The Lee Boys and the Sacred Steel

As many of you have heard, Paradigm will be performing a co-bill with the Lee Boys at Headliners in Louisville on June 20th. The Lee Boys come from a musical tradition known as Sacred Steel, a more upbeat, funkier outgrowth of church gospel music that's based around the pedal steel guitar. Chances are you've heard Sacred Steel artists without necessarily realizing it. Robert Randolph is perhaps the best-known Sacred Steel artist, both with his own current group the Family Band, and with the John Medeski/North Mississippi Allstars/Robert Randolph hybrid group known as the Word. So, lots of people are familiar with the sound of Sacred Steel, but many don't know much about the music and its history, so I thought I'd shed this little light of mine (gospel reference!) on the subject.

For some, the phrase "steel guitar" conjures up images of either country music being played in a dive bar or a Hawaiian luau. The use of the steel guitar in African-American gospel music, however, dates back as far as the 1930s. Ironically, it was Hawaiian music that was partially responsible for bringing the steel guitar to the church. Hawaiian music hit a streak of popularity in the early 1900s, and with it came the undeniable sound of the steel guitar. It's ability to mimic the sound of the human voice (and also its popularity at the time) attracted musicians at a pentecostal church called the House of God, who began using it in place of the more traditional organ, and the steel guitar soon became an integral part of their Sunday worship services. The House of God church expanded, and in turn, so did the steel guitar. Today, House of God churches are located mainly in New York, Florida, and Kentucky (local connection!), and the steel guitar tradition carries on.

Today, many of the steel guitarists brought up in the House of God tradition (like Robert Randolph, the Lee Boys, and the Campbell Brothers) have entered the mainstream, combining the traditional style with contemporary sounds, and have attracted fans of all religious affiliations (or lack thereof). The main reason is that, despite what one may expect, the music isn't overtly religious. It's the combination of the celebration of life and love from gospel music along with the emphasis on musicianship from jazz and blues that provides Sacred Steel with its mass appeal. Basically, it's feel-good music, and everyone can relate to that.

Suggested Listening (from MySpace):

The Word -- song: "Joyful Sounds"
The Campbell Brothers -- song: "Good All the Time"
The Lee Boys -- song: "Say Yes"
Robert Randolph -- song: "Ain't Nothin' Wrong with That"

Be sure to pick up your tickets for the Paradigm/Lee Boys show at Headliners in Louisville on June 20th at either Ear X-Tacy Records in Louisville or online via Ticketweb for the low, low price of $8! Special guests the Deloreans will be opening this 18+ show, which kicks off at 8pm.