EDUCATED APPROACH AND HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR HIS STUDENTS HAVE MADE HIM… “STEELS FOREMOST INSTRUCTOR” BORN: JANUARY 7, 1942 ARKANSAS CITY, KANSAS DIED: APRIL 7, 2004 INDUCTED: 1999 |
| JIMMIE CRAWFORD #40 RECORDING ARTIST, TOURING SIDEMAN, PRODUCER, INSTRUCTOR, AND INVENTOR OF “MU-SYM TAB.” HE COMPOSED INSTRUMENTALS FOR DOUG JERNIGAN, LLOYD GREEN AND CHET ATKINS. HE CREATED THE “CRAWFORD CLUSTER” KNEE LEVER CONCEPT, AND WITH JOHN HUGHEY, PRODUCED JCH PEDAL STEEL GUITARS. A PLAYER WHO ADVANCED THE INSTRUMENT DURING FIVE DECADES., SHARING HIS KNOWLEDGE WITH ALL. BORN: SEPTEMBER 17, 1935 OBETZ, OHIO DIED: FEBRUARY 2, 2005 INDUCTED: 2000 |
| PAUL FRANKLIN #41 WITH INNOVATED ARTISTRY, HE ADVANCED THE STEEL GUITAR FOR 3 DECADES. IDENTIFIABLY UNIQUE, HIS INNOVATIVE PICK BLOCKING AND PRECISE EXECUTION EFFECTIVELY STYLED A MUSICAL GENRE. RECORDING WITH NEARLY EVERY MAJOR COUNTRY VOCALIST HIS CREATIVE MASTERY ELEVATED MANY OF THEIR TUNES TO HIT STATUS. “STEEL’S PREEMINENT SESSION ARTIST.” BORN: MAY 31, 1954 DETROIT, MICHIGAN INDUCTED: 2000 |
| TOM MORRELL #42 FOR OVER 50 YEARS THIS TOURING SIDEMAN AND SESSION PLAYER DELIVERED WESTERN SWING, JAZZ AND COUNTRY WITH ARTFUL SKILL ON MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACKS AND ON THE RECORDINGS OF INNUMERABLE ARTISTS, INCLUDING BOB WILLS’ TEXAS PLAYBOYS. LATER AS A BANDLEADER, HE ARRANGED AND PRODUCED DOZENS OF ALBUMS. DURING THE 1990s HE PROVED TO BE A MAJOR FORCE IN THE RESURGENCE OF NON-PEDAL STEEL THROUGH TOURING, ARRANGING AND RECORDING BESIDES HIS BRANDS OF MORRELL AND THE MORRELL-SHIELDS STEELS. HE WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDERS AND DESIGNERS OF MSA PEDAL GUITARS. BORN: OCTOBER 31, 1938 DALLAS, TEXAS DIED: JANUARY 29, 2007 INDUCTED: 2001 |
| HERBY WALLACE #43 A BEGINNING PLAYER AT AGE 9, HE WAS PERFORMING ON LOCAL TELEVISION SHOWS AND PLAYING CLUBS SIX NIGHTS A WEEK BY 16. HE WOULD THEN TOUR FOR THE NEXT 14 YEARS WITH MORE THAN 2000 SESSIONS, AND APPEAR ON MANY MAJOR TV SHOWS. A MASTERFUL PERFORMER WITH EQUAL FACILITY IN BOTH POPULAR TUNINGS. HIS 12 INSTRUMENTAL ALBUMS, DOZENS OF INSTRUMENTAL COURSES, CONCERTS AND SEMINARS CONTINUE TO ADD TO HIS GROWING LEGACY. BORN: JUNE 5, 1947 CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE DIED: APRIL 7, 2012 INDUCTED: 2001 |
| “PEE WEE” WHITEWING #44 ARRIVING IN CALIFORNIA IN 1942, HE WAS PERFORMING BY AGE 12 WITH ALL SAN JOSE AREA BANDS. A PREMIER PLAYER BY 17, HE TOURED WITH BLACKIE CRAWFORD’S CHEROKEES, LEFTY FRIZZELL, AND RAY PRICE. FROM ’51 TO ’59, HE ILLUMINATED THE SOUNDS OF HANK THOMPSON’S BRAZOS VALLEY BOYS, WITH HIS INTRICATE TWIN STEEL AND GUITAR ARRANGEMENTS SCORES OF RECORD SIDES ATTEST TO HIS BRILLIANCE FOR COUNTRY JAZZ. A TRUE WESTERN PIONEER WHO DISTINGUISHED THE INSTRUMENT. BORN: FEBRUARY 11, 1934 REICHERT, OKLAHOMA INDUCTED: 2002 |
