Post by Scully on Sept 24, 2013 7:28:16 GMT -6
COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS AND A LITTLE MORE
“THIS IS REALLY COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS”
Hendersonville steel guitarists inducted into Hall of Fame
Owsley, White join an ever-growing list of Sumner musicians
Written by Dessislava Yankova
Sumner A.M.
Two longtime Hendersonville musicians were surprised recently to find themselves in the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.
Pedal steel guitarists Tommy White and Lynn Owsley become members of the hall Aug. 31 during an annual, international convention in St. Louis, Mo. Their inductions further establish Tennessee as the state with the most members of that hall, with most of them living in Sumner County, Hall of Fame Supervisor Michael Scott said.
“They’re very deserving as far as experience and playing,” Scott said. “This is the most prestigious award in the steel guitar world.”
But Owsley and White didn’t think about the honor as they built their careers.
“It’s not something that stays in the forefront of your mind,” White said. “It’s not a goal to be in the Hall of Fame. The goal is to make a living doing what you do.”
Before moving to Hendersonville in 1986, White lived in his hometown of Louisville, Ky. That’s where the sound of the steel guitar his father played inspired White as a young boy.
“I was raised with the sound of the steel guitar,” White, 53, said. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t around it.”
His playing took off at age 10.
“My parents purchased a steel guitar just for me instead of me always playing with my dad,” said White, who began playing with local Kentucky musicians.
He did that until age 16, when he left home to go on the road with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Donna Fargo, best known for her top 10 country hits in the 1970s. Those include “The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA.”
White moved to Hendersonville to play with country music trio The Whites, Grand Ole Opry members who at the time were hitting the charts with hits such as “You Put the Blue in Me.”
“They were looking for someone to play the steel guitar,” he said. “That was the catalyst that brought me here. That’s when my career really started seeing some success.”
White went on to work with a list of musicians that included Vince Gill, Steve Wariner and Ricky Skaggs. Although White has spent a significant part of his career on the country stage, he regularly works with artists from various genres, including jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and jazz pianist Monty Alexander.
One highlight in White’s career was appearing on a one-hour Lionel Richie ABC special that aired last year. Since 1986, White has worked at the Opry.
Surrounded by music from birth
Like White, Owsley comes from a musical family. Owsley was born in Lanett, Ala., although some groups — including the one that gave his most recent award — claim the mile-away West Point, Ga., as his birthplace since “two states claim me,” he said.
His grandfather, father and brother all played music and helped pave the road for Owsley’s career.
“I was born into a family that appreciated music, although I never got any formal education in music,” Owsley said. “I can’t read a single note. Them curly cues, I don’t even know what they mean.”
At age 5, Owsley received a fiddle from his father and played for a short time, but lost interest. He didn’t get serious about playing until age 10.
By age 12, he was playing regularly at dances held in VFW halls and barns. His ability to play at a young age, he said, made him a novelty. By age 16, he was old enough to play in clubs.
“That’s when I realized there’s some serious money in it,” Owsley said. “And when I say serious money, I mean $12 a day.”
He, however, made as much in a night playing as his father made in a week working at a factory. At one time, he would remove the blade off knifes and use the handles as tone bars to play his instrument, which infuriated his mother.
Opry career
Owsley moved to Nashville in 1986 and played at the Opry with musicians such as Charlie Louvin, Lefty Frizzell and Stonewall Jackson. In 1973, at age 24, Owsley was invited to work with country music legend Ernest Tubb, whose 1941 hit “Walking the Floor Over You” marked the rise of the honky tonk style. This launched Owsley’s career as one of the Texas Troubadours, a name given to artists who worked closely with Tubb at various times, including Willie Nelson, Cal Smith and Buddy Charleton.
“I never dreamed I would be good enough to have a job with (Tubb),” said Owsley, for whom “working with Ernest Tubb was like being on a paid vacation.”
When he accepted his plaque in Missouri, Owsley wore a pair of black cowboy boots Tubb gifted him in 1981. The pair has been refurbished several times and shows a marking where Owsley has used the left boot to push the steel guitar pedal.
In 1999 and 2000, Owsley worked with Kid Rock on Uncle Kracker’s debut album “Double Wide,” which went platinum in 2001.
Although Owsley is retired on paper, he plays several times a year in Sumner and beyond.
