The Five Greatest Steel Guitar Solos in Country Music History
The steel guitar belongs to country music. Sure, other genres have adopted the steel guitar and Jerry Garcia, the Rolling Stones, and other legends fell in love with it. Of course, we’ll gladly share it; after all, we know its importance and significance. But we can’t tell the story of country music without that high, lonesome sound of the pedal steel guitar- and vice versa.
The steel guitar can find its origins in late 19th Century Hawaii as Joseph Kekuku popularized, and some say, invented the first iteration of the instrument. Western Swing, however, featured the first electrified steel guitar from Bob Dunn in the 1930s who had been influenced by Sol Ho’opi’i, one of the first Hawaiian steel guitar players. The steel guitar cut through the noise of the Texas honky-tonks with its whining, sorrowful sound and paired nicely with the electric twang popularized by Ernest Tubb and Lefty Frizzell. Perhaps the first artist to fully realize its capabilities in the recording studio was Hank Williams. Imagine some of those Hank records without a steel guitar. Hank’s lyrics and the sound of that steel go together like coffee and a biscuit. And that’s why the steel guitar is such an important player in the story of the genre. It’s *country* as can be and provides the listener with an instant sense of authenticity when listening to a record for the first time.
Over the years, instrumental breaks and solos have become passé in a way. The sounds blend together to add texture and depth to recordings instead of allowing fiddle and steel and dobro to shine at different moments. Neither approach is wrong, of course, but solos allow instruments to really shine. What follow are what I consider to be the greatest steel guitar solos in the story of country music. These are true “solos,” not judged on the entire song, but featured in the spotlight as a way to allow the steel guitar to shine.
5.) “The Long Haul” (2020)
American Aquarium
Steel guitar player: Neil Jones
When I set out to choose five steel guitar solos, I knew the task would be immense. I also had no idea a song released this year would feature on the list. And yet Neil Jones’ work at the end of “The Long Haul” slotted right in. The steel adds so much texture during the bulk of the song, and then we arrive at the end. Just as it seems the song is over, Jones lights into a solo that compliments the unusually optimistic nature of B.J. Barham’s songwriting. The best steel guitar solos have the ability to say through music what the artist has already said. Credit Shooter Jennings’ production and Neil Jones’ playing here.
4.) “LAX” (2016)
Jake Owen
Steel guitar player: Dan Dugmore or Russ Pahl
Despite all my research, I couldn’t manage to find if Dan Dugmore or Russ Pahl played on “LAX,” the standout track from Jake Owen’s American Love. Usually, a game of process of elimination can be played depending on each session player’s style. Unfortunately in this case, it only made it harder. Dan Dugmore played with Linda Ronstadt, Graham Nash, and The Flying Burrito Brothers while Russ Pahl has played with Dennis Wilson and Paul Franklin. Notice the common thread? The soft, lush California sound. And that’s what allows “LAX” to really shine. It sounds like something right out of Laurel Canyon in the 1970s, directly influenced by country music’s inherent relationship with the instrument. The sun is setting, the Eagles are playing on AM radio in an El Camino, and fish tacos are grilling on the street corner…all that story is told in one steel guitar solo.
I have my suspicions of who played on this track, but I’d hate to be wrong. After all, both Pahl and Dugmore are legends and either could have easily perfected this solo.
3.) “Remember When” (2003)
Alan Jackson
Steel guitar player: Lloyd Green
Steel guitar and Alan Jackson songs are tied together as strongly Hank Williams and steel. Like the legends before him, Alan Jackson was aware that strong solo performances are a huge tool in letting the lyrics breathe and the story build to a climax. Lloyd Green’s steel guitar solo comes at just the right time in “Remember When” and benefits the song in such a memorable and poignant way. If you ever get the chance, take a look at who Green has played steel guitar for. It’s impressive.
2.) “Together Again” (1964)
Buck Owens
Steel guitar player: Tom Brumley
Tom Brumley’s steel guitar solo on “Together Again” is widely regarded as one of the best in the genre’s storied history. At a time when singles had to be within just a couple minutes in order to be played on radio, Brumley managed to say so much with his instrument in such a short period of time. Brumley’s playing is masterful. Despite Buck’s lyrics about a a joyful reunion with his lover, the slow, lonesome pace of the song leaves the listener wondering about the background of the main characters- which makes Brumley’s solo all the more important. Magnificent playing.
1.) “The Last Letter (Live)” (1976)
Waylon Jennings
Steel guitar player: Ralph Mooney
If I’m being honest, I could have easily composed this entire list with Ralph Mooney solos. There’s a reason Waylon often said, “Show ’em the boot that made Merle Haggard famous” when introducing Mooney (who once played for Haggard before joining Waylon) to the audience. The greatest steel guitar player in history, Ralph Mooney sounded as good on stage in a live show as session players did after their sixth or seventh takes. But it’s here on the live recording of “The Last Letter” that we find Ralph Mooney’s finest performance. The Moon’s playing is just so damn sorrowful; I could be in the happiest of moods and get a pit in my stomach when his solo hits. Waylon and Ralph Mooney were meant to play together. The ultimate country outlaw and the rowdy steel guitar player. Waylon’s lead guitar playing and Mooney’s steel guitar were so tightly woven together that sometimes their solos were almost indistinguishable.
The steel guitar, despite its origins in Hawaii, has become intertwined with the culture of country music. We owe a debt of gratitude to Joseph Kekuku for developing the technique that spread to country music and then to country rock. The steel guitar, even in the independent country world, isn’t used near enough today. But we could do with a few more artists finding a steel guitar player who can run the gauntlet of human emotions in sound by just playing a couple of licks.