| SANTO & JOHNNY FARINA #45 IN 1959 THIS DUO RECORDED STEEL’S ONLY GOLD RECORD, WHILE INTRODUCING THE INSTRUMENT TO THE ROCK’N’ROLL GENRE. HEARD IN COUNTLESS MOVIES AND COMMERCIALS, IT HAS BEEN STEEL’S ONLY GRAMMY WINNER (1999), THE MOST RECORDED, AND THE ALL-TIME MOST POPULAR INSTRUMENTAL, “SLEEP WALK”. THE BROTHERS ACHIEVED INTERNATIONAL STARDOM, RELEASED OVER 40 ALBUMS, AND HAD #1 HITS IN MEXICO AND ITALY. THEIR MUSIC EXPANDED THE APPRECIATION FOR THE STEEL GUITAR. SANTO JOHNNY BORN: OCT. 24, 1937 BORN: APRIL 30, 1941 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK INDUCTED: 2002 |
| WALTER HAYNES #46 TOURING WITH JIMMY DICKENS, WEBB PIERCE AND FERLIN HUSKY, HE WOULD ALSO RECORD SCORES OF RECORD SIDES WITH THE FOREMOST ARTISTS OF HIS DAY. AFTER 13 YEARS AS AN OPRY STAFF PLAYER, HE BECAME A MAJOR RECORD LABEL EXECUTIVE, PRODUCING OVER 300 ALBUMS AND COMPOSING OVER 25 SONGS DURING HIS 55 YEAR MUSICAL CAREER. FROM BACKING PATSY CLINE’S “CRAZY”, TO PRODUCING 1974’S SONG OF THE YEAR, “COUNTRY BUMPKIN”, HE IS TRULY A STEEL GUITAR PIONEER. BORN: DECEMBER 14, 1928 KINGSPORT, TENNESSEE DIED: JANUARY 1, 2009 INDUCTED: 2003 |
| JAYDEE MANESS #47 GARNERING 18 ACM TOP PLAYER AWARDS OVER HIS 43 YEARS OF PERFORMING AND RECORDING, HE DISTINGUISHED THE STEEL GUITAR IN MOTION PICTURES, TV’S “DUKES OF HAZZARD”, RAY STEVENS’ “MISTY”, ERIC CLAPTON’S “TEARS IN HEAVEN”, AND WITH THE DESERT ROSE BAND. WITH HIS AGGRESSIVE, DRIVING AND STYLIZED DELIVERY, HE ATTACKED THE INSTRUMENT’S PRESUMED BOUNDARIES, ADVANCING ITS PERFORMANCE THROUGH VERSATILE CREATIVITY. BORN: JANUARY 4, 1945 LOMA LINDA, CALIFORNIA INDUCTED: 2003 |
| BOBBY KOEFER #48 THIS SELF-TAUGHT WESTERN SWING PIONEER AMAZED CROWDS AND HIS PEERS WITH HIS CHIMES AND JAZZ IMPROVISATIONS, WHILE USING ONLY A THUMB PICK AND A FLAT BAR. TOURING AND RECORDING WITH BOB WILLS, BILLY GRAY AND PEE WEE KING, HE ACCENTED HIS UNIQUE STYLE WITH SHOWMANSHIP AND AN ASSERTIVE STAGE PRESENCE. EXTRAORDINARY IN EVERY WAY, MR. “4/9” MATCHED HIS MUSICAL SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE WITH THE LIFE HE PURSUED. BORN: AUGUST 18, 1928 CLAY CENTER, KANSAS INDUCTED: 2004 |
| JODY CARVER #49 POP RADIO AND TELEVISION’S MARQUEE PLAYER DURING THE 50’S. AS A STAFF MUSICIAN AT CBS HE RECORDED AND PERFORMED WITH ALL THE ARTISTS AND THE MAJOR SHOWMEN OF NEW YORK’S “GREAT WHITE WAY”. WITH GODFREY, COMO, GLEASON, BERLE, GRIFFIN, SULLIVAN AND A HOST OF OTHERS. HIS RECORDING AND PERFORMING BROUGHT THE STEEL NATIONAL RECOGNITION DURING TV’S INFANCY. BORN: APRIL 19, 1929 BROOKLYN, NEW YORK INDUCTED: 2004 |
