Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Featured Player: Ben Keith

"Buddy Emmons may be the best steel player, but Ben's my favorite." - J. J. Cale

Ben Keith became famous because of his frequent collaborations with Neil Young, but his earlier career as a Nashville session musician had him playing on records including "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline. A master of understatement, Keith's style tends towards the sparse and mysterious. Some songs however, such as Young's "Albuquerque" and "Roll Another Number," prominently feature his melancholy pedal steel artistry. Keith was touring and recording right up to his death in 2010. His death marked the end of the career of a unique pedal steel player, not to mention that of an ambassador who brought the instrument to new audiences in the world of rock and roll. His pioneering work with Young and a range of other artists broadened our conceptions and suggested fresh musical contexts for pedal steel guitar.

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