Steel event keeps old-time country music alive

By CARL E. FEATHER - Staff Writer - cfeather@starbeacon.com

SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — Steel guitar players of both regional and national prominence will gather in Saybrook Township July 19 for an afternoon of jamming and performance.

The BSG Steel Guitar Show will be held at Kathryn Rose Party Center from 1 to 8 p.m., says organizer and steel-guitar player and builder Don Burrows of Plymouth Township.

He and his wife, Ruby, hosted the first local show three years ago and have seen the crowds grow each year. The shows feature the steel guitar, a relatively modern musical instrument that found a home in classic country bands. Accordingly, songs performed at the jam and concert will be in that fading genre.

Proceeds from the event are plowed into future regional shows held to keep the steel guitar sound alive. The event also provides a venue for players to jam on stage.

The Fort Huntsburg Band will open the show at 1 p.m. Don Burrows is the steel player for the band, which also includes Bill and Mary Heath, Jimmy Hein and Mike Pack. The classic country band has been around since the late 1980s. It has been scheduled for county fairs in Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties this year.

A jam session for steel guitar players will be held until 3 p.m., when the guest artists will take the stage. Each guest player will perform a 40-minute set.

This year’s guest performers are Mike Sigler of Rushville, Sugar Creek resident Rick Troyer and Danny Hullihen of Michigan.

Sigler started playing steel guitar when he was 10 and worked with many Ohio bands until graduating from high school. He’s traveled with many national artists, including Margo Smith, Michael Martin Murphy, Ray Pillow, Lynn Anderson and Holly Dunn.

He is on the road with the Nashville On Road Show, which includes Jack Green, Jeanie Seeley, Jean Sheppard, Stonewall Jackson, Jan Howard and Steve Hall.

He has 15 albums to his credit and worked on seven more with major artists.

Rick Troyer has been teaching steel guitar since he was 15. He’s had as many as 100 students at one time, but has pared back to 75 as he also runs a store, writes songs and performs with local artists in his recording studio.

He teaches guitar, dobro, mandolin, banjo and bass guitar in addition to steel guitar.

Hullihen has toured with Jeannie Pruitt as both a bass and steel guitar player, and traveled with Little Jimmie Dickens as a steel player in the early 1970s. He played with his own band, Arkansas, at many Detroit and Lansing night spots.

Recognized by instrument and amplification manufacturers for having a unique personal style, Hullihen is a registered artist endorser for Peavey Electronics, ZumStell Co. and Mullen Steel Guitars. He was inducted into the Michigan Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in April 2001 in honor of his years of service to the community and contributions to Steel Guitar World Magazine.

Hullihen and his band, Jagwire Country, tour with Louie Longoria.

The Kathryn Rose Party Center is located at 3116 N. Bend Road, Ashtabula. Food will be available at the party center during the show. Tickets for the show are $6 each at the door or in advance. To purchase, call Burrows at 992-6129 or 228-4965.

“Classic country music and steel guitar is a dying breed, we as country music lovers need to keep it alive by supporting these shows,” Sigler says.

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