| BOBBY BLACK #50 FOR OVER 50 YEARS HE INSPIRED DIVERSE AUDIENCES WITH HIS PROFICIENCY IN COUNTRY, SWING, ROCK, POP AND HAWAIIAN MUSIC. WITH THOUSANDS OF APPEARANCES, BACKING OVER 100 MAJOR ARTISTS AT CONCERTS, ON RADIO, IN TELEVISION, MOTION PICTURES, STAGE PRODUCTIONS AND ON HIS OWN RECORDINGS HE EARNED HIS TITLE OF “MR. VERSATILITY”. BORN: MAY 11, 1934 PRESCOTT, ARIZONA INDUCTED: 2004 |
| ORVILLE “RED” RHODES #51 RECORDING ARTIST, BANDLEADER, PERFORMER AND L.A.’S MOST PROLIFIC SESSION PLAYER DURING THE ‘60S AND ‘70S. HE CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO STEEL’S EXPOSURE AND INTEGRATION INTO THE ROCK AND POP MUSIC OF HIS PERIOD. AN INVENTIVE DESIGNER OF PICKUPS, AMPLIFIER CIRCUITRY, AS WELL AS STEEL’S CABINETRY (THE RHODES’ STRUT), HE WAS FOREMOST, A GENEROUS MENTOR TO THREE GENERATIONS OF FUTURE PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS. BORN: DECEMBER 30, 1930 EAST ALTON, ILLINOIS DIED: AUGUST 20, 1995 INDUCTED: 2005 |
| LEONARD T. ZINN #52 BEGINNING WITH THE SMOOTH SOUND OF HAWAIIAN MUSIC, HE BECAME A PIONEER COUNTRY-WESTERN STEEL GUITARIST. AS A MEMBER OF THE “101 RANCH BOYS”, HE PERFORMED ON THE ABC RADIO NETWORK, BACKING SCORES OF THE BIGGEST STARS OF HIS ERA. RECORDING ARTIST, SESSION PLAYER, INSTRUCTOR, MUSIC ARRANGER AND PUBLISHER, HIS CAREER HAS SPANNED SEVEN DECADES. AN INSPIRATION AND TEACHER TO THREE GENERATIONS OF BUDDING PLAYERS BORN: DECEMBER 27, 1924 HANOVER, PENNSYLVANIA INDUCTED: 2005 |
| RICO TURCHETTI #53 AN INNOVATIVE STEEL GUITARIST OF THE 1940s AND 50’s. HE PERFECTED EXQUISITE CHORD VOICING ON HIS SELF-BUILT PEDAL STEEL STEEL. AS A CONTESTANT ON ARTHUR GODFREY’S CBS TALENT SCOUTS SHOW HE WAS PROMPTLY HIRED BY GODFREY AND BECAME AN INTERNATIONAL STAR. INFLUENCING STEEL GUITARISTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. AN RCA VICTOR RECORDING ARTIST AND A FEATURED ACT AT MAJOR EAST COAST NIGHTCLUBS. BORN: JANUARY 22, 1917 PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND DIED: JANUARY 24, 2005 INDUCTED: 2006 |
| TOM BRADSHAW #54 DURING FIVE DECADES, TOM PRODUCED NUMEROUS ALBUMS, SEMINARS AND CONCERTS. AS AN ENTREPRENEUR, HE PROMOTED AN UNTOLD NUMBER OF PLAYERS’ PRODUCTS, GAVE US THE WORD “COPEDENT”, AND BECAME A NOTED GUITAR CRAFTSMAN. AS PUBLISHER OF STEEL GUITARIST MAGAZINE AND COLUMNIST AND WRITER FOR GUITAR PLAYER, HE WAS STEEL’S FOREMOST JOURNALIST OF HIS TIME, DOCUMENTING PLAYER’S HISTORIES AND THE INSTRUMENT’S EVOLUTION. BORN: FEBRUARY 14, 1935 SKIATOOK, OKLAHOMA INDUCTED: 2006 |
| MAURICE ANDERSON #55 EARLY IN HIS CAREER, REECE GAINED NATIONAL PROMINENCE WITH BOB WILLS, THEN DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF WITH REMARKABLE TALENT AND FACILITY IN MANY MUSICAL GENRES. HE RECORDED AND PERFORMED INTERNATIONALLY WITH MAJOR ARTISTS ON RADIO, TELEVISION AND MOTION PICTURES. CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF MSA GUITARS. HE IS A LEGENDARY PLAYER KNOWN WORLDWIDE AS A TEACHER, INNOVATOR, WRITER AND RECORDING ARTIST AND IS REFERENCED AS THE “MASTER OF CHORDS”. BORN: DECEMBER 12, 1934 DALLAS, TEXAS DIED: JULY 4, 2013 INDUCTED: 2006 |
