RIP Bill Keith

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 24 Oct 2015 10:22 am

I heard that Bill Keith passed yesterday. Together with the late Winnie Winston (another master banjoist/pedal steeler), they wrote the classic "Bible" of pedal steel study that so many of us learned from in our early days.

RIP Bill and thank you for your huge contributions to steel guitar.

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 24 Oct 2015 10:34 am

Sorry to hear this. All around iconic cat. Bravo, Bill.

Terry Wood · Post by **Terry Wood** » 24 Oct 2015 11:08 am

Prayer for the Family and Friends!

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 24 Oct 2015 3:05 pm

A great guy and very smart, and an important stylist and inventor, the single most important figure in popularizing the melodic style of 5-string banjo playing, as well as inventing his Keith tuners, which improved upon the Scruggs tuners, which relate to pedal steel guitar mechanisms, no surprise. A great loss. RIP.

Carl Heatley · Post by **Carl Heatley** » 24 Oct 2015 4:07 pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2Ftjn59RB8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-O7XB0OrXk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00uER7POd1o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5ezvRKhgVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMkBVVrGfqM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfjR1eTd_8U

Craig Stock · Post by **Craig Stock** » 24 Oct 2015 7:14 pm

Sad to hear, condolences to the family.

Got to see him play at the PSGA Show two years ago.

RIP

Ned McIntosh · Post by **Ned McIntosh** » 25 Oct 2015 2:11 am

I was one of thousands who bought "Pedal Steel Guitar" in the 1970s and thus began my involvement with the steel-guitar. The names Winnie Winston and Bill Keith became burned into my memory. They were my guides as I began my journey.

Bill's contribution to the steel-guitar was matched by his contribution to bluegrass banjo, in terms of playing-technique and teaching.

Tributes and anecdotes about Bill are pouring in on the Banjo Hangout forums, for those who want to learn more about this amazing man and his life's work.

RIP Bill, and thanks for inspiring so many of us, whether on five strings or ten.

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 25 Oct 2015 6:49 am

RIP Bill. A banjo legend.

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 25 Oct 2015 8:20 am

Met him backstage at the Opry and we talked pedal steel. A very nice person. I'm saddened to her this news.

Lyle Dent · Post by **Lyle Dent** » 25 Oct 2015 10:16 am

Truly sad news for the banjo family. To see his magic look at the Grey Fox tribute to Bill this year.

Lynn Stafford · Post by **Lynn Stafford** » 25 Oct 2015 11:19 am

I want to extend my deepest condolences to Bill's family and friends. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to have a few very pleasant phone conversations with Bill a while back. He shared a few stories about his time spent with the Blue Velvet Band and their European travels, along with some information about his Emmons wraparound.

Here are a couple of clips of the Blue Velvet Band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j2O7W-scaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N_kXJ6UvOA

Here is the photo of Bill Keith that's on page 39 of "Pedal Steel Guitar".

Michael Breid · Post by **Michael Breid** » 25 Oct 2015 5:57 pm

What a great loss. I got to see him with the Kweskin Jug band right after he'd gassed everyone with his chromatic style of banjo playing. He then went on to write a great steel guitar book with Winnie Winston. I still have my copy. RIP Mr. Bill. You were a classic.

Allan Jirik · Post by **Allan Jirik** » 25 Oct 2015 7:01 pm

Though Brad Keith "There's only one Bill in my band" was with Monroe for less than a year he set the bar for the other banjoists that followed. He pioneered the melodic style and proved that the banjo had a legitimate place in jazz and classical music. His knowledge of music theory was amazing and if I'm not mistaken in addition to his contribution to Pedal Steel Guitar, Bill wrote the tablature for the Scruggs book (1968). What a musician, what a man. Gonna play some Devil's Dream tonight in his memory.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 26 Oct 2015 6:17 am

There a nice solo Played by him in the song "Green Rolling Hills Of West Virginia" (at 10:30).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M5HEG2JJ34

RIP Mr. Keith.

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 26 Oct 2015 7:44 am

Oh no! This has been the most god-awful year for many of our friends and mentors. I was recently thinking that I have to see Bill playing out as it has been quite a while. I am very saddened by this news, a true mentor of mine and many of us. We will miss you Bill.

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 26 Oct 2015 7:36 pm

Sad news indeed...I got to spend some time with him in the early '70's when we were booked on the same shows together...a delight to visit with and I loved his playing...rest easy!

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 26 Oct 2015 8:41 pm

New York Times Obit:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/27/arts/ ... .html?_r=0

I always liked Bill Keith's steel this one from Maria Muldaur: "Long Hard Climb" (1973)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2EOmtaNpMY

steve takacs · Post by **steve takacs** » 27 Oct 2015 2:54 pm

Bill, thanks for the music ride and the instruction you gave us.

My Scruggs banjo book does not get a lot of action these days but my copy of Pedal Steel Guitar certainly does. The latter provided me with a solid foundation for pedal steel. I'll bet that is true for a ton of other steel guitarists.

Condolence to the family. stevet

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 27 Oct 2015 2:55 pm

blue velvet band....muleskinner, with clarence white.

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 28 Oct 2015 4:35 am

Well done, Bill.

Condolences to the family.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 28 Oct 2015 1:16 pm

A legend and influence on two instruments. Not many can say that. RIP. Towards the end of this clip, he kind of plays pedal steel by hand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1URm2h ... 0ihuCemUZS

Ron Page · Post by **Ron Page** » 29 Oct 2015 7:56 am

RIP Bill.

As Jim said, that was the Bible of PSG for a lot of us. I had the original with the floppy vinyl record inserted and then bought another just a few years back with the DVD.

Condolences to Bill's family and friends. What a great and lasting contribution to our instrument and its players.

Edward Efira · Post by **Edward Efira** » 29 Oct 2015 9:48 am

RIP Bill,
I first saw you with Karen Dalton in the early 70s in Paris, playing steel and banjo and you blew my mind. Your moving to France created a brand new Bluegrass and Folk Rock scene, and a long list of french musicians honing their new skills, picking your brain, your immense knowledge/generosity and then their instruments... Godspeed

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 30 Oct 2015 8:27 am

Bill speaking at the IBMA awards ceremony October 1, 2015 in his induction to the IBMA Hall of Fame. He gives tribute to so many great musicians and makes mention of his taking up the steel guitar at 3:06. Really great and a bit sad to see this great man reduced by this awful disease, that took Winnie as well, to a wheelchair. RIP Bill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ZxvoxLmXY

Karlis Abolins · Post by **Karlis Abolins** » 2 Nov 2015 9:07 pm

Bill playing some of my favorite tasteful steel on the Borderline album "Sweet Dreams and Quiet Desires".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvtV6LEgb2E

The Steel Guitar Forum

RIP Bill Keith

RIP Bill Keith

Bill Keith, Rest in Peace