In honor of my pal -- and Northern California pedal steel god -- Dave Zirbel's birthday, who is the greatest steel guitarist ever?
4
votes
Bobby Black (Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen)
Tom Brumley (Buck Owens & the Buckaroos, Rick Nelson)
B. J. Cole (Sideman, Elton John, REM, Kevin Ayers, Sting, The Verve)
Hank DeVito (Emmylou Harris' Hot Band)
Pete Drake (Nashville sideman, Bob Dylan, Charlie Rich)
Buddy Emmons ("The World's Foremost Steel Guitarist", innovator)
Paul Franklin (Dire Straits, sideman, innovator)
Jerry Garcia
"Sneaky Pete" Kleinow (Flying Burrito Bros., Linda Ronstadt)
Greg Leisz (The Funky Kings, sideman)
Lloyd Maines (Joe Ely, Guy Clark, sideman)
Barbara Mandrell
Jay Dee Maness (The Byrds, The Desert Rose Band)
Al Perkins (Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, Manassas, sideman)
Robert Randolph
Alvino Rey (Innovator, inventor of the "talk box")
Red Rhodes (Michael Nesmith, James Taylor, sideman)
Speedy West (Jimmy Bryant)
Ronnie Wood (Faces & The Rolling Stones)
Rusty Young (Poco)