| “SNEAKY” PETE KLEINOW #56 INSTRUMENTAL IN INTRODUCING THE STEEL GUITAR TO COUNTRY ROCK MUSIC, FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS. PERFORMED WITH THE BYRDS, AND COUNTLESS OTHER TOP NAME BANDS & SINGERS DURING HIS LONG CAREER. HE INFLUENCED MANY OTHER PLAYERS AND IS AN ICON IN ROCK & ROLL MUSIC. BORN: AUGUST 20, 1934 SOUTH BEND, INDIANA DIED: JANUARY 6, 2007 INDUCTED: 2007 |
| ROY AYRES #57 A PIONEER AND GRAND OLE OPRY MUSICIAN KNOWN FOR FULL CHORDS AND SMOOTH TONE. HE PLAYED STEEL ON ALL OF PEE WEE KING’S MAJOR HITS, INCLUDING “TENNESSEE WALTZ,” THE THIRD LARGEST SELLER OF ALL TIME. HE RECORDED WITH SCORES OF KING RECORD COMPANY ARTISTS AND PLAYED STEEL IN A “DURANGO KID” WESTERN MOVIE. HE HAS A MASTER’S DEGREE IN PHYSICS AND WAS DIRECTOR OF STRING INSTRUMENT DEVELOPMENT AT FENDER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. BORN: DECEMBER 10, 1929 COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI DIED: JUNE 9, 2012 INDUCTED: 2007 |
| JULIAN THARPE #58 SOLO ARTIST, RECORD PRODUCER, SONGWRITER, BAND LEADER, AND A MASTER OF THE FOURTEEN STRING STEEL GUITAR COVERING A FULL 3 OCTAVES IN THE OPEN POSITION. HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PLAYERS TO PERFECT THE “SPEED PICKING” STYLE WITH EXTREME DEXTERITY AND EXECUTING THE MOST DIFFICULT OF PASSAGES WITH EASE – WHICH STILL REMAINS UNEQUALED TO THIS DAY. BORN: MARCH 28, 1937 SKIPPERVILLE, ALABAMA DIED: NOV. 1994 INDUCTED 2008 |
| NORM HAMLET #59 IN HIS EARLY CAREER NORM PLAYED WITH VARIOUS WESTERN SWING BANDS INCLUDING BOB WILLS AND THE TEXAS PLAYBOYS. DURING HIS CAREER HE BECAME A SONGWRITER, TEACHER, AND BANDLEADER. AMONG HIS CREDITS ARE NUMEROUS AWARDS. INDUCTION TO THE WESTERN SWING SOCIETY HALL OF FAME IN SACRAMENTO, CA. NORM TEAMED UP WITH MERLE HAGGARD, PLAYING ON FIVE OF HIS ALBUMS AND HAS REMAINED WITH MERLE FOR 39 YEARS AND IS STILL ACTIVE. BORN: FEBRUARY 27, 1935 WOODVILLE, CALIFORNIA INDUCTED 2008 |
| DON WARDEN #60 EARLY PIONEER IN RADIO AND TV – HE PLAYED WITH VARIOUS ARTISTS IN 1950 AT THE LOUISIANA HAYRIDE AND IN 1954 JOINED THE PORTER WAGONER SHOW AT THE OZARK JUBILEE HELD IN SPRINGFIELD, MO. DON PLAYED WITH DOLLY PARTON AND PORTER ON THE ROAD INFLUENCING THE STEEL GUITAR INDUSTRY WORLDWIDE. DON ALSO PERFORMED WITH THE WILBURN BROTHERS AND RED SOVINE ON HIS RECORDINGS BY MANY OTHER ARTISTS. BORN: MARCH 27, 1929 MOUNTAIN GROVE, MISSOURI DIED: MARCH 11, 2017 INDUCTED 2008 |
