Ok so before yesterday I did not know much about the tradition of sacred steel in gospel music. A tradition where lap steel guitar replaces the organ. From Wikipedia:
Sacred steel is a musical style and African-American gospel tradition that developed in a group of related Pentecostal churches in the 1930s. The Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth, was founded in 1903 by Mary Magdalena Lewis Tate. Following her death in 1930, the church divided into three branches, known as the Keith, Jewell and Lewis dominions. The steel guitar was embraced in the worship of two of these dominions, the Keith Dominion (officially, The House of God Which Is the Church of the Living God the Pillar and Ground of the Truth Without Controversy), headquartered in Nashville[1] and the Jewell Dominion (Church of the Living God, Pillar and Ground of the Truth, Which He Purchased With His Own Blood, Inc.) headquartered in Indianapolis.[2] Brothers Troman and Willie Eason introduced lap steel guitar to worship services in place of the traditional organ.[3] This new instrument was met with great enthusiasm and taken up by others including the Bishop J.R. Lockley. The three toured together and later Willie put the new style down on record, recording a total of eighteen sides in the 1940s and 50s. Since then, sacred steel has grown and flourished within the Keith and Jewell Dominions in churches in at least 22 states, including Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Tennessee. The most famous practitioner is Robert Randolph of the Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Randolph, the son of a deacon and a minister, took up pedal steel guitar at 17. Just seven years later, he has become one of the most original and talented practitioners of the sacred steel form.[4] Read More
So on this day two music legends were born. On this date in 1932 Johnny Cash was born and then in 1943 Paul Cotton of Poco was born, well maybe one legend was born and one great musician! anyway both had impacts on my musical listening. Of course Johnny Cash had the greater impact! n Through the years starting with songs like “Ring of Fire”, “Jackson” and hell you know them all, through the TV show and the albums from San Quinton and Folsom Prisons, Cash blazed a trail many country rock musicians followed, he was their Beatles! The success that he found with the last albums he produced before he died prove that his appeal spanned generations and genres! He was the man! For me after Cash came artists a love for artists like, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and many more!