Reporter Dessislava Yankova can be reached at 575-7170 ordyankova@mtcngroup.com
“THIS IS REALLY COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS”
Hendersonville steel guitarists inducted into Hall of Fame
Owsley, White join an ever-growing list of Sumner musicians
Written by Dessislava Yankova
Sumner A.M.
Two longtime Hendersonville musicians were surprised recently to find themselves in the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame.
Pedal steel guitarists Tommy White and Lynn Owsley become members of the hall Aug. 31 during an annual, international convention in St. Louis, Mo. Their inductions further establish Tennessee as the state with the most members of that hall, with most of them living in Sumner County, Hall of Fame Supervisor Michael Scott said.
“They’re very deserving as far as experience and playing,” Scott said. “This is the most prestigious award in the steel guitar world.”
But Owsley and White didn’t think about the honor as they built their careers.
“It’s not something that stays in the forefront of your mind,” White said. “It’s not a goal to be in the Hall of Fame. The goal is to make a living doing what you do.”
Before moving to Hendersonville in 1986, White lived in his hometown of Louisville, Ky. That’s where the sound of the steel guitar his father played inspired White as a young boy.
“I was raised with the sound of the steel guitar,” White, 53, said. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t around it.”
His playing took off at age 10.
“My parents purchased a steel guitar just for me instead of me always playing with my dad,” said White, who began playing with local Kentucky musicians.
He did that until age 16, when he left home to go on the road with Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Donna Fargo, best known for her top 10 country hits in the 1970s. Those include “The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA.”
White moved to Hendersonville to play with country music trio The Whites, Grand Ole Opry members who at the time were hitting the charts with hits such as “You Put the Blue in Me.”
“They were looking for someone to play the steel guitar,” he said. “That was the catalyst that brought me here. That’s when my career really started seeing some success.”
White went on to work with a list of musicians that included Vince Gill, Steve Wariner and Ricky Skaggs. Although White has spent a significant part of his career on the country stage, he regularly works with artists from various genres, including jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and jazz pianist Monty Alexander.
One highlight in White’s career was appearing on a one-hour Lionel Richie ABC special that aired last year. Since 1986, White has worked at the Opry.
Surrounded by music from birth
Like White, Owsley comes from a musical family. Owsley was born in Lanett, Ala., although some groups — including the one that gave his most recent award — claim the mile-away West Point, Ga., as his birthplace since “two states claim me,” he said.
His grandfather, father and brother all played music and helped pave the road for Owsley’s career.
“I was born into a family that appreciated music, although I never got any formal education in music,” Owsley said. “I can’t read a single note. Them curly cues, I don’t even know what they mean.”
At age 5, Owsley received a fiddle from his father and played for a short time, but lost interest. He didn’t get serious about playing until age 10.
By age 12, he was playing regularly at dances held in VFW halls and barns. His ability to play at a young age, he said, made him a novelty. By age 16, he was old enough to play in clubs.
“That’s when I realized there’s some serious money in it,” Owsley said. “And when I say serious money, I mean $12 a day.”
He, however, made as much in a night playing as his father made in a week working at a factory. At one time, he would remove the blade off knifes and use the handles as tone bars to play his instrument, which infuriated his mother.
Opry career
Owsley moved to Nashville in 1986 and played at the Opry with musicians such as Charlie Louvin, Lefty Frizzell and Stonewall Jackson. In 1973, at age 24, Owsley was invited to work with country music legend Ernest Tubb, whose 1941 hit “Walking the Floor Over You” marked the rise of the honky tonk style. This launched Owsley’s career as one of the Texas Troubadours, a name given to artists who worked closely with Tubb at various times, including Willie Nelson, Cal Smith and Buddy Charleton.
“I never dreamed I would be good enough to have a job with (Tubb),” said Owsley, for whom “working with Ernest Tubb was like being on a paid vacation.”
When he accepted his plaque in Missouri, Owsley wore a pair of black cowboy boots Tubb gifted him in 1981. The pair has been refurbished several times and shows a marking where Owsley has used the left boot to push the steel guitar pedal.
In 1999 and 2000, Owsley worked with Kid Rock on Uncle Kracker’s debut album “Double Wide,” which went platinum in 2001.
Although Owsley is retired on paper, he plays several times a year in Sumner and beyond.
Reporter Dessislava Yankova can be reached at 575-7170 ordyankova@mtcngroup.com