| BUD CARTER #61 A RECORDING, CLUB AND CONCERT PERFORMER FOR OVER SIX DECADES. IN 1967 BUD CREATED “THE CARTER CHANGER”. THE ALL-PULL MECHANISM THAT BECAME THE INDUSTRY STANDARD. HIS DESIGN WAS REPLICATED IN PRINCIPLE AND IN FACT ON NEARLY EVERY PEDAL STEEL PRODUCED THERE AFTER. BUD WAS THE PRIMARY DESIGNER OF THE MSA, THE MCI AND THE CARTER BRANDS. AS A BUILDER, WRITER AND SPEAKER, HE SHARED HIS MECHANICAL INNOVATIONS WITH THE WORLD OF PLAYERS AND BUILDERS. HE REMAINS STEEL’S FOREMOST ENGINEER OF HIS TIME. BORN: MAY 31, 1931 SULLIVAN, MISSOURI DIED: MARCH 12, 2015 INDUCTED: 2009 |
| BARBARA MANDRELL #62 MULTI-TALENTED SUPERSTAR PERFORMER WITH STRONG INTEREST IN PLAYING THE STEEL GUITAR BY AGE 10. STARTED HER PROFESSIONAL CAREER AT AGE 11, A REGULAR ON THE WEEKLY “TOWN HALL PARTY” TV SHOW IN LOS ANGELES – TOURED WITH MANY FAMOUS ARTISTS AND SOON HAD HER OWN NATIONALLY BROADCAST TV SHOW, BARBARA FEATURED THE STEEL GUITAR ON ALL HER SHOWS WHICH HELPED TO FURTHER THE POPULARITY OF THE INSTRUMENT BORN: DECEMBER 25, 1948 HOUSTON, TEXAS INDUCTED: 2009 |
| RON ELLIOTT #63 BEGAN HIS CAREER IN 1953 WITH HAWKSHAW HAWKINS. PLAYED THE GRAND OLE OPRY FOR 25 YEARS WITH MANY GREAT ARTISTS. CREATED INNOVATIVE CHANGES FOR THE STEEL GUITAR AND AMP. TOURED AND RECORDED MANY MEMORABLE RIFFS WITH JACK GREENE AND OTHER ARTISTS. CAPTIVATES HIS AUDIENCES WITH HIS SMOOTH AND DISTINCTIVE PLAYING STYLE AND HIS GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR BOTH ON AND OFF STAGE! PROUDLY EXHIBITS HIS PATRIOTISM AT EVERY PERFORMANCE BORN: APRIL 12, 1936 SALISBURY, MARYLAND INDUCTED: 2009 |
| WINNIE WINSTON #64 MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST, MUSICIAN. AT AGE 15, DESIGNER, BUILDER, TEACHER, RECORDING ARTIST, AUTHOR OF “A MANUAL OF STYLE” AND “JUST PEDAL STEEL GUITAR” IS CONSIDERED HIS MOST INFLUENTIAL INSTRUCTION BOOK FOR THE PEDAL STEEL GUITAR BORN MAY 31, 1941 NEW YORK CITY, NY DIED: JUNE 12, 2005 INDUCTED 2010 |
| BOBBY CALDWELL #65 A VIRTUOSO ON THE LEAD GUITAR WITH A LONG AND SUCCESSFUL CAREER, HE WAS THE STAFF GUITAR PLAYER AT THE INTERNATIONAL STEEL GUITAR CONVENTION AS WELL AS MANY OTHER SHOWS THAT PRECEDED THE ISGC FROM 1968 THROUGH 2008. STEEL PLAYERS WORLDWIDE HAVE ADMIRED AND CHERISHED BOBBY’S GIFT OF ADAPTING TO THE UNIQUE STYLE OF EACH INDIVIDUAL ARTIST BORN JUNE 28, 1941 ST. LOUIS, MO DIED: NOVEMBER 8, 2009 INDUCTED 2010 |
| DICKY OVERBEY #66 STYLIST, SONGWRITER, SESSION AND ROAD MUSICIAN. PLAYED ON RECORDINGS WITH MANY TOP NAMES ARTISTS. HIS “I’LL BE THERE” TURN-AROUND BEHIND JOHNNY BUSH IS CONSIDERED A CLASSIC. A VERY INFLUENTIAL PLAYER WITH HIS OWN STYLE, HE HAS GAINED THE RESPECT OF THE TOP STEEL PLAYERS BORN MAY 11, 1942 DETROIT, MICHIGAN DIED: OCTOBER 4, 2014 INDUCTED 2010 |
