Monday, September 2, 2013

Steel Guitar

Lynn Owsley 1

So, you might ask, how did a symphony/opera/edgy-contemporary-music fan like me end up at the International Steel Guitar Convention?

Well, it's like this. My son-in-law Brian spent his junior high and high school years in and around Nashville, Tennessee, the capital of country and western music. He still keeps in touch with his old school friends Skeet and Jeremy. Jeremy drives one of those huge band buses all over the country. His father, Lynn, plays pedal steel guitar and, I hear, is one of the best around. So there's this International Steel Guitar Convention that's been going on in a hotel downtown for years. (Who knew?) Skeet and Jeremy and Lynn are all in town for the event. Brian says, "Hey, Bob, want to come down with us? I hear Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn are gonna be there." Photograph big country music stars Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn? You bet! (Even though I realized I couldn't name a single song Merle Haggard recorded). Turns out Brian was totally wrong. I was misinformed, no one like that around. But Lynn got inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame and then played for a good long while and he was terrific. Everybody had a great time and I took some really good shots.

Got it?                         

Lynn and Jeremy Oswald
Lynn and Jeremy

Lynn Owsley - Steel Guitar Hall of Fame

Pedal Steel Guitar

8 comments:

Olivier said...

jadore le son de la "steel guitar" . je ne connais pas Lynn Owsley, je vais aller ecouter ca sur internet.

cieldequimper said...

Unlike Olivier, I'm not much into this but congrats to him!

Stefan Jansson said...

Always fun to try something new.

Birdman said...

Ya, the pedal steel is a mainstay of a shit-kickin' country band. Love em.

William Kendall said...

So that's what a steel guitar looks like!

hamilton said...

It is good to expand your musical tastes! I like a good steel guitar - hard to sit still when you hear it being played.

Jack said...

Not Loretta Lynn, but this Lynn certainly is no musical slouch and gave you the opportunity to take some very fine portraits of a Hall of Famer.

Oakland Daily Photo said...

Got it. Steel guitar is absolutely the heart of country music. This must be a huge honor for Lynn. And it sounds like you had a good time even without Merle and Loretta. p.s. Okie from Muskogee.