Bud Isaacs
Bud Isaacs | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Forrest Isaacs |
Also known as | Bud Isaacs |
Born | Bedford, Indiana, U.S. | March 26, 1928
Died | September 4, 2016 Yuma, Arizona | (aged 88)
Genres | Country |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Pedal Steel Guitar |
Years active | 1942–2015 |
Labels | RCA and others |
Forrest "Bud" Isaacs (1928–2016)
Early life
Isaacs was born March 26, 1928, in Bedford, Indiana. His father was a millworker at Bedford Cut Stone Company.[7] His mother enrolled Isaacs in lessons provided by the Oahu Music Company located above Hoover's Confectionary in Bedford.[7][8] Initially he played a conventional acoustic guitar Hawaiian style (horizontally across the knees) with raised strings.[8] He persisted at the Hawaiian academy but preferred the lap steel style and tunings[9] of Noel Boggs.[8] With his acoustic guitar at age fourteen he performed with Pee Wee King's band on the Grand Ole Opry and was offered a job,[b]but the offer was withdrawn when his true age was revealed.[4][7][8] He soon moved up to a Rickenbacker electric lap steel.[4]
At age sixteen he acquired a
"Slowly"
After receiving a new custom pedal steel, a double neck eight-string,
Personal life
In 1956, the Gibson company hired Isaacs to consult on their pedal steel instrument, later introduced as the "Multiharp".[5] Isaacs married Geri Mapes, also a musician, and they worked together with an act they called the "Golden West Singers".[6] The couple eventually retired to Yuma, Arizona, where Isaacs died September 4, 2016[11] at the age of 88.[6] He was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1984.[6] Record companies issued three compilations of his recordings, Master of the Steel Guitar (2005), Swingin’ Steel Guitar of Bud Isaacs (2005) and Bud’s Bounce (2006).[11]
Notes
- ^ Theoretically, it was "possible" on a lap steel, but not possible to play it rapidly with perfect intonation; the pedal version was immediately recognizable.[2]
- WWII draft; King was actively seeking new musicians. Judge George D. Hay auditioned Issacs for King and made the job offer.[9]
References
- ^ a b c "Bud Isaacs/Biography & interview". countrymusichalloffame.org. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. September 5, 1989. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 9780190248178. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 9781423457022. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Rauhouse, Jon (September 1, 2012). "Wire and Hinges: How Pedal Steel Guitar Legend Bud Isaacs Changed the Course of Country Music". fretboardjournal.com. The Fretboard Journal. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ ISBN 9780415938020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bud Isaacs/Artist Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Bud Isaacs Just Wanted to Play Music". lawrencecountyhistory.org. Lawrence County Museum of History & Edward L. Hutton Research Library. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Cundell, R. Guy S. (July 1, 2019). "Across the South: The origins and development of the steel guitar in western swing (PhD Thesis)" (PDF). b0b.com. Adelaide, Australia: University of Adelaide. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Stubbs, Eddie (January 20, 2006). Bud's Bounce/Album Liner Notes. Hamburg, Germany: Bear Family Records. p. 6.
- ^ ISBN 9780195176087. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Oermann, Robert K. (September 9, 2016). "LifeNotes: Pedal Steel Pioneer Bud Isaacs Passes". musicrow.com. Music Row Magazine. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ISBN 9780615243047.
- ^ a b Ross, Michael (February 17, 2015). "Pedal to the Metal: A Short History of the Pedal Steel Guitar". Premier Guitar Magazine. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-8256-0169-9.
- ^ Baldwin, Lonna (September 21, 1984). "Duo Brings Nashville to the Country". Weekend supplement. Vol. 98, no. 314. Spokane Chronicle. p. 34. Retrieved December 4, 2020.