| BOBBE SEYMOUR #67 SPANNING 3 DECADES BOBBE TOURED WITH MORE THAN 30 MAJOR ARTISTS AND RECORDED 38 ALBUMS UNDER HIS OWN NAME. AS AN ARRANGER AND COMPOSER, HIS CREATIVITY WAS HEARD ON 2000+ ALBUM SIDES, INNUMERABLE TV COMMERCIALS AND JINGLES AS WELL AS 7 MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS. AN ENTREPRENEUR AND CRAFTSMAN HE CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURER OF DERBY, EDGE, MCI, JACKSON, MSA, SEYMOUR AND GRETCH/SHO-BUD BRANDS OF STEELS. HIS PROLIFIC INTERNET “TIPS” POSTS HAVE MADE BOBBE “STEELS FOREMOST WRITER/AUTHOR/PUBLISHER”. BORN: DECEMBER 21, 1939 DUNKIRK, NEW YORK DIED: MARCH 21, 2014 INDUCTED 2011 |
| LARRY SASSER #68 PLAYED ON CONCERTS, RADIO SHOWS, RECORD SESSIONS, THE GRAND OLE OPRY, MOVIE AND TV SOUNDTRACKS, BACKED COUNTRY STARS. HE HAD A TREMENDOUS INFLUENCE ON THE WORLD OF STEEL GUITAR DUE TO HIS EXTENSIVE ROAD WORK, AS WELL AS 11 YEARS AS A BAND MEMBER ON THE TNN SYNDICATED TV SHOW “NASHVILLE NOW.” BORN: AUGUST 19, 1947 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA INDUCTED 2011 |
| RUSS HICKS #69 MULTI TALENTED INSTRUMENTALIST, MEMBER OF THE HEE HAW TV SHOW BAND FOR 11 YEARS. RECORDED AND TOURED WITH MANY TOP COUNTRY ARTISTS, PARTICIPATED ON MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS AND WAS AN INTEGRAL MEMBER OF THE BAREFOOT JERRY BAND, AS WELL AS THE NASHVILLE SUPERPICKERS. HIS EXPERT STEEL PLAYING HAS EARNED HIM MANY AWARDS AND WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION. BORN: 1942 CRAB ORCHARD, W. VIRGINIA INDUCTED 2011 |
| TERRY BETHEL #70 IN ADDITION TO OVER 30 YEARS OF TOURING WITH MEL TILLIS AND RECORDING ON NUMBEOUS #1 HITS, HE HAS TOURED AS A (FERLIN HUSKY) HUSHPUPPY AND A (LORETTA LYNN) COAL MINER. HE IS THE CO-AUTHOR OF PEDAL STEEL GUITAR, A MANUAL OF STYLE AND HAS DEVELOPED AND MANUFACTURED HIS OWN CUSTOM STEEL GUITARS. A FRIEND TO NOVICE GUITARISTS, TERRY HAS HELPED MANY PLAYERS THROUGH HIS INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHODS AND HIS LOVE FOR THE INSTRUMENT, WITH A MUSICAL CAREER SPANNING 60 YEARS: AUTHOR, TEACHER, TERRY BETHEL HAS DONE IT ALL. BORN JULY 14, 1938 MONETTE, ARKANSAS INDUCTED: 2012 |
| KAYTON ROBERTS #71 AS A MEMBER OF THE RAINBOW RANCH BOYS, KAYTON ROBERTS HELPED TO SHAPE HANK SNOW’S SOUND DURING THEIR 31 YEARS TOGETHER. SMOOTH BAR SLANTS, SINGING, HARMONICS AND HAWAIIAN BIRD CALLS CREATED KAYTON’S SIGNATURE SOUNDS. HIS UNIQUE BLEND OF COUNTRY AND HAWAIIAN SOUNDS CAN ALSO BE HEARD ON SEVERAL INSTRUMENTAL RECORDINGS, ALWAYS DELIVERING HIS OWN DISTINCTIVE STYLE OF PLAYING. COMFORTABLY SEATED BEHIND HIS 1951 FENDER CUSTOM, HE HAS GRACED THE RECORDINGS AND PERFORMANCES FOR MANY WILL-KNOWN PERFORMERS IN THE STUDIO AND THE GRAND OLE OPRY. BORN: NOVEMBER 25, 1933, ONA, FLORIDA DIED: JULY 13, 2017, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE INDUCTED: 2012 |
