the Evolution of the Pedal Steel Guitar

A review of Carl Dixon´s (pen name PatDee) book "the Evolution of the Pedal Steel Guitar". After several requests Carl wrote down his vision on this great instrument. A book review with pictures by Alexander Zaalberg.
Link in the right column.

Pedal-Pro Universal is an internet project of freelance web designer Alexander Zaalberg, from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Europe. In 2001 PPU started as a homepage to promote the Universal setup Pedal Steel Guitar, and throughout the years it has grown into a full size promotional website for steel guitar in general. To contact AZ click the "we invite your comments" line in the bottom table.

search the internet with:

search the internet with Yahoo!

PEDAL-PRO UNIVERSAL QUESTIONAIRE:
TELL US WHAT KIND OF NEW ARTICLES YOU'D LIKE US TO PUBLISH. WHICH SUBJECTS.

Latest update: Saturday, November 01, 2008. 22.15h GMT.

In 2005 "Scotty" DeWitt Scott remembered the imcomparable JERRY BYRD. Master of Touch & Tone. Jerry created the "Nashville sound" of steel guitar. He played with the best and most famous singers in CW. He recorded with Marty Robbins, Kitty Wells, Dolly Parton, to name a few. He made the standard of todays lap steel playing. Was the example of many of todays Hawaiian steel guitarists. His tremendous reputation and fame didn't change his humble attitude. Always had a moment for his fans. Always replied letters by hand. Always advised and helped. It made him very beloved. Jerry was born on the US mainland. In the seventies he moved to Hawaii to teach the Hawaiians steel guitar. April 2005 he died in Honolulu hospital surrounded by friends and family.Jerry Byrd Promo-photo. Photo courtesy of the Jerry Byrd Fanclub USA



Published in 2003. Scotty wrote this article about Bill Stafford, one of the Bill Stafford and Don Curtis. Photo courtesy of HSGA"premier" universal pedal steel players. Bill worked for Sierra and Excel on the development of the 14 string universal. Bill is one of the foremost steel players combining Hawaiian sounds and Universal pedal steel. In 2002 he received the Jerry Byrd Lifetime Achievement Award.


Ken Simmons wrote this article for us in 2003. The 8th Annual Steel Guitar Home of the Brisbane SG Fest. Photo courtesy of BSGCFestival 2003 organized by the Brisbane Steel Guitar Club Australia. A large article about one of the major steel guitar events in Down Under. With some nice pics we received from Shirley and Noel Anstead.


Sunday June 29, the Central Illinois Steel Guitar Association held it´s annual CISGA Steeljam 2008. Photo courtesy of Darin Hamiltonmeeting at the Best Western Ashland House Inn in Morton, Illinois. Among the fifteen players were well-known steelers as Don E. Curtis and Joe Wright. Board member Rich Mounce mailed us this review.


Bill Stafford informs us on the latest Deep South Steel Guitar & Musicians Bill on stage. Photo courtesy of Bill StaffordAssociation´s meeting. The Deep South parties are always very well attended. Big names and big fun. Great to read down Mississippi young kids pick up steel and turn out to be very talented. Read Bill´s short memo.


Published in 2003. Bert Jonker reviewed the Annual Dutch Hawaiian Promotion Day held in congresscenter "the Schakel" in the Dutch town of Heerhugowaard.


In 2004 Jan Visser wrote this extended article about Steel legend Speedy Speedy West early days. Photo courtesy of Yahoo!West. Speedy West was a pioneer in the early days of pedal steel guitar. He helped Paul Bigsby developing the Bigsby pedal system, and promoted the early Fender double necks. He had a lifetime musical friendship with guitarplayer Jimmy Bryant. Speedy married at a very early age and farmed his fathers farmland in the days before he became professional musician. Read Speedy's full story written by Jan Visser.


FROM THE WEBMASTER:

The Carl Dixon book review is our most recent update. But I just uploaded a page of old in the PPU website. Our Buy and Sell page. Advertise your personal steel guitar related items for sale. Click the Buy and Sell link in the pull down menu. HOME - Buy & Sell.

We are working on a new interview and some steel guitar info pages. Still to come in the next few months.

AZ. September 2008.




A very personal vision on this great instrument by Carl Carl Dixon. Photo courtesy of Carl Dixon Dixon. Carl, using the pen name PatDee, wrote in his very personal way a great book about the Pedal Steel Guitar. A ringbinder book, high quality satin paper, and tons of wonderful photographs about the pedal steel, its players and inventors. Carl asked us to review it in the PPU website. We are pleased to do so. We scanned some pages to give you an impression of the content. To read the review click the link.


December 2001. Jan Visser interviewed Scotty. DeWitt Scott certainly is one of the corner stones of Scotty DeWitt Scott. Photo courtesy of MelBay the steel guitar world. Strangly enough he never was interviewed. Many articles have been written about him but never an extended direct interview. Jan Visser took the opportunity and organized this large interview with Scotty. We published it in our PPU X-mass special 2001. It was the start of five years of friendship and coöperation. Scotty wrote many PPU articles since, and help us with all our steel guitar questions and requests.


We always wanted an interview with Reece. Reece was at the cradle of universal set-up pedal steel guitar. Reece in Steel Guitarist Magazine. Photo courtesy of Tom Bradshaw Finally, in 2003, Jan Visser interviewed The Inventor of the Universal set-up single neck PSG, Maurice "Reece" Anderson. It showed to be a very large interview. Reece had a lot to say and talked extensively about his career. Reece always was known for his almost literary way of journalism. This interview makes no exception. With a large number of fine photographs.


In 2004 and 2005 Dutch pedal steel player Hans Drissen reviewed the latest releases of Hawaiian- & pedal steel guitar CD's.


Once I organized an interview. Published in 4 editions in 2002 I interviewed Jan Visser. Universal player, manufacturer of the DeVis 10 string universals, and organizer of many interviews published in the PPU website last 5 years.




2005. Jan Visser interviewed the legendary Bud Isaacs. Bud invented the "Country Pedals" and with it was responsable for the tremendous popularity of Bud Isaacs, photo courtesy of Scottythe pedal steel guitar in country music. Plan for this interview started in 2003. But due to severe illness of Bud and his wife Geri, they both were unable to finish this interview. Jan Visser decided to publish the interview's unfinished version anyhow. With some great pictures from Scotty, Michael Jones and Robert Hays. Realizing the wearisome process of this Bud Isaac interview, this may well be the last interview Bud'll ever do. Hope you'll enjoy reading it.


John B. Arnold wrote this large review of Scotty's International Steel Guitar Convention 2003. With a large number of pictures by Joe Henry and Clyde R. Wiggins. It was one of our major articles that year.


In coöperation with Sharon Denney, treasurer of the Sharon Denney at the ISGC meeting 2002. Photo courtesy of Sharon DenneyIndy Steel Guitar Club and player of the Sierra Universal-14, We worked on the first of a series of steel guitar clubs info pages. We published this Indy Steel Guitar Club article in August 2002. For over three years long this article drawn a lot of visitors.


In 2002 Lorene Ruymar wrote a special about the history of the Hawaiian (lap) steel guitar. Lorene Ruymar is the author of the book "The Hawaiian Steel Guitar and Its Great Hawaiian Musicians". It means she is an autority on lap steel guitar history. Read her story.


2006. This website was already off the internet when Jan Visser wrote this XXX-large special about the pedal steel. Where Lorene ended her story, Jan started. Lots of info and lots of pics.