| RUSTY YOUNG #72 RUSTY YOUNG GREW UP PLAYING STEEL GUITAR IN COUNTRY BARS AROUND DENVER, COLORADO, NEVER DREAMING THAT SOMEDAY HE WOULD BE PLAYING STEEL AT CARNEGIE HALL IN NEW YORK CITY OR THE OLYMPIA MUSIC HALL IN PARIS, FRANCE. RUSTY WAS THE FIRST PEDAL STEEL PLAYER TO WIN A PLACE IN GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE’S COVETED ‘GALLERY OF THE GREATS’. HE’S BEEN NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY, RECEIVED A PLATINUM RECORD AWARD AND SCORED A NUMBER ONE HIT ON THE BILLBOARD MUSIC CHARTS. HIS INNOVATIVE STYLE INFLUENCED MANY YOUNG MUSICIANS TO LEARN AND LOVE THE STEEL GUITAR. BORN: FEBRUARY 23, 1946 LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA INDUCTED: 2013 |
| TOMMY WHITE #73 THE SON OF A STEEL GUITARIST CONSIDERED A PRODIGY BY AGE 10. HE EXPANDED ON THE STYLES AND TECHNIQUES OF THE MASTERS BEFORE HIM, LEADING TO BLAZING SINGLE NOTE PLAYING, UNIQUE CHORD STRUCTURES, SOUL, TASTE AND TONE. AT HOME ON THE E9TH AND C6TH, TOMMY HAS RECORDED AND PERFORMED AS A SESSION AND TOURING MUSICIAN WITH MANY MAJOR ARTISTS IN ALL GENRES, AS WELL AS BEING STAFF STEEL GUITARIST FOR MANY NATIONAL TELEVISION AND RADIO SHOWS, INCLUDING THE GRAND OLE OPRY. BORN JANUARY 9, 1960 LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY INDUCTED: 2013 |
| LYNN OWSLEY #74 LYNN OWSLEY, LEGENDARY ROAD MUSICIAN ARRIVING IN NASHVILLE IN 1969. HE WORKED WITH ACTS LIKE STONEWALL JACKSON, BILLY WALKER, WEBB PIERCE AND LEFTY FRIZZELL BEFORE BECOMING A MEMBER OF ERNEST TUBB’S TEXAS TROUBADOURS IN 1974. LIVE PERFORMANCES, NUMEROUS RECORDINGS, RADIO AND TV SHOWS, AS WELL AS APPEARING IN THE OSCAR-AWARDED MOTION PICTURE “COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER.” RECORDING SEVERAL SOLO ALBUMS, KEEPING TRADITIONAL COUNTRY MUSIC ALIVE. BORN: JANUARY 19, 1949 WEST POINT, GEORGIA INDUCTED: 2013 |
| JOE WRIGHT #75 WITH HIS UNIQUE APPROACH, SINGER, STEEL GUITARIST AND ENTERTAINER JOE WRIGHT HAS BECOME WELL KNOWN FOR HIS LIVE SHOWS AND HIS COMEDY, SPLICED WITH CLASSIC COUNTRY STEEL GUITAR SOUNDS AND WITH ELEMENTS OF OTHER MUSICAL GENRES. IN ADDITION, JOE WRIGHT IS AN EXPERIENCED TEACHER WHO INSTRUCTS MANY PLAYERS OF ALL LEVELS IN SEMINARS OR WITH HIS BOOKS AND COURSES. BORN: OCTOBER 10, 1955 JACKSON, MICHIGAN INDUCTED: 2014 |
| SONNY GARRISH #76 STARTING AS A MEMBER OF BILL ANDERSON’S FAMOUS PO BOYS IN 1966, SONNY GARRISH BECAME A PROMINENT STUDIO MUSICIAN IN NASHVILLE. SONNY’S VERSATILITY AND MUSICAL SKILLS SOON CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF PRODUCERS AS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE RECORDING INDUSTRY. HIS LIST OF CONTRIBUTIONS TO RECORDING PROJECTS MAKES HIM ONE OF THE TOP STUDIO MUSICIANS OF HIS DAY. BORN: MAY 14, 1943 FAIR PLAY, MARYLAND INDUCTED: 2014 |
| JIM VEST #77 JIM VEST HAS BEEN A MAINSTAY OF THE NASHVILLE MUSIC SCENE AS A STEEL GUITARIST, PRODUCER, SONGWRITER AND PUBLISHER, AS WELL AS BEING AN ACTOR, SINGER AND BANDLEADER. TOURING WITH TOP NAME ARTISTS BEFORE BEGINNING A SUCCESSFUL RECORDING CAREER, JIM IS THE RECIPIENT OF MANY AWARDS FOR HIS PLAYING AND PRODUCING. THE IDEA FOR A STEEL GUITAR HALL OF FAME ORIGINATED WITH JIM VEST. BORN: FEBRUARY 15, 1941 GUNTERSVILLE, ALABAMA INDUCTED: 2014 |
| GENE FIELDS #78 A LEGENDARY BUILDER AND DESIGNER OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, GENE ALSO PLAYED STEEL GUITAR ON STAGE, RADIO AND TELEVISION FOR OVER 50 YEARS. HE BUILT HIS FIRST PEDAL STEEL IN 1956, AND AMONG HIS MANY INNOVATIVE CREATIONS WERE THE FENDER PS 210, FENDER STARCASTER, AND THE GFI BRAND OF PEDAL STEEL GUITARS. BORN NOVEMBER 11, 1929 DETROIT, MICHIGAN DIED: NOVEMBER 26, 2014 INDUCTED 2015 |
| CHUBBY HOWARD #79 A DJ ON RADIO, “CHUBBY” HOSTED TWO TV SHOWS, SEVEN USO TOURS, AND FORMED THE FIRST STEEL GUITAR CLUB IN 1959, HE RECORDED FOR KING RECORDS, HE PERFORMED ON THE MIDWESTERN HAYRIDE, AND WITH SHOT JACKSON ON TWO ALBUMS , HE PLAYED THE FINAL SHOW AT THE RYMAN (1974) WITH CONNIE SMITH, PERFORMED AT RENFRO VALLEY, WAS IN BUCK OWENS’ FIRST BAND, BOXCAR WILLIE’S FEATURED MUSICIAN, AND HIS LEGEND CONTINUES TODAY! BORN: JUNE 5, 1926 GOOSEROCK, KENTUCKY INDUCTED: 2015 |
| DEL MULLEN #80 PROFESSIONAL STEEL GUITAR BUILDER AND PLAYER, DEL HAS BACKED MANY COUNTRY MUSIC LEGENDS. HE CREATED AND PRODUCED THE WORLD FAMOUS MULLEN GUITAR, CHERISHED BY MANY. HE RECORDED THE FIRST PEDAL STEEL GUITAR CD PLAYED IN SPACE. DEL CONTINUES TO PLAY AND TO BUILD THE MULLEN STEEL GUITAR. BORN: JANUARY 31, 1940 KIT CARSON, COLORADO INDUCTED: 2016 |
| NEIL FLANZ #81 RELOCATED TO NASHVILLE IN 1969 WHERE HE PLAYED WITH CHARLIE LOUVIN, JOE SUN, AND MANY OTHER GRAND OLE OPRY ARTISTS. HE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO OFFER INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR THE PEDAL STEEL. THE TWO CANADIAN STEEL INSTRUMENTAL ALBUMS HE MADE INFLUENCED MANY MUSICIANS. HE ALSO TOURED AND RECORDED LIVE WITH GRAM PARSONS, EMMYLOU HARRIS, AND THE FALLEN ANGELS, NEIL CONTINUES TO PLAY AND TEACH TO THIS DAY BORN: JUNE 22, 1938 MONTREAL CANADA INDUCTED 2016 |
| Since the cancelling of Scotty’s International Steel Guitar Convention 2016, the Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame has to adapt. The HOF’s newest inductees, Del Mullen and Neil Flanz, was inducted during the Denver show on June 12th 2016. This ceremony and the entire Denver show was broadcast live on SteelRadio.com.
The Denver Steel Guitar Show was held at Lannie’s Cabaret (16th and Arapahoe – Denver, Colorado) Future inductions and their presentation locations will be posted on our web site and the Steel Guitar Forum as well as other social medias. Michael Scott |